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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 4, 2020

Registration No. 333-            

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

 

 

Quhuo Limited

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands   7389   Not Applicable

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District

Beijing, People’s Republic of China

(+86-10) 5338 4963

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Cogency Global Inc.

122 East, 42th Street, 18th Floor

New York, NY 10168

(800) 221-0102

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Dan Ouyang, Esq.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Professional Corporation

Unit 2901, 29F, Tower C, Beijing Yintai Centre

No. 2 Jianguomenwai Avenue

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022

People’s Republic of China

(+86-10) 6529-8300

 

Benjamin Su, Esq.

Daying Zhang, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

18th Floor, One Exchange Square

8 Connaught Place

Central, Hong Kong

(+852) 2912-2500

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

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, please check the following box.  ☐

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.  ☐

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.  ☐

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.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company  ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

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

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered(1)(2)

  Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering Price(3)
  Amount of
Registration Fee

Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share

  US$35,000,000   US$4,543

 

 

(1)

American depositary shares, or ADSs, issuable upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Registration No. 333-            ). Each ADS represents              Class A ordinary share(s).

(2)

Includes (a) Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs 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, and (b) Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs that may be purchased by the underwriters pursuant to their option to purchase additional ADSs. The Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

 

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 Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell the securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting any offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion

Preliminary Prospectus dated             , 2020

American Depositary Shares

 

LOGO

Quhuo Limited

Representing              Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is an initial public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, representing Class A ordinary shares of Quhuo Limited. We are offering              ADSs, each representing              of our Class A ordinary share(s), par value US$0.0001 per share, to be sold in this offering. We anticipate the initial public offering price per ADS will be between US$             and US$            .

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market currently exists for our ADSs or shares. We have applied to list our ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, or NASDAQ, under the symbol “QH.”

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements.

Upon the completion of this offering,              Class A ordinary shares and              Class B ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 15 votes and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.

We will be a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because Mr. Leslie Yu, our chairman and chief executive officer, will hold a majority of the aggregate voting power of our company upon the completion of this offering.

 

 

Investing in our ADSs involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 16.

PRICE US$             PER ADS

 

 

 

     Price to public      Underwriting
discounts and
commissions(1)
     Proceeds,
before expenses,
to us
 

Per ADS

   US$                    US$                    US$                

Total

   US$                    US$                    US$                

 

(1)

For additional disclosure on compensation payable to the underwriters, see “Underwriting.”

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to              additional ADSs from us at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions to cover over-allotments within 30 days after the date of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment in U.S. dollars in New York, New York on or about            , 2020.

 

 

 

Roth Capital Partners     

VALUABLE CAPITAL

LIMITED

  Tiger Brokers

Prospectus dated              , 2020.


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LOGO

 

Note: (1) In terms of the number of average monthly active workers in 2019. (2) In terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue in 2019. (3) As of December 31, 2019. (4) For the year ended December 31, 2019. Derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.


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LOGO


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Prospectus Summary

     1  

The Offering

     11  

Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

     14  

Risk Factors

     16  

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

     57  

Use of Proceeds

     59  

Dividend Policy

     61  

Capitalization

     62  

Dilution

     65  

Enforceability of Civil Liabilities

     67  

Corporate History and Structure

     69  

Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data

     74  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

     76  
     Page  

Market Opportunities

     100  

Business

     107  

Regulation

     128  

Management

     142  

Principal Shareholders

     151  

Related Party Transactions

     155  

Description of Share Capital

     157  

Description of American Depositary Shares

     169  

Shares Eligible for Future Sales

     179  

Taxation

     181  

Underwriting

     188  

Expenses Related to This Offering

     198  

Legal Matters

     199  

Experts

     200  

Where You Can Find More Information

     201  

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-1  
 

 

 

No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representations. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the ADSs offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

Neither we nor any of the underwriters has done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of this prospectus or any filed free writing prospectus outside of the United States.

Until             , 2020 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade ADSs, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the obligation of dealers to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

 

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained in greater detail elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before investing in the ADSs, you should carefully read this entire prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this prospectus and the information set forth under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” This prospectus contains information from an industry report commissioned by us and prepared by Frost & Sullivan, an independent market research firm, to provide information regarding our industry and our market position in China. We refer to this report as the F&S report.

Our Mission

Our mission is to enable on-demand consumer service companies to do better business and individuals on our platform to create better lives.

Our Business

We were the largest workforce operational solution platform in China as measured by the number of average monthly active workers in 2019, according to the F&S report. We provide tech-enabled, end-to-end operational solutions to blue-chip on-demand consumer service businesses in industries with significant e-commerce exposure, including food delivery, ride-hailing, housekeeping and bike-sharing. In 2019, we ranked No.1 in the on-demand food delivery solution market in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, with a market share exceeding that of the next top four market players combined in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, according to the F&S report. Within the on-demand consumer service ecosystem, we play a unique and indispensable role as the link between consumer service businesses and the end consumers to enable the delivery of goods, services and experiences to consumers.

Our story began in 2012 when a trio of ex-DHL entrepreneurs founded our company to partner with the rapidly growing on-demand food delivery businesses in China and provide a platform of large, flexible and standardized workforce focused on the last-mile delivery of prepared food. In the years that followed, the on-demand consumer service industry has flourished with the increasing society-wide consumer embracement of the on-demand economy, driven by rapid urbanization, consumption upgrade and democratization of mobile internet. According to the F&S report, China’s on-demand consumer service market, in terms of gross transaction value, increased from RMB1,296.4 billion in 2015 to RMB4,641.4 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 37.6%, and is expected to reach RMB9,482.2 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 15.4% from 2019 to 2024. The proliferation of on-demand consumer service industry has created a new and expansive demand for flexible, stable and trained workforce to deliver standardized, high-quality services to consumers. However, China’s labor market is experiencing significant challenges, including a continuous decline in skilled working-age labor force and persistently increasing labor costs. The on-demand consumer service companies also generally lack in-house resources or capability to deliver standardized and high-quality services to end consumers. This mismatch among demand, supply and capability creates an enormous and sustainable business opportunity for us. As a clear leader in the workforce operational solution market, we believe we are well positioned to capture the enormous opportunity in this highly fragmented market with a number of small-scale, single-industry players incapable of delivering standardized solutions.

To the on-demand consumer service companies that we serve, our solutions have become critical to their business strategy, operational focus and financial performance. We have established deep-rooted, long-standing partnerships with blue-chip industry customers in an increasing number of on-demand consumer service industries in China. Our platform helps industry customers mobilize a large team of workers and utilize a



 

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combination of training, performance monitoring and refinement, and incentives to transform them into skilled workers who can follow industry-specific, standardized and highly efficient service procedures. In the on-demand food delivery market alone, we have been able to achieve an average of approximately 40% cost saving for industry customers in terms of operational cost per order, according to the F&S report. Leveraging our technology capabilities, we conduct data-driven operational analysis to assist our industry customers in improving their service quality and consumer satisfaction. For example, we have been able to work with our largest industry customer and limit our delivery time for prepared food generally within 30 minutes. As of December 31, 2019, we had partnered with industry customers mostly comprising top market players in their respective industries, such as Meituan, Ele.me and KFC in the on-demand food delivery industry, Mobike in the bike-sharing industry, Didi in the ride-hailing industry and Anxin Home in the housing rental industry. Our geographic footprint reached 73 cities across 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China as of December 31, 2019.

To the workers on our platform, we believe we have become a “go-to” one-stop platform that provides them with diversified, flexible earning opportunities. Workers are also attracted to our platform for career advancement prospects and various work-life support and services. We empower workers with minimal work experience to begin their career and progress with us and promoted over 330 workers on our platform to team leaders and other management roles in 2019. In the three months ended December 31, 2019, we had approximately 40,800 average monthly active workers on our platform. We believe that the size of our workforce allows us to further cement our relationship with industry customers and become their partner of choice when they enter new geographical markets or new on-demand consumer service industries. Workers on our platform are also encouraged to bring in their friends, relatives and acquaintances to continually and organically expand our workforce network. Over 74% of those who joined our platform in 2019 were referred by existing workers. We believe that the bonds among workers on our platform can be forged by such social relations, minimizing worker turnovers and making our platform more stable.

Our ability to quickly scale up our business and effectively manage our workers rests on Quhuo+, a proprietary technology infrastructure that centralizes our operational management and streamlines our solution process. For workers in a management position, such as team leaders for our on-demand food delivery solutions, Quhuo+ allows them to pinpoint workers on our platform to monitor their workload and performance, and dynamically manage staffing and maintain solution quality. With Quhuo+, team leaders are able to transcribe industry-specific KPIs obtained from industry customers into executable guidance for workers on our platform, and benchmark workforce performance across all workers and teams based on data-driven analytics to refine our solutions and optimize our operational efficiency. For rank-and-file workers, Quhuo+ allows them to review their workload, access on-the-job training and review their performance. As a result, we are able to cultivate a specialized yet flexible workforce and deploy the same workers across different industry settings based on their work schedules by, for example, allowing delivery riders on our platform to take part in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during their off-peak hours, which serves to optimize our operational cost and also diversify their earning opportunities. We have developed Quhuo+ into a scalable modular system with customizable parameters and settings to smoothly manage and transfer massive workers across different regions and industries we serve, which forms the bedrock of our highly scalable and replicable business model. As a result, we are able to scale our operations and replicate our success into greenfield regions or industries quickly and cost-effectively with minimal incremental costs on infrastructure. For example, we became No.1 in the shared-bike maintenance solution market in terms of revenue in 2018, according to the F&S report, within a span of 12 months.

We have grown rapidly in recent years to achieve greater economies of scale, which, coupled with our technology capabilities, increases our industry customers’ dependency on our platform. As our platform continues to grow, we are attracting customers from more industries as well as a greater number of workers. This powerful network effect has created strong entry barriers and underpins our long-term growth. Our revenues were RMB654.8 million, RMB1,474.5 million and RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.



 

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We recorded net loss of RMB14.0 million, RMB44.3 million and RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Excluding the effect of share-based compensation expenses, we recorded adjusted net loss of RMB10.7 million, adjusted net income of RMB45.3 million and adjusted net income of RMB51.4 million (US$7.4 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measure” for a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted net income (loss).

We operate in a vibrant ecosystem consisting of workforce operational solution platforms, including us, on-demand consumer service companies and end consumers. The following diagram is a simplified presentation of our role in this ecosystem:

 

LOGO

Our Strengths

We believe our success to date is primarily attributable to the following key competitive strengths:

 

   

leading tech-enabled workforce operational solution platform capturing market opportunity;

 

   

end-to-end operational solutions driving customer satisfaction and business growth;

 

   

proprietary technology infrastructure boosting operational efficiency and expansion;

 

   

deep-rooted, long-standing partnerships with blue-chip industry customers;

 

   

compelling value proposition to workers solidifying our platform;

 

   

powerful network effect creating strong competitive edge; and

 

   

visionary and seasoned management team with proven track record.

Our Strategies

We intend to leverage our existing strengths and pursue the following strategies to achieve our growth targets:

 

   

strengthen our market leading position;



 

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increase market penetration and expansion;

 

   

invest in technology and enhance data insights;

 

   

enhance worker loyalty to our platform; and

 

   

pursue strategic alliances, investments and acquisitions.

Our Challenges

Our ability to accomplish our mission and execute our strategies is subject to risks and uncertainties, including the following:

 

   

our limited operating history and evolving business portfolio make it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects;

 

   

if we fail to remain our competitive position in the on-demand food delivery market or further diversify our solution offerings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected;

 

   

our high customer concentration exposes us to all of the risks faced by our major customers and may subject us to significant fluctuations or declines in revenues;

 

   

if we fail to maintain relationships with existing industry customers or attract new customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected;

 

   

if we fail to attract, retain and manage workers on our platform, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected;

 

   

there could be adverse legal, tax, and other consequences if workers on our platform were to be classified as our employees or dispatched employees instead of independent contractors;

 

   

we may be held liable for breach of contract under our agreements with industry customers;

 

   

we may not compete effectively. If we lose our market shares to competitors in existing markets, or if our expansion into new markets is not successful, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected;

 

   

we have incurred net losses in the past, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability; and

 

   

as we incur significant costs in connection with certain business lines, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if demand for our solutions under these business lines does not increase as quickly as we anticipate.

See “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for detailed discussions of these and other risks and uncertainties associated with our business and investing in our ADSs.

Recent Developments

The following sets forth our selected unaudited financial data for the three months ended or as of March 31, 2020. The unaudited financial data included in this prospectus has been prepared by, and is the responsibility of, our management. We cannot assure you that our financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2020 will be indicative of our financial results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 or any future periods. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors”



 

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included elsewhere in this prospectus for information regarding trends and other factors that may affect our results of operations and financial condition.

 

   

Revenues. Our revenues increased by 12.6% from RMB348.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB392.6 million (US$56.4 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in revenues generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our continued market penetration and expansion, partially offset by the impact of the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

 

   

Revenues from on-demand food delivery solutions increased by 13.4% from RMB343.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB389.3 million (US$55.9 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase was primarily driven by the increase in the average monthly delivery orders fulfilled by delivery riders on our platform from approximately 13.9 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to approximately 16.9 million in the three months ended March 31, 2020, partially offset by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the growth rate of our delivery orders.

 

   

Revenues from shared-bike maintenance solutions decreased by 48.9% from RMB4.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to (1) the decrease in the geographical coverage of our solutions as we strategically withdrew our operations from a few cities where we underperformed, and (2) the recent global outbreak of COVID-19 and the corresponding government-mandated quarantine measures.

 

   

Revenues from ride-hailing solutions decreased by 26.5% from RMB1.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB0.9 million (US$0.1 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to (1) the decrease in the number of vehicles we leased to ride-hailing drivers on our platform as a result of the recent global outbreak of COVID-19 and the corresponding government-mandated quarantine measures, and (2) a conditional rent-free period we granted to ride-hailing drivers on our platform in late January and February, following the industry-wide relief measures.

 

   

Revenues from housekeeping solutions and other services were nil and RMB0.2 million (US$36,000) in the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively.

 

   

Cost of revenues. Our cost of revenues increased by 17.2% from RMB325.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB381.5 million (US$54.8 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in the cost related to our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our business growth.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our on-demand food delivery solutions increased by 17.7% from RMB319.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB376.4 million (US$54.1 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increases in (1) service fees paid to our delivery riders and team leaders in line with the increase in the orders fulfilled by our delivery riders, (2) insurance expenses for delivery riders, (3) hiring expenses for delivery riders, including service fees paid to third-party labor service companies and referral fees paid to existing delivery riders on our platform, and (4) rental fees paid to lease the workspace for additional service stations to accommodate the increase in delivery rider headcount.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our shared-bike maintenance solutions decreased by 54.7% from RMB4.2 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB1.9 million (US$0.3 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, which was generally in line with the decline of the business volume of our shared-bike maintenance solutions.



 

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Cost of revenues related to our ride-hailing solutions increased significantly from RMB1.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB2.7 million (US$0.4 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in the number of vehicles we rented or purchased.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our housekeeping solutions and other services was nil and RMB0.5 million (US$65,000) in the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively.

 

   

Gross profit. As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit decreased by 52.4% from RMB23.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB11.1 million (US$1.6 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020. Our gross profit margin decreased from 6.7% in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to 2.8% in the three months ended March 31, 2020.

 

   

General and administrative expenses. Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 61.6% from RMB71.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB27.5 million (US$4.0 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the decrease in share-based compensation expenses from RMB54.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB1.3 million in the three months ended March 31, 2020, as the vesting terms of the options were modified in August 2019 such that substantially all of the outstanding options will not be exercisable until the completion of this offering, which resulted in a deferral of related share-based expenses for new grants after August 2019. Excluding the effect of share-based compensation, our general and administrative expenses would have increased by 48.4% from RMB17.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB26.2 million (US$3.8 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increases in (1) salaries and benefits for our operational staff, and (2) office expenses.

 

   

Research and development expenses. Our research and development expenses increased by 55.5% from RMB1.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB2.6 million (US$0.4 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increases in salaries and benefits for our research and development personnel, and rental expenses related to servers utilized by us.

 

   

Operating loss. Our operating loss decreased by 61.0% from RMB49.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB19.1 million (US$2.7 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020.

 

   

Net loss. Our net loss decreased by 53.5% from RMB46.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB21.6 million (US$3.1 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020.

We have not experienced material adverse impact to our liquidity and cash flows since the COVID-19 outbreak. As of March 31, 2020, we had cash of RMB130.5 million (US$18.7 million), representing an increase of 2.9% from RMB126.8 million as of December 31, 2019.

For details of the impact of and the risks and challenges associated with COVID-19 on our business, results of operations and financial condition, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Any health pandemics, including the recent global outbreak of COVID-19, and other natural disasters and calamities, could have a material adverse effect on our business operations” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations—COVID-19 outbreak.”

Our Corporate History and Structure

We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We commenced operations through Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Quhuo, in 2012. Over a span of seven-year development, we have expanded our business from initially the on-demand food delivery industry



 

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into various industries and have become a leading tech-enabled workforce operational solution platform in China.

Beginning in 2019, we underwent a series of restructuring in anticipation of this offering, which was completed in March 2020. In June 2019, our founders, through their respective controlled entities, incorporated Quhuo Limited in the Cayman Islands as our proposed listing entity and holding company with no material operations of its own. From June 2019 to July 2019, we incorporated various subsidiaries, including Quhuo Investment Limited, Quhuo Technology Investment (Hong Kong) Limited and Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., or WFOE, all of which are investment holding companies. In August 2019, we gained control and became the sole beneficiary of Beijing Quhuo, or the VIE, through a series of contractual arrangements between WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s registered shareholders. We conduct our workforce operational solution business primarily through the VIE and its subsidiaries in China. In August 2019, Quhuo Limited issued preferred shares to the VIE’s existing investors to reflect their respective equity interests in the VIE prior to the restructuring. However, the shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. They may breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our affiliated entities and receive economic benefits from them. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—The shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”



 

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The following diagram illustrates our simplified corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries, our VIE and its subsidiaries, as of the date of this prospectus:

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Quhuo, include Lili Sun, spouse of Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Shuyi Yang, Mr. Zhen Ba, Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP and Mr. Tongtong Li, holding 25.7264%, 24.9784%, 9.6547%, 38.8250% and 0.8154% of the equity interests of Beijing Quhuo, respectively.

(2)

The remaining 30% of the equity interests of Nantong Runda Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. is owned by two independent individuals.

(3)

The remaining 49% of the equity interests of Jiangxi Youke Automobile Rental Service Co., Ltd. is owned by an independent individual.

Our Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building, No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited at PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. The telephone number of our principal executive office is (+86-10) 5338 4963.



 

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Investors should contact us for any inquiries through the address and telephone number of our principal executive office. Our main website is www.quhuo.cn. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10168.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in the assessment of internal control over financial reporting of an emerging growth company. Under the JOBS Act, an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until the date that private companies are required to do so. We have elected to take advantage of such exemption, and as a result, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time that they become applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (1) the last day of our fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least US$1.07 billion; (2) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of completion of this offering; (3) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (4) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if we have been a public company for at least 12 months and the market value of our ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

Conventions that Apply to this Prospectus

Except where the context otherwise indicates and for the purpose of this prospectus only:

 

   

“active workers” refers to the number of workers that established business outsourcing relationship with us, joined our insurance programs, and completed at least one transaction on our platform in a given period;

 

   

“ADRs” refers to the American depositary receipts which, if issued, evidence our ADSs;

 

   

“ADSs” refers to American depositary shares, each of which represents              Class A ordinary share(s);

 

   

“CAGR” refers to compound annual growth rate;

 

   

“Class A ordinary shares” refers to our Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 per share;

 

   

“Class B ordinary shares” refers to our Class B ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 per share;

 

   

“China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus only, Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau;

 

   

“delivery time” refers to the amount of time that it takes for prepared foods to be delivered door-to-door to the ordering end consumer through our on-demand food delivery solutions; “average delivery time” is calculated by dividing the total amount of delivery time of all completed delivery orders by the number of total completed delivery orders in a given period;



 

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“industry customer(s)” refers to business customer(s) to which we offer services, primarily including on-demand consumer service companies in the food delivery, ride-hailing, housekeeping and bike-sharing industries;

 

   

“KPI(s)” refers to key performance indicator(s);

 

   

“on-time delivery rate” refers to the ratio of the number of delivery orders completed within the time as required by our industry customers divided by the number of total delivery orders completed in a given period; “average on-time delivery rate” is calculated by dividing the number of total orders that have been delivered on time by the number of total completed delivery orders in a given period;

 

   

“ordinary shares” prior to the completion of this offering, refers to our ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, and upon and after completion of this offering, refers to our ordinary shares comprising Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share and/or Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share;

 

   

“registered workers” refers to the accumulative number of workers that have established business outsourcing relationship with us, joined our insurance programs, and completed at least one transaction on our platform since our inception;

 

   

“RMB” or “Renminbi” refers to the legal currency of China;

 

   

“US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$” or “dollars” refers to the legal currency of the United States of America;

 

   

“VIE” refers to Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.; “affiliated entities” refers to, collectively, the VIE and its subsidiaries; and

 

   

“we,” “us,” “our,” or “our company” refers to Quhuo Limited, its subsidiaries, its VIE and subsidiaries of its VIE.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional ADSs and automatic conversation of all outstanding convertible redeemable preferred shares into Class A ordinary shares after this offering.

Our reporting and functional currency is Renminbi. This prospectus contains translations of certain foreign currency amounts into U.S. dollars for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations of Renminbi into U.S. dollars were made at RMB6.9618 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate on December 31, 2019, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. We make no representation that the Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts referred to in this prospectus could have been or could be converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all.



 

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THE OFFERING

 

Offering price

We currently estimate that the initial public offering price will be between US$             and US$             per ADS.

 

ADSs offered by us

            ADSs (or             ADSs if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full).

 

ADSs outstanding immediately after this offering

            ADSs (or             ADSs if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full).

 

Ordinary shares outstanding immediately after this offering

            Class A ordinary shares and             Class B ordinary shares (or             Class A ordinary shares and             Class B ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full).

 

The ADSs

Each ADS represents             Class A ordinary share(s).

 

  The depositary will be the holder of the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and you will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of ADSs from time to time.

 

  We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. If, however, we declare dividends on our Class A ordinary shares, the depositary will pay you the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our Class A ordinary shares after deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement.

 

  Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement relating to the ADSs, you may surrender your ADSs to the depositary in exchange for Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. The depositary will charge you fees for such exchanges.

 

  We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If an amendment becomes effective and you continue to hold your ADSs, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended.

 

  You should read carefully the section in this prospectus entitled “Description of American Depositary Shares” to better understand the terms of the ADSs. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this prospectus.

 

Ordinary shares

Following the completion of this offering, our issued and outstanding share capital will consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B



 

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ordinary shares. In respect of all matters subject to a shareholder vote, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 15 votes, voting together as one class. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any transfer of Class B ordinary shares by a holder to any person other than Mr. Leslie Yu or any entity which is not ultimately controlled by Mr. Leslie Yu, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the equivalent number of Class A ordinary shares. See “Description of Share Capital” for more information.

 

Option to purchase additional ADSs

We have granted the underwriters an option, which is exercisable within 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an aggregate of             additional ADSs from us at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discount and commissions.

 

Use of proceeds

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$             million (or US$             million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full), assuming an initial public offering price of US$             per ADS, which is the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, from this offering, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

  We intend to use our net proceeds from this offering primarily for (1) expanding our business in multiple industry settings, including ride-hailing, housekeeping and other services, (2) upgrading our technology infrastructure, (3) marketing and brand promotions, (4) funding potential strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances, although we do not presently have specific plans and are not currently engaged in any discussions or negotiations with respect to any such transaction, and (5) working capital and other general corporate purpose.

 

  See “Use of Proceeds” for more information.

 

Lock-up

We, [our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and option holders] have agreed with the underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. See “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” and “Underwriting.”

 

Listing

We have applied to list our ADSs on NASDAQ. Our ordinary shares will not be listed on any exchange or quoted for trading on any over-the-counter trading system.

 

Proposed NASDAQ Symbol

“QH.”


 

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Depositary

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas.

 

Payment and settlement

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs against payment therefor through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company on             , 2020.

 

Risk factors

See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of the risks you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our ADSs.


 

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

The following summary consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the summary consolidated statements of cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the summary consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read the following information in conjunction with those financial statements and accompanying notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. Historical results for any prior period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period.

Summary Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017     2018     2019  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Revenues

     654,802       1,474,475       2,055,789       295,296  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of revenues

     (626,193     (1,357,837     (1,893,513     (271,986
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     28,609       116,638       162,276       23,310  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     (50,038     (168,541     (174,730     (25,099
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

     (21,429     (51,903     (12,454     (1,789
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(Loss)/income before income tax

     (13,564     (40,316     8,131       1,168  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (405     (3,979     (21,580     (3,100
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

     (13,969     (44,295     (13,449     (1,932
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Data(1)

        

Adjusted net (loss)/income

     (10,670     45,327       51,350       7,376  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

Summary Consolidated Balance Sheets Data

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019  
     RMB      RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Cash

     17,343        126,779       18,211  

Short-term investments

     74,165        56,275       8,083  

Accounts receivable, net

     156,368        276,966       39,784  

Prepayments and other current assets

     17,487        43,058       6,185  

Amounts due from related parties

     25,748        18,392       2,642  

Total current assets

     291,111        521,470       74,905  

Total assets

     469,616        743,896       106,854  

Total current liabilities

     240,449        452,080       64,939  

Total liabilities

     265,183        489,344       70,291  

Total mezzanine equity

     1,031,001        1,031,001       148,094  

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (826,568)        (776,449     (111,531

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity, non-controlling interests and shareholders’ deficit

     469,616        743,896       106,854  

 

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Summary Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Data

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities

     (28,615      19,807        17,624        2,533  

Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities

     (65,102      (94,281      12,483        1,792  

Net cash generated from financing activities

     71,350        82,495        80,550        11,570  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     (80      179        (1,221      (175

Net (decrease)/increase in cash

     (22,447      8,200        109,436        15,720  

Cash at the beginning of the period

     31,590        9,143        17,343        2,491  

Cash at the end of the period

     9,143        17,343        126,779        18,211  

Key Operating Metrics

The following table sets forth certain key operating metrics relating to our business.

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    March 31,
2018
    June 30,
2018
    September 30,
2018
    December 31,
2018
    March 31,
2019
    June 30,
2019
    September 30,
2019
    December 31,
2019
 
    (in thousands)  

Number of average monthly active workers

    18       24       25       23       23       26       41       41  

Number of average monthly delivery orders

    11,135       14,696       16,884       15,574       13,856       16,616       28,666       29,221  

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ADSs entails a significant level of risk. Before investing in our ADSs, you should carefully consider all of the risks and uncertainties mentioned in this section, in addition to all of the other information in this prospectus, including the financial statements and related notes. We may face additional risks and uncertainties aside from the ones mentioned below. There may be risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently do not consider material but may become important factors that adversely affect our business in the future. Any of the following risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In such case, the market prices of our ADSs could decline and you may lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our limited operating history and evolving business portfolio make it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.

We launched on-demand food delivery solutions in February 2013 and expanded our solutions to certain other industries in recent years, such as shared-bike maintenance, ride-hailing and housekeeping solutions. Our platform and business model in these new industries have not been fully proven given our limited operating history, which may subject us to a number of uncertainties and additional costs and expenses, and adversely impact our ability to project and plan for future growth. For example, as we lease vehicles to ride-hailing drivers on our platform, our ride-hailing solutions operate under a relatively capital intensive model, which is different from our other solutions and may have an adverse impact on our cash flow. In addition, we may be required to comply with new laws and regulations applicable to these industries. We may also compete with one or more existing market leaders in such industries we expand into who may have gained competitive edge with their experience and existing brand recognition among customers.

Our limited operating history and evolving business portfolio make it difficult to draw an exact period-over-period comparison on our business, financial condition and results of operations as a whole. The historical revenue contribution from each of our business lines may not be indicative of their future performance.

As the industries in which our industry customers operate and our business further develop, we may modify our business model or continue to change our business portfolio. We may launch new solution offerings or discontinue any existing ones for strategic purposes. Any of such modifications or changes may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Assessing our business and prospects is difficult in light of the risks and challenges we may encounter. These risks and challenges include our ability to:

 

   

accurately forecast our revenue and plan our operating expenses;

 

   

attract and retain industry customers;

 

   

attract, train and retain workers on our platform;

 

   

provide diversified and distinguishable solutions and achieve market acceptance of our solutions;

 

   

increase our market share in existing industries and expand into new industries;

 

   

comply with existing and new laws and regulations applicable to our business;

 

   

anticipate and adapt to evolving market conditions, including technological developments and changes in the competitive landscape;

 

   

maintain reliable, secure, high-performance and scalable technology infrastructure;

 

   

attract, retain and motivate talented employees; and

 

   

improve our operational efficiency.

 

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If we fail to address any or all of these risks and challenges, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to remain our competitive position in the on-demand food delivery market or further diversify our solution offerings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

We have derived, and expect to continue to derive in the near future, a substantial majority of our revenue from our on-demand food delivery solutions. Therefore, it is critical for us to remain competitive in the market. Our competitiveness may be affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including new services developed by our competitors, changes in technology, and the overall contraction in economy and the on-demand food delivery market. While we continually seek to diversify our solution offerings by expanding into other industries, we cannot assure you that we will succeed in a timely manner or at all. If we fail to capture the growth in the demand for our on-demand food delivery solutions, or if we fail to diversify our solution offerings, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our high customer concentration exposes us to all of the risks faced by our major customers and may subject us to significant fluctuations or declines in revenues.

A limited number of industry customers have contributed a significant portion of our revenues in the past. In 2019, we generated approximately 96% of our total revenues from three major industry customers, including Meituan and Ele.me. Although we continually seek to diversify our customer base, we cannot assure you that the proportion of the revenue contribution from these industry customers to our total revenues will decrease in the near future, as the on-demand food delivery market is highly concentrated, with Meituan and Ele.me accounting for more than 95% of the market share in terms of the number of delivery orders and revenue in 2019, according to the F&S report. Other on-demand consumer service markets that we serve are also relatively concentrated with a limited number of market players.

Dependence on a limited number of major industry customers will expose us to the risks of substantial losses if any of them reduces or even ceases business collaborations with us. Specifically, any one of the following events, among others, may cause material fluctuations or declines in our revenues and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects:

 

   

an overall decline in the business of one or more of our major industry customers;

 

   

the decision by one or more of our major industry customers to switch to our competitors;

 

   

the reduction in the service fees of our solutions agreed by one or more of our major industry customers;

 

   

the failure or inability of any of our major industry customers to make timely payment for our services;

 

   

non-compliance with law on the part of any major industry customers or breach of contract by any major industry customers vis-à-vis their business partners; or

 

   

unlawful, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by any major industry customers that could harm their business, brand and reputation, or subject them to government investigations.

If we fail to maintain relationships with these major customers, and if we are unable to find replacement customers on commercially desirable terms or in a timely manner or at all, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to maintain relationships with existing industry customers or attract new customers, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Our relationship with industry customers is crucial to our success. If we fail to maintain the quality of our solutions on par with industry customers’ operational needs or respond promptly and effectively to their evolving

 

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service requirements, we may lose our existing and potential industry customers and experience a loss of market share. We typically renew our agreements with industry customers on an annual or semi-annual basis. Although we generally managed to renew agreements with our major customers in the past, we cannot assure you that we can maintain relationships with existing industry customers on commercially desirable terms, or at all.

Industry customers may also terminate business relationships with us due to contractual disputes. For example, we had a dispute with a major industry customer as we extracted and downloaded operating data from its system by using certain technical means not permitted by such customer. We also acquired customer relationships from other service providers of certain major industry customers without seeking their prior written consent. We rectified these issues, settled the disputes privately and maintained our business relationship with these industry customers. We have since enhanced our internal control measures and improved our communication with industry customers to avoid any inadvertent misunderstandings or disputes with our industry customers in the future. We cannot assure you, however, that these industry customers will not sue us for past disputes or that we will not be perceived to breach our contractual obligations, should similar incidents occur in the future. As our industry customers typically have strong bargaining power in imposing or interpreting the terms of our business relationships, we also cannot assure you that our current business practice would not expose us or our business partners to risks of contractual disputes. Should any new disputes arise in the future, we could be subject to penalties imposed by our industry customers, which may include monetary compensation, modification of delivery areas and up to termination of business relationships with us.

Furthermore, as some of our industry customers are competitors to each other in their respective markets, we may be forced to provide services exclusively to certain industry customers and terminate business relationships with the others for commercial consideration if market competition intensifies or if an industry customer so demands specifically by enforcing contractual covenants. We may also fail to develop new relationships with additional industry customers. In that case, our platform may become less appealing to workers as a result of a decline in earning opportunities, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to attract, retain and manage workers on our platform, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our continued growth depends in part on our ability to cost-effectively attract, retain and manage workers on our platform. To do so, we have, among other things, offered them referral bonuses, on-the-job training, career advancement opportunities and other value-added work-life support and services. We compete with our competitors and other labor-intensive companies for a massive workforce. If we do not continue to provide workers with compelling earning opportunities and other support and services that are comparable or superior to those of our competitors, or if workers are dissatisfied with the opportunities, support and services we provide, we may be unable to continually attract new workers or retain the existing ones.

We have established business outsourcing relationships with workers on our platform through third-party labor service companies. We engage these service companies to attract workers and settle monthly payment of service fees to workers. Our business depends, to certain extent, on the stability of our contractual relationships with these labor service companies and their continued performance to our satisfaction. The source of workers on our platform could be materially and adversely affected by any disruption to their operations or any termination or suspension of our contractual arrangements with these labor service companies, and we may fail to find a replacement on commercially reasonable terms or in a timely manner or at all. If we fail to attract, retain and manage a sufficient number of workers on our platform or lose a substantial number of workers, we may no longer be able to meet the demands of our customers, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Moreover, our ability to attract, retain and manage workers on our platform may be adversely affected by an overall decline of labor force due to macroeconomic, social, legal and political reasons that may affect labor

 

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migration, which are beyond our control. Any labor unrest or strikes directed against us could also directly or indirectly affect our ability to serve customers. Furthermore, labor unrest may affect general labor market conditions or result in changes to labor laws. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

There could be adverse legal, tax, and other consequences if workers on our platform were to be classified as our employees or dispatched employees instead of independent contractors.

We have established business outsourcing relationships with workers on our platform, pursuant to which we pay service fees to workers engaged in our solutions as independent contractors through third-party labor service companies. We believe that our workforce model is consistent with the prevailing practice in the workforce operational solution industry and recent policies of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, or the State Council, that promote on-demand consumer service businesses and the associated workforce model through flexible regulatory measures. Furthermore, we believe the workers on our platform are independent contractors because, among other things, they provide services for orders obtained through our industry customers and get paid primarily based on the number of completed orders. As such, we do not believe that workers on our platform should be deemed as our employees or dispatched employees under the relevant PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this prospectus, our workforce model has not been investigated or challenged by any government authorities, nor are we aware of any government action contemplated or threatened. However, we have been previously involved in individual lawsuits brought by third parties to seek compensation from us for injuries caused by workers on our platform during their course of services. Some of these lawsuits ruled in favor of the claimants based on the unfavorable determination that the workers should be deemed as our employees or dispatched employees under the facts of each particular case.

We cannot assure you that we will not be involved in lawsuits or arbitration cases in which the judge or arbitrator may side with the claimant in determining the relationship with workers on our platform in the future. We also cannot assure you that we will not be subject to government investigations on or challenges to the legality of our workforce model in the future. If, as a result of legislation or judicial decisions, we are required to classify workers on our platform as our employees or dispatched employees, we would incur significant additional expenses for compensating workers on our platform, potentially including expenses associated with various employee benefits pursuant to relevant PRC laws and regulations. In addition, we may be required to fundamentally change our operation model to comply with the relevant PRC laws and regulations, including the requirement that the total number of dispatched employees may not exceed 10% of the total number of employees. We would also be subject to claims for vicarious liability in relation to torts committed by workers during their course of services, or other claims under the relevant PRC laws and regulations. Any of the foregoing could significantly increase our costs to serve customers, harm our reputation and brand, subject us to rectification orders and fines, and cause us to significantly alter our existing business model and operations. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.

We may be held liable for breach of contract under our agreements with industry customers.

Our industry customers typically require their third-party service partners, including us, to adhere to their standard form contracts, and there is little room to negotiate terms and conditions that deviate from such standard form contracts. The standard form contracts from such industry customers typically contain certain restrictive terms for third-party service partners, such as certain non-compete provisions, prohibitions on outsourcing to third-party companies, and prohibitions on acquiring other service providers and their customer relationships without seeking prior written consent from such industry customers. Our industry customers also generally require us to enter into labor relationship with workers on our platform, such as delivery riders, in compliance with applicable PRC laws. We cannot assure you that we will be deemed as having strictly adhered to the restrictive terms in the standard form contracts by such industry customers during the course of business. For example, we, through our various subsidiaries, have established business relationships with a number of industry

 

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customers, some of whom may regard themselves as competitors with each other. We have also collaborated with third-party labor service companies to attract and manage workers on our platform, and have not entered into employment contracts with workers as we deem them as independent contractors under our business outsourcing arrangements.

We communicated with our major industry customers with respect to their awareness of these facts and obtained affirmation that they had not initiated any legal, arbitral or other proceedings against us for failure to strictly adhere to the above-mentioned restrictive terms as of the date of this prospectus. However, if these customers subsequently change their view and lodge claims against us, we cannot assure you that these communications and affirmations will have the force of estoppel or will prompt the court or arbitrator to rule in our favor. We may be held liable for damages and suffer reputational damage if a dispute arises and we fail to contest the allegations successfully. Any disputes between our industry customers and us, regardless of the outcome, may disrupt our existing business relationships or cause them to terminate our business collaboration. We have removed some of these restrictive terms from our renewed contracts with certain industry customers. We intend to continue to re-negotiate the removal of these restrictive terms when renewing our contracts with other industry customers, but we cannot assure you that we will succeed. In addition, our industry customers may amend their standard form contracts to include more stringent terms and conditions. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may not compete effectively. If we lose our market shares to competitors in existing markets, or if our expansion into new markets is not successful, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

While we have not identified any other platform in China with a similar business model and operational scale comparable to us, we may compete with labor outsourcing companies or service suppliers that are independent from or affiliated with industry customers, as well as online or offline workforce marketplaces in each industry setting we serve. The market for workforce operational solutions within a single industry is highly fragmented, consisting of a large number of small-scale, single-industry service suppliers with limited operational experience or geographical coverage. Our competitors may operate with business models and cost structures different from ours. They may ultimately prove to be more successful or more adaptable to new regulatory, technological and other developments than we are. Some of our current and potential competitors may be able to devote greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources to facilitating their business growth, and may also have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition and stronger customer loyalty than we do. Merges or strategic alliances among our current or potential competitors may present additional challenges.

Our industry customers are not obligated to use our solutions on an exclusive basis. For example, on-demand food delivery platforms may engage multiple service suppliers to fulfill their services to consumers in a single city. As the market competition intensifies, our competitors may offer industry customers lower service fee quotes, which could put us under great financial pressure as we may be required by industry customers to match the lower fee quotes. In response to such competition, we may have to further optimize our solutions or otherwise lower our service fees. If we fail to compete effectively, or if our industry customers become dissatisfied with the service quality of our solutions, they may reduce or even discontinue business collaborations with us and switch to our competitors. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.

We have incurred net losses in the past, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.

We have grown rapidly over the past several years. Our revenues increased from RMB654.8 million in 2017 to RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million) in 2019. Our gross profit increased from RMB28.6 million in 2017 to RMB162.3 million (US$23.3 million) in 2019. However, you should not rely on our revenue from any previous period as an indication of our revenue or revenue growth in future periods. Our revenue growth rate may slow

 

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down for a number of reasons, including declined demand for our solution offerings, increasing competition, emergence of alternative business models, changes in regulations and government policies, changes in general economic conditions, as well as other risks described in this prospectus.

We incurred net loss of RMB14.0 million, RMB44.3 million and RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We recorded net cash used in operating activities of RMB28.6 million, net cash generated from operating activities of RMB19.8 million and net cash generated from operating activities of RMB17.6 million (US$2.5 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profit or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability will depend in large part on our ability to control expenses and manage our growth effectively. We expect to continue to make investments in the development and expansion of our business, which will place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Continuous expansion may increase the complexity of our business, and we may encounter various difficulties. We may fail to develop and improve our operational, financial and management controls, enhance our financial reporting systems and procedures, recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel, or maintain customer satisfaction to effectively support and manage our growth. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our operations but fail to manage the growth of our business and capitalize on our growth opportunities effectively, we may not be able to achieve profitability, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

As we incur significant costs in connection with certain business lines, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if demand for our solutions under these business lines does not increase as quickly as we anticipate.

We have incurred, and may continue to incur, significant costs in connection with certain business lines. For example, industry customers in the on-demand food delivery market typically divide their intra-city food delivery network into a number of delivery areas. To expand the geographical coverage of our on-demand food delivery business, we have incurred and may continue to incur costs in a lump sum to acquire the rights to render on-demand food delivery services in additional delivery areas. In addition, we have made significant investments to rent from third parties a number of vehicles to commence our ride-hailing solutions. Such acquisitions and the build-up of our fleet in advance of actual reservations of our vehicles by ride-hailing drivers could expose us to significant costs in advance. If market demand for our on-demand food delivery and ride-hailing solutions does not increase as quickly as we anticipate or at all, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected as a result of underutilization of capacity and depreciation of these assets.

Our quarterly results may fluctuate and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business due to seasonality.

We experience seasonality in our business, primarily attributable to the seasonality of our industry customers’ businesses. For example, we generally experience an increase in demand for our on-demand food delivery solutions during inclement weather conditions and holidays, and suffer a shortage of workforce during Chinese New Year holidays which may fall between late January and late February. See “Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data—Key Operating Metrics” for details. Other seasonal trends may develop or these current seasonal trends may become more extreme, which would contribute to fluctuations in our results of operations. Our quarterly results of operations, including the levels of our revenues, expenses, net loss or income and other key metrics, may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as consumption patterns of end consumers of our industry customers. As a result, period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations may not be meaningful, especially given our limited operating history.

 

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If the industries our solutions serve or the business of industry customers develop more slowly than we expect, or stagnate or shrink, our growth may slow or even stall, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our future success will largely depend on the continued growth of the industries for which we provide our solutions and our industry customers, especially the relatively new and rapidly evolving ones such as the on-demand food delivery industry and the ride-hailing industry, which could be affected by levels of discretionary consumer spending. Factors that may harm discretionary consumer spending include general economic conditions, unemployment, consumer debts, reduction in net worth, residential real estate and mortgage markets, taxation, energy prices, interest rates, consumer confidence, and other macroeconomic factors, all of which are beyond our control. Consumers tend to shift to alternatives with lower costs during periods in which disposable income is adversely affected. Under such circumstances, consumers may choose to dine at home instead of ordering takeout from restaurants, take public transportation instead of using ride-hailing services, or reduce spending on other consumer services, such as online accommodation sharing for which we provide housekeeping solutions. Such shifts in consumer behaviors will adversely impact the business of our industry customers, which may in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we fail to obtain requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business or to comply with applicable laws and regulations, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business is subject to governmental supervision and regulation by the relevant PRC government authorities. Government authorities are likely to continue to issue new laws, rules and regulations governing these industries, enhance enforcement of existing laws, rules and regulations, and require us to obtain new and additional approvals, licenses or permits.

We may fail to obtain all requisite approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business or renew them upon expiration in a timely manner. For example, failure to pass the annual inspection of our ICP license for the operation of our website and the provision of payday loan services through Quhuo+ could subject us to fines, sanctions, or injunction orders. In addition, we may be required to obtain additional licenses or permits as a result of our business expansion, change in our operations or change in laws and regulations applicable to us. For example, as we recently launched payday loan services to workers on our platform in collaboration with a third-party credit information company, an asset management company and a lending company, we may be deemed as an online lending information intermediary and may be required to complete the registration with local financial supervisory departments.

There are also ambiguities and uncertainties with regard to whether certain approvals, licenses or permits apply to our business. For example, it is uncertain whether we are required to obtain an express delivery business permit for our on-demand food delivery solutions or a human resource service license for the training and management that we provide to the workers on our platform, although we believe that not obtaining such permit or license is consistent with the current market practice and regulatory regime. However, if PRC government authorities determine otherwise, and if we fail to obtain such permits as required, we could be subject to fines, sanctions or injunction orders, and we may be forced to alter our business model.

We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. For example, we purchase personal accident insurance for workers engaged in our on-demand food delivery and shared-bike maintenance solutions, as well as automobile insurance for drivers engaged in our ride-hailing solutions. We purchase commercial liability insurance to protect our business against claims of property damage and bodily injury. We also provide our employees with social security insurance, including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and medical insurance. However, we do not maintain

 

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property insurance policies covering our equipment and facilities for losses due to fire, earthquake, flood or any other disaster, except for certain service stations for our on-demand food delivery solutions. Consistent with customary industry practice in China, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or key-employee insurance for our executive officers. We cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to indemnify us against any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under our current insurance policies on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our insurance policies, or the insurance compensation amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Unlawful, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by workers on our platform while delivering our solutions could expose us to liability and harm our business, brand, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Unlawful, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by workers on our platform have occurred and could occur again, which could seriously harm our business. These activities include assault, battery, traffic offenses, disputes with consumers, food contamination, theft, unauthorized use of bank cards or bank accounts, sharing of customer account information and other misconduct. The inappropriate activities by workers could expose us to potential liabilities and harm our reputation.

We have implemented policies and measures to detect, identify and address these types of workers’ unlawful or inappropriate activities. However, we may fail to implement these measures effectively. We cannot assure you that these measures could adequately or fully address or prevent all unlawful, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by workers on our platform from occurring. Any negative publicity related to workers’ unlawful or inappropriate activities could adversely affect our reputation and brand or public perception of our platform, which could negatively affect the demand for our solutions, and potentially increase our exposure to regulatory and litigation risks. Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations.

We face potential liabilities, expenses of resolving claims and disputes and harm to our business due to the nature of our business.

We face potential liabilities, expenses of resolving claims and disputes and harm to our business due to the nature of our businesses. For example, for our on-demand food delivery solutions, third parties could assert tort claims against us in connection with personal injuries resulting from food poisoning, tampering or accidents caused by delivery riders on our platform during the course of their deliveries.

We have been, and from time to time may continue to be, involved in disputes, claims or proceedings arising from our operations. For example, we are currently involved in several ongoing civil actions. We do not believe that any of them is likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, considering the consequences and financial exposures of the claims as well as our assessment of the reasonably possible loss. We cannot guarantee, however, that the claimants will not prevail in the ongoing legal actions or that the claimants will not be awarded significant damages should they prevail. The frequency of such claims and disputes could increase as our business continues to grow. These claims and disputes could divert our management’s time and attention away from our business and result in significant expenses to investigate and defend, regardless of the merits of the claims and disputes. If we are unsuccessful in our efforts to defend against or resolve these claims and disputes, we may elect or be compelled to change our business practices or may be forced to pay substantial damages, settlement costs, fines and penalties. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, we have contractual and other legal obligations to indemnify and incur legal expenses on behalf of our industry customers and current and former directors and officers. For example, as for our on-demand food delivery solutions, we are obligated to indemnify industry customers for personal injury and property loss or damage sustained by any third party caused by us or from the rendering of our delivery services. Any of these consequences could seriously harm our business.

 

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Moreover, as our business engages a large number of workers on our platform, we have been, and may continue to be, involved in various labor disputes from time to time in the ordinary course of business, although none of them, individually or in the aggregate, has had a material adverse impact on us. As our business continues to grow, we expect to continue to be involved in legal or administrative proceedings related to labor disputes.

Our strategic investments or acquisitions may turn out to be unsuccessful and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We have acquired, and may continue to acquire other assets, technologies, products and businesses that are complementary to our existing business or otherwise. We may also enter into strategic partnerships or cooperation agreements with other businesses to expand our platform. Negotiating these transactions can be time-consuming, challenging and expensive, and our ability to close these transactions may often be subject to regulatory approvals that are beyond our control. In addition, investments and acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets, significant diversion of management attention and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the cost of identifying and consummating investments and acquisitions and integrating the acquired businesses into ours may be significant, and the integration of acquired businesses may be disruptive to our existing business operations. Consequently, these transactions, even if undertaken and announced, may not close. For one or more of those transactions, we may issue additional equity securities that would dilute our shareholders’ ownership interest, use cash that we may need in the future to operate our business, incur debt on terms unfavorable to us or that we are unable to repay, incur expenses or substantial liabilities, encounter difficulties retaining key employees of the acquired company or integrating diverse software codes or business cultures, encounter difficulties in assimilating acquired operations, encounter diversion of management’s attention to other business concerns, and become subject to adverse tax consequences, substantial depreciation, impairment losses, or deferred compensation charges. If our investments and acquisitions are not successful, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to develop, maintain, and enhance our brand and reputation cost-effectively, our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

We believe that the strong recognition of our brand has reduced our costs of attracting workers to collaborate with us through word-of-mouth marketing and contributed significantly to the growth and success of our business. Accordingly, maintaining, protecting and enhancing the recognition of our brand image is critical to our business and market position. Many factors, some of which are beyond our control, are important to maintaining, protecting and enhancing our brand. These factors include our ability to:

 

   

maintain the quality and attractiveness of the solutions we offer;

 

   

maintain or improve the satisfaction of industry customers and their end consumers;

 

   

maintain or improve the quality of our training and management of workers on our platform;

 

   

compete effectively against our existing and future competitors; and

 

   

defend our reputation and brand image generally and in the event of any negative publicity relating to our solutions, workers’ safety, internet security, or other issues affecting us or the entire workforce operational solution platform market in China.

A public perception of misconduct by us, workers on our platform or our industry customers, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could damage our reputation and harm our brand, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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Any significant disruption to or failures of our technology infrastructure could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Quhuo+, our proprietary technology infrastructure, is important to help us scale up our business and effectively manage tens of thousands of workers. We utilize Quhuo+ to monitor the workload and performance of the workers on our platform, which allows us to dynamically manage staffing and maintain solution quality. In addition, utilizing Quhuo+, we provide workers with training, onboarding logistics, management support and other value-added services. Therefore, the performance and reliability of Quhuo+ is critical to our operations and reputation. As we are continually developing and optimizing functions of Quhuo+, we may encounter errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance or stability problems with Quhuo+, such as computer malware, viruses, spamming and phishing attacks, any of which could result in our inability to manage workers and deliver our solutions. As a result, we may lose our competitive position and market share, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be materially and adversely affect.

Our business processes a large amount of data, which subjects us to governmental regulations and other legal obligations related to privacy, information security and data protection. Any improper use or disclosure of such data by us, our employees or our business partners could subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal and operational consequences.

Our business processes a large quantity of personal data of workers on our platform. We also have access to operating data regarding our performance and certain confidential information provided by industry customers. We face risks inherent in handling and protecting such large volumes of data. In particular, we face a number of challenges relating to data protection in our system, including:

 

   

protecting the data in and hosted on our system, including against attacks by third parties or fraudulent behaviors by our employees;

 

   

addressing concerns related to privacy and sharing, safety, security and other factors; and

 

   

complying with applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to the collection, use, disclosure or security of personal information, including any requests from regulatory and government authorities relating to such data.

Any systems failure or security breach or lapse that results in the release of personal data of workers on our platform could harm our reputation and brand and, consequently, our business, in addition to exposing us to potential legal liability. In addition, our industry customers and business partners as well as their employees may improperly use or disclose the data we disclose to them for our operation, and we have limited control over such actions. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us, our employees, our industry customers and business partners, or their employees to comply with privacy policies or with any regulatory requirements or privacy protection-related laws, rules and regulations could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. These proceedings or actions may subject us to significant penalties and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase our costs and severely disrupt our business.

Our practices regarding the use, retention, transfer, disclosure and security of such confidential data could become the subject of enhanced regulations and increased public scrutiny in the future. The regulatory frameworks regarding privacy issues in many jurisdictions are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant changes from time to time. For instance, a growing number of legislative and regulatory bodies have adopted user notification requirements in the event of unauthorized access to or acquisition of certain types of data. In China, the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which became effective in June 2017, leaves substantial uncertainty as to the circumstances and standards under which the law would apply and violations would be found. See “Regulation—Regulations Relating to Internet Information Security and Privacy Protection.” Complying with these obligations could cause us to incur substantial costs. Any failure to comply with applicable regulations, whether by other third parties or us, or as a result of employee error or negligence or otherwise, could result in regulatory enforcement actions against us and have a material adverse impact on our business operations.

 

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Increases in labor, energy and other costs in China could materially and adversely affect our business and profitability.

China’s economy has experienced significant growth, which has resulted in and may further lead to inflation and increased labor costs, energy costs, and vehicle purchase, rental and maintenance costs. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index, which is the broadest measure of inflation, for December 2017, 2018 and 2019 were increases of 1.8%, 1.9% and 4.5%, respectively. Consequently, the costs incurred by workers when providing services on our platform have increased, which in turn has increased our cost of revenue. Our costs and operating expenses associated with energy consumption or vehicle leasing may also increase, which would materially and adversely affect our profit margin. If inflation in China continue to increase and we are unable to pass on these increased costs and expenses to our industry customers by increasing our service fees, our cost of revenue and operating expenses will continue to grow, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Our business operations have been and may continue to be materially and adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, later named COVID-19, has severely impacted China and major countries globally. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Many businesses and social activities in China and other countries and regions have been severely disrupted, including those of our industry customers. The global outbreak has also caused market panics, which materially and negatively affected the global financial markets, such as the plunge of global stocks on major stock exchanges in the middle of March 2020. Such disruption and the potential slowdown of the global economy in 2020 and beyond have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. For example, the average monthly number of delivery orders fulfilled through our on-demand food delivery solutions was approximately 16.9 million in the first quarter of 2020, representing a decrease by approximately 42% compared to approximately 29.2 million in the previous quarter, albeit an increase by approximately 22% compared to approximately 13.9 million in the first quarter of the previous year. For details of the impact of COVID-19 on our business and results of operations, see “Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations—COVID-19 outbreak.” We have conducted, and will continue to conduct, measures to control the risk of virus spread in our business operations, including strict temperature monitoring of, and provision of face masks and sanitizer to, active workers on our platform, as well as daily sanitization and disinfection of takeaway incubators and other working gear. However, if any of our employees or workers on our platform has contracted or is suspected of having contracted any contagious disease or condition, local governments may require our employees and workers to be quarantined or our offices to be closed down and disinfected and, as a result, our business operation could be disrupted or materially and adversely affected. We will pay close attention to the development of the outbreak of COVID-19 and continuously evaluate its impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, which we believe will depend on the duration of the pandemic and the government’s responsive measures. If the outbreak persists or escalates, we may be subject to further negative impact on our business operations, financial condition and results of operations. The global spread of COVID-19 pandemic in major countries may result in further global economic distress and recession, and the extent to which it may affect us will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in significant financial market volatility and uncertainty. A continuation or worsening of the levels of market disruption and volatility could materially and adversely affect our access capital, business, financial condition and results of operations and the market price of our ADSs.

 

A severe or prolonged downturn in the global or Chinese economy and political tensions between the United States and China could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the economic slowdown in the Eurozone since 2014 and uncertainties over the impact of

 

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Brexit. The Chinese economy has shown slower growth compared to the previous decade since 2012 and the trend may continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, which have resulted in market volatility. There have also been concerns over the relationship between China and other countries, including the surrounding Asian countries and the United States. In March 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum entering the United States and in June 2018 announced further tariffs targeting goods imported from China. Subsequently both China and the U.S. have each imposed tariffs that have adversely affected trade between the two countries. In October 2019, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced that China and the United States had reached a tentative agreement for the first phase of a trade deal, under which China has agreed to buy up to US$50.0 billion of American products and services, while the United States has agreed to suspend new tariffs. Such agreement was signed in January 2020. It is not yet clear what impact these tariff negotiations may have or what further actions the governments may take. Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated since the COVID-19 outbreak and the PRC National People’s Congress’ decision on Hong Kong national security legislation. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there have been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have a material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States. It is unclear if this proposed legislation would be enacted. In addition, the recent market panics over the global outbreak of COVID-19 and the drop in oil prices materially and negatively affected the global financial markets in March 2020, which may cause potential slowdown of the global economy. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our business depends on the continued services of our key employees, including our senior management and other qualified employees.

Our business depends on the continued services of our senior management and other qualified managerial, financial, technical and operations personnel. Competition for well-qualified employees is intense in China. We must offer competitive compensation and opportunities for career growth in order to retain our key employees and attract and retain qualified personnel in the future, which may result in significant costs. If we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining and motivating existing senior management and key employees, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, although we have entered into confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our senior management, we cannot assure you that any of them will not join our competitors or form a competing business. If any dispute arises between our current or former senior management and us, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may not be able to enforce them at all.

We have incurred and may continue to incur substantial share-based compensation expenses.

We have adopted an equity incentive plan that permits the grant of share options, restricted shares and restricted share units as equity-based awards, to our directors, officers, employees and consultants. We are required to recognize share-based compensation expenses based on the fair value of such share options granted to employees, officers, directors and consultants. We believe the granting of share-based compensation is important

 

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to our ability to attract, retain and motivate our management team and qualified employees, and we will continue to grant share-based compensation to employees in the future. We recorded share-based compensation expenses of RMB3.3 million, RMB89.6 million and RMB64.8 million (US$9.3 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, for options granted under a previous share incentive plan, respectively. As of the date of this prospectus, we have granted options to purchase 8,792,312 ordinary shares under our 2019 Share Incentive Plan, substantially all of which either are not exercisable or will not vest until completion of this offering. See “Management—Share Incentive Plan” for details. As a result, upon the completion of this offering, we expect to further recognize a substantial amount of share-based compensation expenses, which we expect to have a significant impact on our results of operations going forward. Moreover, if additional share options or other equity incentives are granted to our employees, directors or consultants in the future, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase significantly, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Share-based compensation.”

We will require additional capital to support the growth of our business, and this capital might not be available on reasonable terms or at all.

We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to continue to operate our business and respond to business challenges or opportunities, including the need to develop new solution offerings or enhance our existing solution offerings, improve our operating infrastructure and acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through future issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt financing that we secure in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may hinder our ability to obtain additional capital or pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be impaired, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We currently rely on a small number of third-party cloud computing service providers to host a significant portion of our platform, and any interruptions or delays in services from these third parties could impair the delivery of our offerings and harm our business.

We use third-party cloud computing services. We do not control the operations of our third-party cloud computing service providers. The operations of these third-party cloud computing service providers may experience break-ins, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, sabotage, acts of vandalism, and other misconduct. The facilities of these third-party cloud computing service providers may also be vulnerable to damage or interruption from power loss, telecommunications failures, fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and similar events. The occurrence of any such event or other unanticipated problems may result in our inability to serve data reliably or require us to migrate our data to a new cloud computing service provider. This could be time-consuming and costly and may result in the loss of data, any of which could significantly interrupt the operation of our platform and harm our reputation and brand. We may not be able to easily switch to another cloud provider in the event of any disruptions or interference to the services we use, and even if we do, other cloud providers are subject to the same risks. Additionally, if we are unable to renew our agreements with these third-party cloud computing service providers on commercially reasonable terms, we may experience delays and interruptions in the provision of our solutions, which may in turn reduce our revenue and cause industry customers to stop working with us. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.

 

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We may not timely and effectively scale and adapt our existing technology and network infrastructure in line with our business growth, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

It is critical to our success that we are able to scale and adapt our existing technology and network infrastructure to accommodate rapidly increasing workers on our platform in line with our business growth. We may experience service disruptions, outages or other performance problems due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors, capacity constraints due to an overwhelming number of workers accessing our platform simultaneously, and denial of service or fraud or security attacks. In some instances, we may not be able to identify the cause or causes of these performance problems within an acceptable period of time. It may become increasingly difficult to maintain and improve the availability of our platform to workers, especially as we expand our operations into more industries.

We expect to continue to make significant investments to maintain and improve the availability of our platform and to enable rapid releases of new features and products. To the extent that we do not effectively address capacity constraints, respond adequately to service disruptions, upgrade our systems as needed or continually develop our technology and network architecture to accommodate actual and anticipated changes in technology, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

Our operations depend on the performance of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.

Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We primarily rely on a limited number of telecommunication service providers to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines and internet data centers to host our servers. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure or the fixed telecommunications networks provided by telecommunication service providers. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. We cannot assure you that the internet infrastructure and the fixed telecommunications networks in China will be able to support the demands associated with the continued growth in internet usage. In addition, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by telecommunication service providers. If the prices we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our financial condition may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property, which could cause us to be less competitive.

We regard our intellectual property as critical to our success. Such intellectual property includes trademarks, domain names, copyrights, know-how and proprietary technologies. We currently rely on trademarks, software copyrights, trade secret law, and confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. However, we cannot assure you that any of our intellectual property rights will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or that such intellectual property will be sufficient to provide us with competitive advantages.

Because of the rapid pace of technological change, we cannot assure you that all of our proprietary technologies and similar intellectual property can be patented in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. We have not completed the trademark registration for some of our logos. As such, these logos may be squatted by our competitors, in which case we may be forced to adopt a new brand name and deploy additional financial resources to market the new brand name, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

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It is often difficult to maintain and enforce intellectual property rights in China. Statutory laws and regulations are subject to judicial interpretation and enforcement and may not be applied consistently due to the lack of clear guidance on statutory interpretation. Confidentiality agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights in China. Preventing any unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly and the steps we take may be inadequate to prevent the misappropriation of our intellectual property. In the event that we resort to litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, such litigation could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We cannot assure you that we will prevail in such litigation. In addition, our trade secrets may be leaked or otherwise become available to, or be independently discovered by, our competitors. To the extent that our employees or consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related know-how and inventions. Any failure in protecting or enforcing our intellectual property rights could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.

We cannot assure you that our operations or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may be third-party trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights that are infringed by our products, services or other aspects of our business without our awareness. Holders of such intellectual property rights may seek to enforce such intellectual property rights against us in China, the United States or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are brought against us, we may be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits.

Additionally, the application and interpretation of China’s intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in China are still evolving and are uncertain, and we cannot assure you that PRC courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting and financial reporting personnel and other resources with which we address our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The material weakness identified is the Company’s lack of sufficient accounting and financial reporting personnel with requisite knowledge and experience in application of U.S. GAAP and the Securities and

 

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Exchange Commission, or the SEC, rules. We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to address the material weakness and deficiencies that have been identified. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.” However, we cannot assure you that these measures may fully address the material weakness and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting or that we may conclude that they have been fully remediated.

Upon completion of this offering, we will become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, will require that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report in our second annual report on Form 20-F after becoming a public company. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, after we become a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. Generally speaking, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, it could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our businesses, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs, may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in our prospectus filed with the SEC, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards.

Because we have substantial operations within the PRC and the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections of the work of our independent registered public accounting firm as it relates to those operations without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our independent registered public accounting firm is not currently inspected thoroughly by the PCAOB. This lack of PCAOB inspections in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our independent registered public accounting firm’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

On May 24, 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of

 

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Finance which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations in the United States and China. On inspection, it appears that the PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the Mainland China regulators to permit inspections of audit firms that are registered with the PCAOB in relation to the audit of Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. In a statement issued on December 9, 2019, the SEC reiterated concerns over the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of the audit firm work papers with respect to U.S.-listed companies that have operations in China, and emphasized the importance of audit quality in emerging markets, such as China. On April 21, 2020, the Chairman of the SEC, Chairman of the PCAOB and certain other SEC divisional heads jointly issued a public statement, reminding the investors that in investing in companies that are based in or have substantial operations in many emerging markets, including China, there is substantially greater risk that disclosures will be incomplete or misleading, and there is also a greater risk of fraud. In the event of investor harm, there is substantially less ability to bring and enforce SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice and other U.S. regulatory actions, in comparison to U.S. domestic companies, and the joint statement reinforced past SEC and PCAOB statements on matters including the difficulty to inspect audit work papers in China and its potential harm to investors. The 2018 joint statement and the 2020 public statement reflect a heightened interest in this issue. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and the PCAOB will take to address the concerns and the impact on Chinese companies in the U.S.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside the PRC have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct full inspections of auditors in the PRC makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of the PRC that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress, and passed requiring the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which the PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the NASDAQ, of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the Kennedy Bill, which includes requirements similar to those in the EQUITABLE Act for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate because of restrictions imposed by non-U.S. authorities. The Kennedy Bill would also require public companies on this SEC list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosures on foreign ownership and control of such issuers in their SEC filings. If passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by the U.S. President, the Kennedy Bill would amend the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to require the SEC to prohibit securities of any U.S.-listed companies from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges such as the NASDAQ or traded “over-the-counter” if registrant’s financial statements have, for a period of three years after the law becomes effective, been audited by an accounting firm branch or office that is not subject to PCAOB inspection. Enactment of any of such legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the stock price could be adversely affected. In addition, enactment of these legislations may result in prohibitions on the trading of our ADSs on the NASDAQ, if our auditors fail to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time. There is uncertainty as to whether and when these bills or legislations will be enacted in the proposed form, or at all.

 

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Proceedings instituted by the SEC against Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings against the mainland Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms (including our independent registered public accounting firm) under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. A first instance trial of the proceedings in July 2013 in the SEC’s internal administrative court resulted in an adverse judgment against the firms. The administrative law judge proposed penalties on the Chinese accounting firms including a temporary suspension of their right to practice before the SEC, although that proposed penalty did not take effect pending review by the Commissioners of the SEC. On February 6, 2015, before a review by the Commissioners had taken place, the Chinese accounting firms reached a settlement with the SEC whereby the proceedings were stayed. Under the settlement, the SEC accepted that future requests by the SEC for the production of documents would normally be made to the CSRC. The Chinese accounting firms would receive requests matching those under Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and would be required to abide by a detailed set of procedures with respect to such requests, which in substance require them to facilitate production via the CSRC. The CSRC for its part initiated a procedure whereby, under its supervision and subject to its approval, requested classes of documents held by the accounting firms could be sanitized of problematic and sensitive content so as to render them capable of being made available by the CSRC to U.S. regulators.

Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four PRC-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice at the end of four years starting from the settlement date, which was on February 6, 2019. We cannot predict whether, in cases where the CSRC does not authorize the production of requested documents to the SEC, the SEC will further challenge the four PRC-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. laws. If additional challenges are imposed on the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, we could be unable to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

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

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

Lawsuits or allegations of impropriety against us or our management could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have become, and may continue to become, subject to lawsuits or allegations of impropriety brought by industry customers and their consumers, our competitors, or other individuals or entities, including breach of contract, claims of torts, or unfair competition. Any lawsuits or allegations of impropriety, with or without merit, or any perceived unfair, unethical, fraudulent or inappropriate business practice by us or perceived malfeasance by our management could harm our reputation. In addition to the related financial costs, managing and defending such lawsuits and allegations can significantly divert management’s attention from our business operations. We may also need to pay liquidated damages or settle such lawsuits or allegations with a substantial amount of cash.

 

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Any of the circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

None of the lease agreements of our leased properties has been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities as required by PRC law, which may expose us to potential fines.

Under PRC law, all property lease agreements are required to be registered with the local land and real estate administration bureau. Although failure to do so does not in itself invalidate the leases, the lessees may not be able to defend these leases against bona fide third parties and may also be exposed to potential fines if they fail to rectify such non-compliance within the prescribed time frame after receiving notice from the relevant PRC government authorities. The penalty ranges from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each unregistered lease, at the discretion of the relevant authority. As of the date of this prospectus, none of the lease agreements for our leased properties in China has been registered with the relevant PRC government authorities. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been subject to administrative fines and sanctions in this regard. In the event that any fine is imposed on us for our failure to register our lease agreements, we may not be able to recover such losses from the lessors.

Our rights to use our leased properties could be challenged by property owners or other third parties, which may disrupt our operations and cause us to incur relocation costs.

As of the date of this prospectus, the lessors of certain of our leased properties in China failed to provide us with valid property ownership certificates or authorizations from the property owners for the lessors to sublease the properties. There is a risk that such lessors may not have the relevant property ownership certificates or the right to lease or sublease such properties to us, in which case the relevant lease agreements may be deemed invalid and we may be forced to vacate these properties, which could interrupt our business operations and cause us to incur relocation costs. Moreover, if third parties challenge our lease agreements, it could result in a diversion of management attention and cause us to incur costs associated with defending such actions, even if such challenges are ultimately determined in our favor.

Failure to make adequate contributions to social insurance and housing fund as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.

In accordance with the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Fund and other relevant laws and regulations, China establishes a social insurance system and other employee benefits including basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, housing fund, and a handicapped employment security fund, or collectively the Employee Benefits. An employer is required to pay the Employee Benefits for its employees in accordance with the rates provided under relevant regulations and withhold the Employee Benefits that should be assumed by the employees.

Our VIE and its subsidiaries have not made sufficient contribution of the Employee Benefits for some employees. We have recorded accruals for the estimated underpayment of Employee Benefits, including late fees and fines, in our financial statements. As advised by our PRC counsel, we may be subject to late fees and fines for our insufficient contributions to the Employee Benefits and non-registration of an account for social insurance or housing fund. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any notice from the relevant government authorities or any claim or request from these employees in this regard. However, we cannot assure you that the relevant government authorities will not require us to pay the outstanding amount and impose late fees or fines on us, in which case our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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Any catastrophe, including outbreaks of health pandemics and other extraordinary events, could have a negative impact on our business operations.

We are vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, wars, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events could cause severe disruption to our daily operations, and may even require a temporary closure of our facilities. Our business could also be adversely affected by the effects of Ebola virus diseases, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), COVID-19, or other epidemics. Our business operation could be disrupted if any of our employees or contracted workers are suspected of having any of the aforementioned epidemics or another contagious disease or condition, since it could require our employees and contracted workers to be quarantined or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese economy in general.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Our revenues are all sourced from China. Accordingly, our business financial condition, results of operations and prospects are influenced by economic, political and legal developments in China. Economic reforms begun in the late 1970s have resulted in significant economic growth. However, any economic reform policies or measures in China may from time to time be modified or revised. China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, growth has been uneven across different regions and among different economic sectors.

The PRC government exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through strategically allocating resources, controlling the payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Although the PRC economy has grown significantly in the past decade, that growth may not continue, as evidenced by the slowing of the growth of the PRC economy since 2012. In addition, China’s economic condition has been, and may continue to be, impacted by the recent global outbreak of COVID-19 and the corresponding government-mandated quarantine measures. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the PRC government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position.

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

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and court decisions that have limited precedential value. The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, and therefore the interpretations and enforcement of many laws, regulations and rules may contain inconsistencies and uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC judicial and administrative authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to predict the outcome of a judicial or administrative proceeding than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based, in part, on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published in a timely manner, or at all, but which may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not always be aware of any potential violation of these policies and rules. These uncertainties my impede our contractual, property and procedural rights, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of IMF completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Renminbi has depreciated significantly against the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows from China. This depreciation halted in 2017, and the Renminbi appreciated approximately 7% against the U.S. dollar during this one-year period. In 2018, a new round of Renminbi depreciation emerged under the influence of a strong U.S. dollar and the Sino-US trade friction. In August 2019, Renminbi once plunged to the weakest level against the US dollar in more than a decade, which raised fears of further escalation in the Sino-US trade friction as the United States labeled China as a currency manipulator after such sharp depreciation. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from this offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or the ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiary in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval

 

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from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiary and affiliated entities to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.

In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process are put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. If any of our shareholders regulated by such policies fails to satisfy the applicable overseas direct investment filing or approval requirement timely or at all, it may be subject to penalties from the relevant PRC authorities. The PRC government may at its discretion further restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOC, be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOC shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOC that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOC, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOC or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary and affiliated entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiary and our affiliated entities. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiary and affiliated entities, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, or we may establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, or we may acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in an offshore transaction.

Most of these activities are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our wholly owned PRC subsidiary to finance its activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with

 

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the local counterpart of SAFE. If we decide to finance our wholly owned PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions, these capital contributions are subject to the requirement of making necessary reporting or filings in the foreign investment comprehensive administrative system and registration with other governmental authorities in China. Due to the restrictions imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to our affiliated entities as PRC domestic companies. Further, we are not likely to finance the activities of our affiliated entities by means of capital contributions due to regulatory restrictions relating to foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises engaged in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses.

SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Management Approach regarding the Settlement of Foreign Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprise, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third-party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Although SAFE promulgated in 2019 the Circular on Further Promoting the Cross-border Trade and Investment Facilitation, or SAFE Circular 28, pursuant to which non-investment foreign-invested companies are allowed to conduct domestic equity investment with settled capital from foreign exchange if such investment projects are true and compliant and do not otherwise violate the existing Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in China in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering, to our PRC subsidiary, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, or at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiary or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received from this offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

SAFE promulgated the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by

 

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Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing with such PRC residents or entities’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests. On February 13, 2015, SAFE issued Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Currency Management Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 13, effective on June 1, 2015, pursuant to which the power to accept SAFE registration was delegated from local SAFE to local qualified banks where the assets or interest in the domestic entity was located. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions.

SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75.

If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, our PRC subsidiary may be prohibited from distributing its profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

We have used our best efforts to notify PRC residents or entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents to complete the foreign exchange registrations. As of the date of this prospectus, all PRC residents known to us that currently hold direct or indirect ownership interests in our company, except for one minority shareholder, have completed the registration with SAFE as required by SAFE Circular 37. However, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the identities of all our shareholders or beneficial owners that are required to make or update such registration, and we cannot compel them to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all other shareholders or beneficial owners of ours who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable registrations or approvals required by SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

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

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies due to their position as director, senior management or employees of the PRC subsidiaries of the overseas companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. Our directors, executive officers, consultants and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted share-based awards may have to follow SAFE Circular 37 to apply for the foreign exchange registration before our company becomes an overseas listed company. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or SAFE Circular 7. Under SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who

 

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are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by such PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. Such participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of share-based awards, the purchase and sale of corresponding shares or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution, or any other material changes. We and our PRC employees who have been granted share-based awards will be subject to SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations upon the completion of this offering. Failure of our PRC share-based award holders to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC residents to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends to us, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business.

If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or the ADSs holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Circular of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to Identification of PRC-Controlled Overseas Registered Enterprises as Resident Enterprises in Accordance with the De Facto Standards of Organizational Management, or SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, but not to those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (1) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (2) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (3) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (4) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that Quhuo Limited is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including the ADSs holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including the ADSs holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source by us), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of Quhuo Limited would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the

 

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PRC in the event that Quhuo Limited is treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.

We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfer of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

We face uncertainties regarding the reporting on and consequences of previous private equity financing transactions involving the transfer and exchange of shares in our company by non-resident investors. In February 2015, SAT issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7. Pursuant to SAT Bulletin 7, an “indirect transfer” of PRC assets, including a transfer of equity interests in an unlisted non-PRC holding company of a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of the underlying PRC assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. On October 17, 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of nonresident enterprise income tax.

There is uncertainty as to the application of SAT Bulletin 37 or previous rules under Bulletin 7. We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences of private equity financing transactions, share exchanges or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. Under SAT Bulletin 37 and SAT Bulletin 7, our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxes if our company is the transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is the transferee in such transactions.

Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The PRC Labor Contract Law has reinforced the protection of employees who, under the PRC Labor Contract Law, have the right, among others, to have written employment contracts, to enter into employment contracts with no fixed term under certain circumstances, to receive overtime wages and to terminate or alter terms in labor contracts. Furthermore, the PRC Labor Contract Law sets forth additional restrictions and increases the costs involved with dismissing employees. To the extent that we need to significantly reduce our workforce, the PRC Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to do so in a timely and cost-effective manner, and we could be subject to penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations.

In addition, we are required by PRC laws and regulations to make social insurance registration and open housing fund account with relevant governmental authorities and pay various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. The relevant government agencies may examine whether an employer has made adequate payments of the requisite statutory employee benefits, and those employers who fail to make adequate payments may be subject to late payment fees, fines and/or other penalties. If we fail to make adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions, we may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

The PRC government may find that the contractual arrangements that establish our corporate structure for operating our business do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations.

Current PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in certain business operations, such as value-added telecommunications services. In June 2019, the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, promulgated the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment, or the Negative List, which became effective on July 30, 2019, in order to amend the Guidance Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment. Pursuant to the Negative List, foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services (except for e-commerce) falls within the Negative List. As a result, foreign investors can only conduct investment activities through equity or contractual joint ventures with certain shareholding requirements and approvals from competent authorities. PRC partners are required to hold the majority interests in the joint ventures and approval from MOFCOM and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, for the incorporation of the joint ventures and the business operations.

Current PRC laws and regulations impose restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership and investment in companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services. We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., or WFOE, is our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary and a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC laws. We conduct our business in China through Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., or our VIE, and its subsidiaries, or collectively our affiliated entities, in China, and may in the future commence or acquire businesses that are subject to the restrictions with respect to value-added telecommunication services, including our recently launched payday loan services. We, through WFOE, entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the VIE and its registered shareholders, in order to (1) exercise effective control over our affiliated entities, (2) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our affiliated entities, and (3) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in the VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. We have been and expect to continue to be dependent on our affiliated entities to operate our business in China. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we have control over and are the primary beneficiary of our affiliated entities and hence consolidate their financial results under U.S. GAAP. See “Corporate History and Structure” for details.

In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Commerce & Finance Law Offices, (1) the ownership structures of WFOE and the VIE in China currently do not, and immediately after giving effect to this offering, will not, result in any violation of the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and (2) the contractual arrangements between WFOE, the VIE and its registered shareholders governed by PRC laws and regulations are currently valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, we have been further advised by our PRC counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Thus, the PRC government may ultimately take a view contrary to or otherwise different from the opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government otherwise find that we are in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including, without limitation:

 

   

revoking the business and operating licenses of our company;

 

   

discontinuing or restricting any related-party transactions between our group and our affiliated entities;

 

   

imposing fines and penalties, confiscating the income from our company, or imposing additional requirements for our operations which we may not be able to comply with;

 

   

requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements and deregistering the equity pledges of the VIE, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate, derive economic interests from, or exercise effective control over our affiliated entities;

 

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restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our business and operations in China, particularly the expansion of our business through strategic acquisitions; or

 

   

restricting the use of financing sources by us or our affiliated entities or otherwise restricting our or their ability to conduct business.

Any of these events could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If occurrences of any of these events results in our inability to direct the activities of our affiliated entities in China, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from our affiliated entities, we may not be able to consolidate their financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on the contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to operate our business in China. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Corporate History and Structure.”

However, these contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our affiliated entities. Any of our affiliated entities, including the VIE and its shareholders, could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. For example, the VIE may fail to pass the annual inspection of the ICP license, which would negatively impact our business operations. In the event that the shareholders of the VIE breach the terms of these contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate the VIE, or the VIE declares bankruptcy and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to conduct some or all of our business operations or otherwise benefit from the assets held by our affiliated entities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if the VIE undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of the assets of the VIE, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business as well as constrain our growth.

If the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and contractual remedies, which we cannot assure you will be sufficient or effective under PRC law. Our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these agreements would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our affiliated entities, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

 

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The shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our affiliated entities and receive economic benefits from them. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with the VIE to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainties as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Our contractual arrangements may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our affiliated entities owe additional taxes, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm’s length principles. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that our contractual arrangements were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust income of our affiliated entities in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our affiliated entities for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiary’s tax expenses. In addition, if WFOE requests the shareholders of our affiliated entities to transfer their equity interests at nominal or no value pursuant to the contractual arrangements, such transfer could be viewed as a gift and subject WFOE to PRC income tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our affiliated entities for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our affiliated entities’ tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Enterprise Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, which will come into effect on January 1, 2020 and replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. The current Foreign Investment Law does not mention concepts such as “actual control” and “controlling PRC companies by contracts or trusts” that were included in the previous drafts, nor does it specify regulations on controlling through contractual arrangements. As a result, this regulatory topic remains unclear under the Foreign Investment Law. However, since the Foreign Investment Law is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation, and failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with the regulatory-compliance challenges could result in a material adverse effect on us. For instance, though the Foreign

 

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Investment Law does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, it contains a catch-all provision under the definition of “foreign investment,” which includes investments made by foreign investors in China through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the Stale Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, at which time it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment in the PRC and if yes, how our contractual arrangements should be dealt with. In addition, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. In the worst-case scenario, we may be required to unwind our existing contractual arrangements and/or dispose of the relevant business operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and to pay dividends to holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares.

We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiary for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to the holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares and service any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.

Under PRC laws and regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC, such as WFOE, may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Any limitation on the ability of our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

Risks Related to the ADSs and this Offering

An active trading market for our ordinary shares or the ADSs may not develop and the trading price for the ADSs may fluctuate significantly.

We have applied to list the ADSs on NASDAQ. We have no current intention to seek a listing for our ordinary shares on any stock exchange. Prior to the completion of this offering, there has been no public market for the ADSs or our ordinary shares, and we cannot assure you that a liquid public market for the ADSs will develop. If an active public market for the ADSs does not develop following the completion of this offering, the market price and liquidity of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. The initial public offering price for the ADSs was determined by negotiation between us and the underwriters based upon several factors, and we cannot assure you that the trading price of the ADSs after this offering will not decline below the initial public offering price. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their ADSs, and may not be able to resell ADSs at or above the price they paid, or at all.

The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of

 

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the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

 

   

variations in our revenues, earnings and cash flow;

 

   

announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcements of new policies, rules or regulations relating to the internet or the consumer services industry in China;

 

   

changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

   

detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services, our competitors or our industry;

 

   

additions or departures of key personnel;

 

   

fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar;

 

   

release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and

 

   

potential litigation or regulatory investigations.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.

In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs, the market price

 

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for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

Because the initial public offering price is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay more for each ADS than the corresponding amount paid by existing shareholders for their ordinary shares. As a result, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately US$             per ADS (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs). This number represents the difference between (1) our pro forma net tangible book value as adjusted per ADS of US$             as of            , after giving effect to this offering and (2) the initial public offering price of US$             per ADS. In addition, you will experience further dilution to the extent that our Class A ordinary shares are issued upon the vesting of any share awards under our equity incentive plans. All of the Class A ordinary shares issuable under our then equity incentive plans will be issued at a purchase price on a per ADS basis that is less than the public offering price per ADS in this offering. See “Dilution” for a more complete description of how the value of your investment in our ADSs will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.

The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. There will be             ADSs (equivalent to             Class A ordinary shares) outstanding immediately after this offering, or             ADSs (equivalent to             Class A ordinary shares) if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full. In connection with this offering, we, [our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and option holders] have agreed not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ADSs, ordinary shares or similar securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs. See “Underwriting” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.

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

Our authorized and issued ordinary shares will be divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering (with certain shares remaining undesignated, with power for our directors to designate and issue such classes of shares as they think fit). Holders of Class A ordinary shares will be entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to 15 votes per share. We will sell Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs in this offering. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.

Mr. Leslie Yu, our chairman and chief executive officer, has control over us and our corporate matter. Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, Mr. Yu will beneficially own all of our issued Class B

 

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ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately        % of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering and        % of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering due to the disparate voting powers associated with our dual-class share structure, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, Mr. Yu will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

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

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

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs or even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.

 

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We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.

We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of this offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds will be used in a manner that will improve our results of operations or increase our ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission may be required in connection with this offering under PRC law.

The M&A Rules, which were adopted in 2006 by six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and this offering may ultimately require approval from the CSRC. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain how long it will take us to obtain the approval and any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for this offering would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Our PRC counsel has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, we will not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for the approval of the listing and trading of our ADSs on NASDAQ because (1) our wholly owned PRC subsidiary was established by foreign direct investment, rather than through a merger or acquisition of a domestic company as defined under the M&A Rules, and (2) there is no statutory provision that clearly classifies the contractual arrangements among our wholly owned PRC subsidiary, our VIE and its shareholders as a type of acquisition transaction regulated by the M&A Rules. However, we cannot assure you that relevant PRC government agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC counsel, and hence we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt this offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

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

We will adopt our post-offering memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association

 

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

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

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, as amended, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in 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 statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of associations) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obligated to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. If we choose to follow home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

In addition, we conduct substantially all of our business operations in China, and substantially all of our directors and senior management are based in China, which is an emerging market. The SEC, U.S. Department of Justice and other authorities often have substantial difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against non-U.S. companies and non-U.S. persons, including company directors and officers, in certain emerging markets, including China. Additionally, our public shareholders may have limited rights and few practical remedies in emerging markets where we operate, as shareholder claims that are common in the United States, including class action securities law and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in many emerging markets, including China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to

 

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obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, the regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States has not been efficient in the absence of a mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no foreign securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to foreign securities regulators.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. All of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, most of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. All or a substantial portion of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal 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 us, our assets, our directors and officers or their assets. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to vote your Class A ordinary shares.

As a holder of our ADSs, you will only be able to exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with these instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw such shares. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice to withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will 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 their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

You may not receive cash dividends if the depositary decides it is 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 our ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying our ADSs, after deducting its

 

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fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of our ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property to you.

We and the depository are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of ADSs holders under the terms of such agreement, and we may terminate the deposit agreement, without the prior consent of the ADSs holders.

We and the depository are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADSs holders under the terms of such agreement, without the prior consent of the ADSs holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment are disadvantageous to ADSs holders, ADSs holders will only receive 30 days’ advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADSs holders is required under the deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility or when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction. If the ADS facility will terminate, ADSs holders will receive at least 90 days’ prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that is disadvantageous to ADSs holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADSs holders may choose to sell their ADSs or surrender their ADSs and become direct holders of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever.

You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. 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 with respect to all holders of ADSs or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to 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, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADSs holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable 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.

 

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Your rights to pursue claims against the depositary as a holder of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement.

As a holder of our ADSs, you are a party to the deposit agreement under which our ADSs are issued. Under the deposit agreement, any action or proceeding against or involving the depositary arising out of or based upon the deposit agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby or by virtue of you owning the ADSs (including any such action or proceeding that may arise under the U.S. federal securities laws) may only be instituted in a state or federal court in New York, New York. In addition, under the deposit agreement, you, as a holder of our ADSs, will have irrevocably waived any objection which you may have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding and irrevocably submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such action or proceeding. Such exclusive jurisdiction may, among other things, discourage lawsuits against or involving us or the depositary, lead to increased costs to bring a claim or limit your ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum you find favorable.

In addition, the depositary may, in its sole discretion, require that any claim or dispute arising from the relationship created by the deposit agreement, including any claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and claims not in connection with this offering, be referred to and finally settled by an arbitration conducted in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. As arbitration provisions in commercial agreements have generally been respected by federal courts and state courts of New York, we believe that the arbitration provisions in the deposit agreement are enforceable under federal law and the laws of the State of New York. If the depositary elects to have any claim or dispute arising under the deposit agreement be referred to and finally settled by an arbitration, this could result in increased costs to bring a claim, limited access to information and other imbalances of resources between you as ADS holders and us, and could place limits on the ability of you as ADS holders to bring a claim in an arbitration forum that you may find favorable. Furthermore, we may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you agree to be bound by the terms and subject to the conditions of the deposit agreement as amended. See “Description of American Depositary Shares” for more information.

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

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

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

If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to

 

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such claims, which may, among other things, limit and discourage lawsuits against us and/or the depositary and lead to limited access to information and other imbalances of resources between you as ADS holders and us. If a lawsuit is brought against us and/or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices for corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the corporate governance listing standards.

We have applied to list our ADSs on NASDAQ. The NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NASDAQ corporate governance listing standards.

For instance, we are not required to: (1) have a majority of the board be independent; (2) have a compensation committee or a nominations or corporate governance committee consisting entirely of independent directors; or (3) have regularly scheduled executive sessions with only independent directors each year. We intend to rely on some of these exemptions. As a result, you may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of NASDAQ.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.

Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

 

   

the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC;

 

   

the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

 

   

the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

 

   

the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of NASDAQ. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely than that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

 

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We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. As a result, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time that they become applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

We are a public company and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC.

As a result of becoming a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that company’s securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We will be a “controlled company” under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules, and we, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that could adversely affect our public shareholders.

Mr. Leslie Yu, our chairman and chief executive officer, will hold a majority of the aggregate voting power of our company upon the completion of this offering. Therefore, we will qualify as a “controlled company” under

 

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the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. Under these rules a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirement that a majority of our directors be independent, as defined in the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules, and the requirement that our compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees consist entirely of independent directors. We may elect to rely on any of such exemptions so long as we remain a controlled company and during any transition period following the time when we are no longer a controlled company. Should we choose to do so, you would not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of NASDAQ corporate governance requirements.

We may be a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors owning the ADSs or our ordinary shares.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be considered a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (2) 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. Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat our VIE (and its subsidiaries) as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes because we control its management decisions and are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with it. As a result, we consolidate its results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of our VIE (and its subsidiaries) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would likely be treated as a PFIC for the current taxable year and any subsequent taxable year.

Assuming that we are the owner of our VIE (and its subsidiaries) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based upon our current and projected income and assets, including the proceeds from this offering, and projections as to the value of our assets, we do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC is a factual determination made annually that will depend, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of the ADSs may cause us to be classified as a PFIC for the current or future taxable years because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). If our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or future taxable years. Furthermore, the composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities that produce passive income significantly increases relative to our revenue from activities that produce non-passive income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. investor held an ADS or an ordinary share, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to the U.S. Holder. See “Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive foreign investment company rules.”

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements with respect to our business, operating results and financial condition as well as our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our industry. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this prospectus are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Industry” and “Business.” Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as the words “may,” “will,” “aim,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely to,” “plan,” “should,” and similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections of 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, without limitation, statements relating to:

 

   

our goals and strategies;

 

   

our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

 

   

expected changes in our revenue, costs or expenditures, and our potential need for additional capital and the availability of such capital;

 

   

our projected markets and growth in markets, including our projected growth of demand for our service offerings in the markets;

 

   

our ability to retain an increase number of industry customers, workers and service offerings;

 

   

competition in our industry;

 

   

relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry;

 

   

general economic and business conditions globally and in China;

 

   

the length and severity of the recent COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on our business and industry;

 

   

our use of the proceeds from this offering; and

 

   

assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. Moreover, new risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, 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. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

This prospectus also contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. Our industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of the market to grow at the projected rate may have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ADSs. In addition, projections or estimates about our business and financial prospects involve significant risks and

 

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uncertainties. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless specifically expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, will be approximately US$             million, or approximately US$             million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full, based upon an assumed initial public offering price of US$             per ADS (the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus). A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$             per ADS would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by US$            , after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us and assuming no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

The principal purposes of this offering are to increase our financial flexibility and create a public market for the ADSs for the benefit of all shareholders, retained talented employees by providing them with equity incentives and obtain additional capital. We currently intend to use the net proceeds of this offering as follows:

 

   

approximately 20% for expanding our business in multiple industry settings, including ride-hailing, housekeeping and other services;

 

   

approximately 20% for upgrading our technology infrastructure;

 

   

approximately 20% for marketing and brand promotions;

 

   

approximately 20% for funding potential strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances, although we do not presently have specific plans and are not currently engaged in any discussions or negotiations with respect to any such transaction; and

 

   

the remaining balance for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

The amounts and timing of any expenditures will vary depending on the amount of cash generated by our operations, and the rate of growth, if any, of our business. The foregoing represents our current intentions to use and allocate the net proceeds of this offering based upon our present plans and business conditions. Our management, however, will have significant flexibility and discretion to apply the net proceeds of this offering. If an unforeseen event occurs or business conditions change, we may use the proceeds of this offering differently than as described in this prospectus. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the ADS and this Offering—We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds from this offering, and we may use these proceeds in ways with which you may not agree.”

To the extent that the net proceeds we receive from this offering are not immediately applied for the above purposes, we intend to invest our net proceeds in short-term, interest bearing, debt instruments or bank deposits.

In utilizing the proceeds from this offering, as an offshore holding company, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions and to our affiliated entities only through loans, subject to applicable government reporting, registration and approvals. Subject to satisfaction of applicable government reporting, registration and approval requirements, we may extend inter-company loans to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in China or make additional capital contributions to our wholly-foreign-owned subsidiary to fund its capital expenditures or working capital. For an increase of registered capital of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary, we need to submit a report of such modification information to the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterparts through the Enterprise Registration System and the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. If we provide funding to our wholly foreign-owned subsidiary through loans, the total amount of such loans may not exceed either (1) the difference between the entity’s total investment as approved by the foreign investment authorities and its registered capital, or (2) two times, or the then applicable statutory multiple, the amount of the entity’s net assets, calculated in accordance with PRC GAAP, at our election. Such loans must be registered with SAFE or its local

 

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branches, which usually takes up to 20 working days to complete. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary and affiliated entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.”

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not declared or paid any dividends since our incorporation. We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

Our board of directors has complete discretion in deciding the payment of any future dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. The declaration and payment of dividends will depend upon, among other things, our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, our financial condition, contractual restrictions, general business conditions and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. See “Description of Share Capital—Our Post-offering Memorandum and Articles of Association—Dividends.”

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us or of our VIE to pay cash dividend payments to us. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—We may rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and to pay dividends to holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares.”

If we pay any dividends, we will pay our ADS holders to the same extent as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our Class A ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2019:

 

   

on an actual basis;

 

   

on a pro forma basis to reflect (1) the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares on a one-for-one basis into 24,131,100 Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (2) the re-designation of all issued and outstanding ordinary shares into 8,676,130 Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, respectively, immediately prior to the completion of this offering, on a one-for-one basis as determined by our existing shareholders in connection with their approval of our post-offering memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, and (3) the recognition of one-time share-based compensation expenses of RMB22.3 million upon the satisfaction of the IPO performance condition of certain options for which the service-based condition had been fully or partially satisfied as of December 31, 2019; and

 

   

on an as pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (1) the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares on a one-for-one basis into 24,131,100 Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (2) the re-designation of all issued and outstanding ordinary shares into 8,676,130 Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, respectively, immediately prior to the completion of this offering, on a one-for-one basis as determined by our existing shareholders in connection with their approval of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, (3) the recognition of one-time share-based compensation expenses of RMB22.3 million upon the satisfaction of the IPO performance condition of certain options for which the service-based condition had been fully or partially satisfied as of December 31, 2019, and (4) the sale of              Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$             per ADS, which is the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.

Although the 9,502,550 shares held by a nominee of our share-based payment trust in connection with our 2019 Share Incentive Plan are issued and outstanding as disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus, they are not deemed to be outstanding on an actual, pro forma or pro forma as adjusted basis from an accounting perspective, and therefore, are excluded from the calculation of the capitalization table.

 

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You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

     As of December 31, 2019  
     Actual     Pro forma     Pro forma as
Adjusted(1)
 
     RMB     US$     RMB     US$     RMB      US$  
     (in thousands)  

Mezzanine equity:

             

Series A redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 1,335,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     46,130       6,626       —         —                          

Series B redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 9,500,030 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     332,251       47,725       —         —         

Series C1 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,107,720 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     193,609       27,810       —         —         

Series C2 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 2,377,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     96,569       13,871       —         —         

Series D redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,810,610 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     362,442       52,062       —         —         
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Total mezzanine equity:

     1,031,001       148,094       —         —         
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Shareholders’ deficit:

             

Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 475,868,900 shares authorized, 24,475,310 shares issued, and 14,972,760 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019; none outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     17       2       —         —         

Class A ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; none authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; 300,000,000 shares authorized, 42,309,780 shares issued, and 32,807,230 shares outstanding on a pro forma basis; 300,000,000 shares authorized,              shares issued, and              outstanding on a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     —         —         30       4       

Class B ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; none authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2019; 6,296,630 shares authorized, and 6,296,630 shares issued and outstanding on a pro forma or a pro forma as adjusted basis)

     —         —         4       1       

Additional paid-in capital

     434,151       62,362       1,487,467       213,661       

Accumulated deficit

     (1,212,257     (174,130     (1,234,589     (177,338     

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (1,231     (177     (1,231     (177     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Total Quhuo Limited shareholders’ deficit

     (779,320     (111,943     251,681       36,151       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Non-controlling interests

     2,871       412       2,871       412       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Total shareholders’ deficit(2)

     (776,449     (111,531     254,552       36,563       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity, non-controlling interests and shareholders’ deficit

     743,896       106,854       743,896       106,854       
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

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(1)

The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only. Our total shareholders’ deficit and total capitalization following the completion of this offering are subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

(2)

A US$1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of US$             per ADS would increase (decrease) each of additional paid-in capital, total shareholders’ deficit and total capitalization by US$             million, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs and no other change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

As of the date of this prospectus, there has been no material change to our capitalization as set forth above.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ADS and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the initial public offering price per Class A ordinary share is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.

Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 was approximately US$23.2 million, or US$1.55 per ordinary share outstanding at that date, and US$             per ADS. Net tangible book value is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting net tangible book value from our consolidated total assets, after giving effect to (1) the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding preferred shares on a one-to-one basis into 24,131,100 Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (2) the re-designation of all outstanding ordinary shares into 8,676,130 Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, respectively, immediately prior to the completion of this offering, on a one-for-one basis; and (3) the issuance and sale by us of Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS (the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus) after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Without taking into account any other changes in net tangible book value after December 31, 2019, other than to give effect to (1) the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding preferred shares on a one-to-one basis into 24,131,100 Class A ordinary shares immediately prior to the completion of this offering; (2) the re-designation of all outstanding ordinary shares into 8,676,130 Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, respectively, immediately prior to the completion of this offering, on a one-for-one basis; (3) the recognition of a one-time share-based compensation expenses of RMB22.3 million upon the satisfaction of the IPO performance condition of certain options for which the service-based condition had been fully or partially satisfied as of December 31, 2019; and (4) the issuance and sale by us of Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of US$            per ADS (the mid-point of the estimated initial public offering price range shown on the front cover page of this prospectus) after deduction of the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 would have been US$             million or US$             per outstanding ordinary share, including ordinary shares underlying our outstanding ADSs, and US$             per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of US$             per ordinary share, or US$             per ADS, to existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of US$             per ordinary share, or US$             per ADS, to new investors in this offering.

The following table illustrates such dilution:

 

     Per ordinary
shares
     Per ADS  

Assumed initial public offering price

   US$                    US$                

Net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019

   US$ 1.55      US$    

Pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding preferred shares into ordinary shares

   US$ 0.59      US$    

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after giving effect to (1) the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding preferred shares into ordinary shares, (2) the recognition of one-time share-based compensation expenses upon the satisfaction of the IPO performance condition, and (3) this offering

   US$        US$    

Dilution in net tangible book value to new investors in this offering

   US$        US$    

A US$1.00 change in the assumed initial public offering price of US$             per ADS would increase (decrease) our pro forma net tangible book value after giving effect to this offering by US$             million, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS after giving effect to this offering

 

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by US$            per ordinary share and US$             per ADS, and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share and per ADS to new investors in this offering by US$             per ordinary share and US$             per ADS, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs and no change to the number of ADSs offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of December 31, 2019, the differences between existing shareholders and the new investors with respect to the number of Class A ordinary shares (in the form of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares) purchased from us, the total consideration paid and the average price per ordinary share and per ADS paid before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The total number of ordinary shares does not include Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs issuable upon the exercise of the option to purchase additional ADSs granted to the underwriters.

 

     Ordinary Shares
Purchased
     Total Consideration      Average
Price Per
Ordinary
Share
     Average
Price Per
ADS
 
     Number      Percent
(%)
     Amount      Percent
(%)
 

Existing shareholders

                                           US$                                        US$                    US$                

New investors

                                           US$                            US$        US$    

Total

                         100.0      US$          100.0      US$        US$    

If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional ADSs, the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value would be US$             per ordinary shares and US$             per ADS, and the dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value to new investors in this offering would be US$             per ordinary shares and US$             per ADS.

The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only. Our net tangible book value following the completion of this offering is subject to adjustment based on the actual initial public offering price of our ADSs and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company:

 

   

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.

However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

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

 

   

Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Our constitutional 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.

All of our operations are conducted in China, and all of our assets are located in China. All of our directors and officers (including director appointees) are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States, and all or 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.

We have appointed Cogency Global Inc., located at 122 East, 42th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10168, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.

Cayman Islands

We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, that the United States and the Cayman Islands do not have a treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters and that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (1) recognize and enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provision of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (2) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.

We have also been advised by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP that, although there is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the U.S., a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (1) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (2) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given, (3) is final and conclusive, (4) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and (5) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.

 

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PRC

Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of China would:

 

   

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

 

   

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.

Commerce & Finance Law Offices has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the jurisdiction where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or in the Cayman Islands. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against us in the PRC for disputes relating to contracts or other property interests, the PRC court may accept a course of action based on the laws of the parties’ express mutual agreement in contracts choosing PRC courts for dispute resolution if (1) the contract is signed and/or performed within China, (2) the subject of the action is located within China, (3) the company (as defendant) has seizable properties within China, (4) the company has a representative organization within China, or (5) other circumstances prescribed under the PRC law. The action may be initiated by a shareholder through filing a complaint with the PRC court. The PRC court will determine whether to accept the complaint in accordance with the PRC Civil Procedures Law. The shareholder may participate in the action by itself or entrust any other person or PRC legal counsel to participate on behalf of such shareholder. Foreign citizens and companies will have the same rights as PRC citizens and companies in an action unless the home jurisdiction of such foreign citizens or companies restricts the rights of PRC citizens and companies.

In addition, it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders to originate actions against us in China in accordance with PRC laws because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders, by virtue only of holding the ADSs or ordinary shares, to establish a connection to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction as required under the PRC Civil Procedures Law.

 

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated in the Cayman Islands in June 2019 and a holding company of our group. We commenced operations through Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Quhuo, in 2012. Over a span of seven-year development, we have expanded our business from initially the on-demand food delivery industry into various industries and have become a leading tech-enabled workforce operational solution platform in China.

Beginning in 2019, we underwent a series of restructuring in anticipation of this offering, which was completed in March 2020. In June 2019, our founders, through their respective controlled entities, incorporated Quhuo Limited in the Cayman Islands as our proposed listing entity and holding company with no material operations of its own. From June 2019 to July 2019, we incorporated various subsidiaries, including Quhuo Investment Limited, Quhuo Technology Investment (Hong Kong) Limited and Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., or WFOE, all of which are investment holding companies. In August 2019, we gained control and became the sole beneficiary of Beijing Quhuo, or the VIE, through a series of contractual arrangements between WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s registered shareholders. We conduct our workforce operational solution business primarily through the VIE and its subsidiaries in China. In August 2019, Quhuo Limited issued preferred shares to the VIE’s existing investors to reflect their respective equity interests in the VIE prior to the restructuring. However, the shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. They may breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our affiliated entities and receive economic benefits from them. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—The shareholders of the VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

 

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The following diagram illustrates our simplified corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries, our VIE and its subsidiaries, as of the date of this prospectus:

 

LOGO

 

  (1)

The shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Quhuo, include Lili Sun, spouse of Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Shuyi Yang, Mr. Zhen Ba, Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP and Mr. Tongtong Li, holding 25.7264%, 24.9784%, 9.6547%, 38.8250% and 0.8154% of the equity interests of Beijing Quhuo, respectively.

  (2)

The remaining 30% of the equity interests of Nantong Runda Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. is owned by two independent individuals.

  (3)

The remaining 49% of the equity interests of Jiangxi Youke Automobile Rental Service Co., Ltd. is owned by an independent individual.

Contractual Arrangements

Current PRC laws and regulations impose restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership and investment in companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services. We are a company registered in the Cayman Islands, and WFOE, our PRC subsidiary, is a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC laws. We conduct our business in China through Beijing Quhuo, our VIE, and its subsidiaries, or collectively our affiliated entities, in China, and may in the future commence or acquire businesses that are subject to the restrictions with respect to

 

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value-added telecommunication services, including our recently launched payday loan services. We have entered into a series of contractual arrangements, through WFOE, with our VIE and its registered shareholders to obtain effective control over affiliated entities, through which we commence our business.

Our contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders allow us to (1) exercise effective control over our affiliated entities, (2) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our affiliated entities, and (3) have an exclusive call option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

As a result of our direct ownership in WFOE and the contractual arrangements with our VIE, we have become the primary beneficiary of our VIE, and, therefore, have consolidated the financial results of our VIE and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders.

Agreements that provide us with effective control over our VIE

Power of Attorney. Pursuant to the power of attorney dated as of August 23, 2019 executed and issued by our VIE’s shareholders, each of them irrevocably appointed and authorized WFOE or its designee(s) to act on their respective behalf as exclusive agent and attorney-in-fact, to the extent permitted by PRC law, with respect to all rights of shareholders concerning all the equity interest held by each of these shareholders in our VIE, including but not limited to the power to vote on its behalf on all matters of our VIE requiring shareholder approval under PRC laws and regulations and the articles of association of our VIE, rights to information relating to all business aspects of our VIE, proposing to convene or attend shareholder meetings, signing the resolutions and minutes of such meetings, exercising all the other rights as shareholders, such as nomination rights, appointment rights, the right to receive dividends and the right to sell, transfer, pledge or dispose of all the equity held in part or in whole.

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements. Under each of the equity interest pledge agreements dated as of August 23, 2019 entered into by and among WFOE, our VIE and each of its shareholders, each of our VIE’s shareholders will pledge all of their equity interests in our VIE to WFOE as security and guarantee on performance of the respective obligations of our VIE and each of its shareholders under the exclusive call option agreement, the exclusive business cooperation agreement and the power of attorney. If any of our VIE or its shareholders breach their contractual obligations under those agreements, WFOE, as the pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights, including enforcing the pledge immediately. WFOE may transfer all or any of its rights and obligations under any of the equity interest pledge agreements to its designee(s) any time after notifying our VIE and the signing shareholder. This pledge has become effective since the date the pledged equity interests were registered with the competent administration for industry and commerce and will remain in effect until the fulfillment of all the obligations under the exclusive call option agreement, the exclusive business cooperation agreement and the power of attorney.

Letters of Shareholder Undertaking, Letters of Spousal Undertakings and Letter of Confirmation. Pursuant to each of the letters of shareholder undertaking dated as of August 23, 2019 executed and provided by each of the individual shareholders of our VIE, each of the letters of spousal undertakings dated as of as of August 23, 2019 executed and provided by each of the spouse of our VIE’s individual shareholders and a letter of confirmation dated as of August 23, 2019 executed and issued by Mr. Leslie Yu in favor of us, each of the individual shareholders and the spouse of such shareholders, among others, (1) confirmed the duly authorization and validity of and the arrangements under the exclusive call option agreement, the exclusive business cooperation agreement, the equity interest pledge agreements and the power of attorney, (2) unconditionally and irrevocably agreed that the in the event of their deaths, incapacity or other circumstances under which they no longer have the ability to perform their obligations under the agreements described herein, their respective equity

 

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interests in our VIE together with all interests attached thereto will be transferred, free of charge and without any condition, to WFOE or its designee(s) to the extent permitted by PRC laws; and (3) confirmed that the respective equity interests of our VIE’s shareholders in our VIE are exclusive and personal assets of such shareholders, instead of common assets jointly owned with their respective spouse, and agreed to be subject to the obligations and arrangements under the agreements described herein in the event any equity interest in our VIE will be held by the respective spouse of such shareholders.

Agreements that allow us to receive economic benefits from our VIE

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement. Pursuant to the exclusive business cooperation agreement dated as of August 23, 2019 entered into by and between WFOE and our VIE, WFOE has the exclusive right, during the term of the exclusive business cooperation agreement to provide or designate any third-party to provide, among others, comprehensive business support, technological support, and relevant consulting services, the scope of which is to be determined by WFOE from time to time. WFOE owns the exclusive intellectual property rights created as a result of the performance of this agreement. In exchange, our VIE and its subsidiaries pay service fees to WFOE at the time and in an amount to be determined by WFOE in its sole discretion. This agreement shall remain effective for ten years from the execution date and may be extended by WFOE at its sole discretion.

Agreements that provide us with the call option to purchase the equity interests in our VIE

Exclusive Call Option Agreement. Under the exclusive call option agreement dated as of August 23, 2019 entered into by and between WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders, each of the shareholders of our VIE irrevocably granted WFOE or its designated representatives an exclusive right to purchase, to the extent permitted by the PRC laws and regulations and at the sole discretion of WFOE all or any part of their equity interests in our VIE at a purchase price equal to the lowest price permissible under the PRC laws and regulations. The shareholders of our VIE shall also promptly give all considerations they received from the exercise of the options to WFOE or its designee(s). WFOE or its designated representatives have sole discretion as to when to exercise such options, either in part or in full. Without prior written consent of WFOE, our VIE’s shareholders shall not, among others, sell, transfer, mortgage, create any pledge or encumbrance on or otherwise dispose their equity interests in our VIE. The term of this agreement is ten years and may be extended at WFOE’s sole discretion until the entire equity interests in our VIE transferred to WFOE or its designee(s).

In the opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel:

 

  (1)

the ownership structures of our VIE and WFOE, currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, will not result in any violation of applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect; and

 

  (2)

the contractual arrangements between WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders governed by PRC law, currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, are valid, binding and enforceable under the PRC law, and will not result in any violation of applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect.

However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or our VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—The PRC government may find that the contractual arrangements that establish our corporate structure for operating our business do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations,” “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—

 

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Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Enterprise Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

Financial Support Undertaking Letters

We executed a financial support undertaking letter addressed to our VIE, pursuant to which we irrevocably undertake to provide unlimited financial support to our VIE to the extent permissible under the applicable PRC laws and regulations, regardless of whether our VIE has incurred an operational loss. The form of financial support includes but is not limited to cash, entrusted loans and borrowings. We will not request repayment of any outstanding loans or borrowings from our VIE if it or its shareholders do not have sufficient funds or are unable to repay such loans or borrowings. The financial support undertaking letter is effective from the date of the other agreements entered into among WFOE, our VIE and its shareholders until the earlier of (1) the date on which all of the equity interests of our VIE have been acquired by us or our designated representative(s), and (2) the date on which we in our sole and absolute discretion unilaterally terminate the applicable financial support undertaking letter by giving 30-day prior written notice to our VIE.

We expect to provide the financial support if and when required with a portion of the proceeds from this offering and proceeds from the issuance of equity or debt securities in the future.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA

The following selected consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the selected consolidated statements of cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read the following information in conjunction with those financial statements and accompanying notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Historical results for any prior period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period.

Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017     2018     2019  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Revenues

     654,802       1,474,475       2,055,789       295,296  

Cost of revenues

     (626,193     (1,357,837     (1,893,513     (271,986
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     28,609       116,638       162,276       23,310  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     (50,038     (168,541     (174,730     (25,099
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

     (21,429     (51,903     (12,454     (1,789
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(Loss)/income before income tax

     (13,564     (40,316     8,131       1,168  

Income tax expense

     (405     (3,979     (21,580     (3,100
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

     (13,969     (44,295     (13,449     (1,932
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Data(1)

        

Adjusted net (loss)/income

     (10,670     45,327       51,350       7,376  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

Selected Consolidated Balance Sheets Data

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019  
     RMB      RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Cash

     17,343        126,779       18,211  

Short-term investments

     74,165        56,275       8,083  

Accounts receivable, net

     156,368        276,966       39,784  

Prepayments and other current assets

     17,487        43,058       6,185  

Amounts due from related parties

     25,748        18,392       2,642  

Total current assets

     291,111        521,470       74,905  

Total assets

     469,616        743,896       106,854  

Total current liabilities

     240,449        452,080       64,939  

Total liabilities

     265,183        489,344       70,291  

Total mezzanine equity

     1,031,001        1,031,001       148,094  

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (826,568)        (776,449     (111,531

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity, non-controlling interests and shareholders’ deficit

     469,616        743,896       106,854  

 

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Selected Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Data

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017     2018     2019  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities

     (28,615     19,807       17,624       2,533  

Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities

     (65,102     (94,281     12,483       1,792  

Net cash generated from financing activities

     71,350       82,495       80,550       11,570  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     (80     179       (1,221     (175

Net (decrease)/increase in cash

     (22,447     8,200       109,436       15,720  

Cash at the beginning of the period

     31,590       9,143       17,343       2,491  

Cash at the end of the period

     9,143       17,343       126,779       18,211  

Key Operating Metrics

The following table sets forth certain key operating metrics relating to our business.

 

    For the Three Months Ended  
    March 31,
2018
    June 30,
2018
    September 30,
2018
    December 31,
2018
    March 31,
2019
    June 30,
2019
    September 30,
2019
    December 31,
2019
 
    (in thousands)  

Number of average monthly active workers

    18       24       25       23       23       26       41       41  

Number of average monthly delivery orders

    11,135       14,696       16,884       15,574       13,856       16,616       28,666       29,221  

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section titled “Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

We were the largest workforce operational solution platform in China as measured by the number of average monthly active workers in 2019, according to the F&S report. We provide tech-enabled, end-to-end operational solutions to blue-chip on-demand consumer service businesses in industries with significant e-commerce exposure, including food delivery, ride-hailing, housekeeping and shared-bike maintenance. In 2019, we ranked No.1 in the on-demand food delivery solution market in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, with a market share exceeding that of the next top four market players combined in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, according to the F&S report.

We currently provide four industry-tailored operational solutions, including on-demand food delivery solutions, ride-hailing solutions, housekeeping solutions and shared-bike maintenance solutions. We generate revenue primarily from service fees paid by our industry customers, and to a lesser extent, from rental fees under our car leasing agreements with drivers engaged in our ride-hailing solutions. We incur cost from paying service fees to workers engaged in our solutions as independent contractors.

We have grown rapidly in recent years to achieve greater economies of scale. Our revenues were RMB654.8 million, RMB1,474.5 million and RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We recorded net loss of RMB14.0 million, RMB44.3 million and RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Excluding the effect of share-based compensation expenses, we recorded adjusted net loss of RMB10.7 million, adjusted net income of RMB45.3 million and adjusted net income of RMB51.4 million (US$7.4 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measure” for a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted net income (loss).

General Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Our results of operations and financial condition are affected by general factors driving China’s on-demand consumer service market and workforce operational solution market, including (1) economic factors, such as China’s overall economic growth, the increase in per-capita disposable income and the level and growth in consumer spending in China, (2) technology factors, such as development of mobile technology and the rate of mobile internet penetration in China, and (3) labor factors, such as rising labor costs in China. Unfavorable changes in any of these general factors could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

While our business is influenced by general factors affecting the on-demand consumer service market and workforce operational solution market in China generally, our results of operations are also directly affected by certain company specific factors, including the following major factors:

Our ability to grow on-demand food delivery solutions

We currently generate substantially all of our revenues from our on-demand food delivery solutions, and our ability to grow these solutions is critical to our results of operations and financial condition. Factors affecting the

 

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growth of our on-demand food delivery solutions include the overall market demand for online ordering of prepared food, the competitiveness of our solutions in terms of service quality and pricing, our ability to maintain and increase our fee levels vis-à-vis industry customers, our strategic partnerships with blue-chip industry customers, our relationships with workers on our platform, and our ability to increase the share of wallet from industry customers in the current geographical markets where we operate as well as our ability to expand into new geographical markets. Adverse changes of these factors will affect our ability to grow on-demand food delivery solutions.

Our ability to expand our customer portfolio and industry coverage

Certain industry customers for our on-demand food delivery solutions have contributed a significant portion of our revenues in the past. The business performance of these industry customers will affect our results of operations and prospects. We continually seek to diversify our customer portfolio to reduce the concentration of our revenue stream through competitive solution offerings. In addition, we launched ride-hailing, housekeeping and shared-bike maintenance solutions in recent years, and we plan to continue to expand into new industries. Our platform and business model in the new industries we recently entered into have not been fully proven given our limited operating history. We may incur significant cost and experience a prolonged ramp-up period, and our ability to apply our accumulated industry knowledge and operational experience to these new industries is critical to our business growth and prospects.

Our ability to attract, retain and manage workers cost-effectively

Our operational cost is affected by the number of workers on our platform and the amount of service fees we paid to workers and third-party labor service companies. Our continued growth depends in part on our ability to cost-effectively attract, retain and manage workers on our platform, especially our ability to cultivate a flexible workforce and deploy the same workers across different industry settings by having them serve multiple roles offered on our platform to optimize our operational cost. We have focused on offering better earning opportunities and career prospects and enhancing the bonds among our workers. Our ability to attract, retain and manage workers cost-effectively can be affected by a number of factors, including the quality of our training, the work-life support and services we provide, the attractiveness of the earning opportunities and career prospects we offer, and other macroeconomic, social and political factors that may affect labor cost, supply or migration.

Our ability to compete and manage our growth effectively

As the market for workforce operational solution platforms within a single industry setting is highly fragmented, we must continue to compete effectively in order to solidify our market leading position and maintain long-term profitability. In each industry setting we serve, we compete with labor outsourcing companies and service suppliers that are independent from or affiliated with industry customers, as well as online workforce marketplaces. In addition, we have historically incurred significant costs in a lump sum to acquire the rights to render on-demand food delivery services in additional food delivery areas for certain industry customers and may continue to make more such acquisitions to expand the geographical coverage of our on-demand food delivery solutions. As we continue to grow our business and increase our market share, our ability to acquire more service stations at favorable pricing, control our costs and expenses, improve operational efficiency by achieving greater economies of scale, and compete effectively with competitors is crucial to our sustainable growth.

Continued investment in our technology infrastructure and talent

We continue to invest in our technology infrastructure, including Quhuo+, to accommodate the expanded scope and heightened complexity of our operations. An enhanced technology infrastructure based on Quhuo+ will allow us to continually optimize our operational efficiency, refine our solutions through improved data-driven analytics, facilitate our expansion into new geographical markets and industries. We also continue to invest in talent, particularly technicians, engineers and other tech-related talents, which will increase our research

 

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and development expenses. Our ability to maintain and improve the functionality of our technology infrastructure in line with our business scale will be a key driver for our sustainable growth.

Seasonality

We experience seasonality in our business, primarily attributable to the seasonality of our industry customers’ businesses. For example, we generally experience an increase in demand for our on-demand food delivery solutions during inclement weather conditions and holidays, and suffer a shortage of workforce during Chinese New Year holidays which may fall between late January and late February. Other seasonal trends may develop or these current seasonal trends may become more extreme, which would contribute to fluctuations in our results of operations.

Strategic investment and acquisitions

We have made, and intend to continue to make, strategic acquisitions to solidify our current market presence and expand into new industries. We intend to selectively pursue strategic alliances and investments to further strengthen our competitiveness. We will evaluate and execute alliance, investment and acquisition opportunities that complement and scale up our business, optimize our profitability, help us expand into adjacent industries and add new capabilities to our platform. Our strategic alliances, investments and acquisitions may affect our business growth.

COVID-19 outbreak

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 throughout China and other countries and regions, a series of precautionary and control measures have been implemented worldwide to contain the virus. The outbreak of COVID-19 has had certain negative impact on the overall economy of the regions where we deliver our solutions.

COVID-19 spread rapidly throughout China in the first quarter of 2020, which traditionally is also the off season of our business due to the Chinese New Year holidays. The average monthly number of delivery orders fulfilled through our on-demand food delivery solutions was approximately 16.9 million in the first quarter of 2020, representing a decrease by approximately 42% compared to approximately 29.2 million in the previous quarter, albeit an increase by approximately 22% compared to approximately 13.9 million in the first quarter of the previous year. In addition, the business volume of our ride-hailing solutions, shared-bike maintenance solutions and housekeeping solutions and other services was adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak to varying extent.

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, we expanded our on-demand delivery solutions to tap into the grocery delivery market, as stay-at-home orders and social distancing caused an increase in the demand of local grocery delivery services. We entered into cooperation with new industry customers, such as Taoxianda and Fresh Hema, to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on our on-demand food delivery business by unlocking underutilized workforce capacity.

Our revenues increased by 12.6% from RMB348.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 to RMB392.6 million (US$56.4 million) in the three months ended March 31, 2020, primarily due to the increase in revenues generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our continued market penetration and expansion, partially offset by the impacts of the recent COVID-19 pandemic on our revenues. See “Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments” for selected unaudited financial data for the three months ended or as of March 31, 2020.

We have not experienced material adverse impact to our liquidity and cash flows since the outbreak. Except for the impact discussed above, we do not anticipate any prolonged material adverse impact on our business,

 

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results of operations and financial condition from the COVID-19 outbreak, as the Chinese government has gradually lifted the travel restrictions and other quarantine measures in China and economic activities have begun to recover and return to normal nationwide during the second quarter of 2020. We are nonetheless closely monitoring the development of the COVID-19 outbreak and continuously evaluating any potential impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Any health pandemics, including the recent global outbreak of COVID-19, and other natural disasters and calamities, could have a material adverse effect on our business operations.”

Key Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenues

We generate revenues from on-demand food delivery solutions, shared-bike maintenance solutions, ride-hailing solutions and housekeeping solutions. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, our total revenues were RMB654.8 million, RMB1,474.5 million and RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million), respectively. The following table sets forth the breakdown of our total revenues, both in absolute amounts and as a percentage of total revenues, for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB     %     RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Revenues:

             

On-demand food delivery solutions

    654,802       100.0       1,444,616       98.0       2,027,351       291,210       98.6  

Shared-bike maintenance solutions

    —         —         27,823       1.9       21,244       3,052       1.0  

Ride-hailing solutions

    —         —         2,036       0.1       6,932       996       0.4  

Housekeeping solutions and other services

    —         —         —         —         262       38       0.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenues

    654,802       100.0       1,474,475       100.0       2,055,789       295,296       100.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

On-demand food delivery solutions

In 2017, 2018 and 2019, our revenues generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions were RMB654.8 million, RMB1,444.6 million and RMB2,027.4 million (US$291.2 million), representing 100.0%, 98.0% and 98.6% of our total revenues in the same periods, respectively. We derive revenue from service fees paid by industry customers based on the number of fulfilled orders, generally subject to monthly dynamic KPI-based adjustments, such as the timely delivery rate and complaint rate. Different industry customers may use different formulas to calculate such adjustments, which may change from time to time in line with their specific requirement and assessment of our services.

Shared-bike maintenance solutions

We launched our shared-bike maintenance solutions in January 2018. Our revenues generated from shared-bike maintenance solutions were nil, RMB27.8 million and RMB21.2 million (US$3.1 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We derive revenue from service fees paid by bike-sharing companies based on service hours and/or the number of shared-bikes we transported and identified as malfunctioned.

Ride-hailing solutions

We launched our ride-hailing solutions in October 2018. Our revenues generated from ride-hailing solutions were nil, RMB2.0 million and RMB6.9 million (US$996,000) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We primarily derived revenue from rental fees under our car leasing agreements with drivers.

 

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Housekeeping solutions and other services

We launched our housekeeping solutions in January 2019, and continuously tapped into new industries to provide diversified, flexible earning opportunities for workers on our platform. We generated revenues of RMB262,000 (US$38,000) from housekeeping solutions and other services in 2019. We primarily derived revenue from service fees paid by industry customers based on the number of fulfilled orders.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues was RMB626.2 million, RMB1,357.8 million and RMB1,893.5 million (US$272.0 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The following table sets forth the breakdown of our cost of revenues by our business lines, both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenues, for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB     %     RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Cost of revenues:

             

On-demand food delivery solutions

    626,193       95.6       1,325,907       89.9       1,866,276       268,074       90.8  

Shared-bike maintenance solutions

    —         —         27,894       1.9       17,851       2,564       0.9  

Ride-hailing solutions

    —         —         4,036       0.3       9,045       1,299       0.4  

Housekeeping solutions and other services

    —         —         —         —         341       49       0.0  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total cost of revenues

    626,193       95.6       1,357,837       92.1       1,893,513       271,986       92.1  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of revenues related to our on-demand food delivery solutions was RMB626.2 million, RMB1,325.9 million and RMB1,866.3 million (US$268.1 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, representing substantially all of our total cost of revenues. Cost of revenues related to our on-demand delivery solutions primarily consist of service fees paid to our delivery riders. The following table sets forth the components of cost of revenues related to our on-demand food delivery solutions, both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenues for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB     %     RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Cost of revenues for on-demand food delivery solutions:

             

Service fees paid to delivery riders

    570,082       87.0       1,173,414       79.5       1,640,145       235,592       79.8  

Service fees paid to team leaders

    16,947       2.6       57,280       3.9       96,514       13,863       4.7  

Hiring expenses for delivery riders(1)

    10,304       1.6       26,079       1.8       42,190       6,060       2.1  

Others(2)

    28,860       4.4       69,134       4.7       87,427       12,559       4.3  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

    626,193       95.6       1,325,907       89.9       1,866,276       268,074       90.9  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

Represents service fees paid to third-party labor service companies and referral fees paid to existing delivery riders on our platform.

(2)

Represents rental fees and property management fees related to service stations, insurance and on-demand delivery supplies purchased for riders, amortization for intangible assets, and taxes and surcharges.

Cost of revenues related to our ride-hailing solutions primarily consist of rental fees we paid to lessors for certain rented vehicles and the depreciation expense and maintenance expense associated with the vehicles we owned. Cost of revenues related to our shared-bike maintenance solutions and housekeeping solutions and other services primarily consist of the service fees paid to workers engaged in these solutions.

 

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Gross profit and gross profit margin

Our gross profit was RMB28.6 million, RMB116.6 million and RMB162.3 million (US$23.3 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, and our gross profit margin was 4.4%, 7.9% and 7.9% for the same periods, respectively. The following table sets forth the breakdown of our gross profit and gross profit margin by our business lines for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB         %         RMB         %         RMB     US$         %      
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Gross profit:

             

On-demand food delivery solutions

    28,609       4.4       118,709       8.2       161,075       23,136       7.9  

Shared-bike maintenance solutions

    —         —         (71     (0.3     3,393       488       16.0  

Ride-hailing solutions

    —         —         (2,000     (98.2     (2,113     (303     (30.4

Housekeeping solutions and other services

    —         —         —         —         (79     (11     (28.9
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total gross profit

    28,609       4.4       116,638       7.9       162,276       23,310       7.9  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses

Our operating expenses consist of general and administrative expenses, research and development expenses and (loss)/gains on disposal of intangible assets. The following table sets forth the components of operating expenses, in absolute amounts and as a percentage of our total revenues, for the periods indicated.

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB         %         RMB         %         RMB     US$     %  
    (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Operating expenses:

             

General and administrative expenses

    (46,816     (7.1     (161,839     (11.0     (161,160     (23,149     (7.8

Research and development expenses

    (3,222     (0.5     (6,702     (0.4     (9,730     (1,398     (0.5
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss on disposal of intangible assets, net

    —         —         —         —         (3,840     (552     (0.2

Total operating expenses

    (50,038     (7.6     (168,541     (11.4     (174,730     (25,099     (8.5
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

General and administrative expenses

We recorded general and administrative expenses of RMB46.8 million, RMB161.8 million and RMB161.2 million (US$23.1 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of (1) share-based compensation expenses, (2) salaries and benefits for our operational staff, and (3) office expenses. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will continue to increase in absolute amount in the foreseeable future as we further grow our existing business and enter into new industries, and we will incur increased costs related to complying with our reporting obligations after we become a public company under U.S. securities laws. We also seek to optimize the cost structure of our company to control the relative level of general and administrative expenses as percentage of our revenues.

Research and development expenses

We recorded research and development expenses of RMB3.2 million, RMB6.7 million and RMB9.7 million (US$1.4 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Our research and development expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits for our research and development personnel. We believe that our continued investment in research and development is critical to our growth and expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase in absolute amount as we seek to upgrade our technology infrastructure, including Quhuo+, to support our business growth.

 

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Taxation

Cayman Islands

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 after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Cayman Islands does not impose withholding tax on dividend payments.

British Virgin Islands

Our wholly-owned subsidiary in the British Virgin Islands, Quhuo Investment Limited and all dividends, interest, rents, royalties, compensation and other amounts paid by Quhuo Investment Limited to personas who are not resident in the British Virgin Islands and any capital gains realized with respect to any shares, debt obligations, or other securities of the Company by persons who are not resident in the British Virgin Islands are exempt from all provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance in the British Virgin Islands.

No estate, inheritance, succession or gift tax, rate, duty, levy or other charge is payable by persons who are not resident in the British Virgin Islands with respect to any shares, debt obligation or other securities of the Company.

All instruments relating to transfers of property to or by Quhuo Investment Limited and all instruments relating to transactions in respect of the shares, debt obligations or other securities of Quhuo Investment Limited and all instruments relating to other transactions relating to the business of Quhuo Investment Limited are exempt from payment of stamp duty in the British Virgin Islands. This assumes that Quhuo Investment Limited does not hold an interest in real estate in the British Virgin Islands.

There are currently no withholding taxes or exchange control regulations in the British Virgin Islands applicable to Quhuo Investment Limited or its members.

Hong Kong

Our wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, Quhuo Technology Investment (Hong Kong) Limited, is subject to an income tax rate of 16.5% for taxable income earned in Hong Kong. No provision for Hong Kong profit tax has been levied as we did not have assessable income that was earned in or derived from our Hong Kong subsidiary during the period indicated. Hong Kong does not impose a withholding tax on dividends.

PRC

Our WFOE, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries in China are subject to PRC enterprise income tax on their taxable income in accordance with the relevant PRC income tax laws. Pursuant to the EIT Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008, a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate is generally applicable to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises, except where a special preferential rate applies. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the entity’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards.

In 2017, Huadian Tianze Enterprise Management Service Co., Ltd. was qualified for small and micro-sized enterprise, or SME, and eligible for a 50% reduction of taxable income and a reduced enterprise income tax rate of 20%. In 2018, Jilin Taisen Biotechnology Service Co., Ltd. and Huadian Tianze Enterprise Management Service Co., Ltd. were qualified for SME and eligible for such preferential tax treatments. In 2019, Jilin Taisen Biotechnology Service Co., Ltd. and Huadian Tianze Enterprise Management Service Co., Ltd. were qualified for SME. Jilin Taisen Biotechnology Service Co., Ltd. was in a loss status as of June 30, 2019 and Huadian Tianze Enterprise Management Service Co., Ltd. was eligible for a 75% reduction of taxable income and a reduced enterprise income tax rate of 20% in 2019.

 

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Our revenues derived from the provision of on-demand food delivery services and shared-bike maintenance services are subject to value-added taxes, or VAT, of 6%, and our revenues derived from the rental fees under our ride-hailing services are subject to VAT of 16%, less any deductible VAT we have already paid or borne. They are also subject to surcharges on VAT payments in accordance with PRC law.

As a Cayman Islands holding company, we may receive dividends from our PRC subsidiaries. The EIT Law and its implementing rules provide that dividends paid by a PRC entity to a nonresident enterprise for income tax purposes is subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10%, subject to reduction by an applicable tax treaty with China. Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by a PRC enterprise to a Hong Kong enterprise may be reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10% if the Hong Kong enterprise directly holds at least 25% of the PRC enterprise. Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or SAT Circular 81, a Hong Kong resident enterprise must meet the following conditions, among others, in order to apply the reduced withholding tax rate: (1) it must be a company; (2) it must directly own the required percentage of equity interests and voting rights in the PRC resident enterprise; and (3) it must have directly owned such required percentage in the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Administrative Measures for Nonresident Taxpayers to Enjoy Treatment under Tax Treaties, or SAT Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. SAT Circular 60 provides that nonresident enterprises are not required to obtain preapproval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax. Instead, nonresident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, we may be able to benefit from the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends received from PRC subsidiaries if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under SAT Circular 81 and other relevant tax rules and regulations. However, according to SAT Circular 81 and SAT Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future.

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of China were deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the EIT Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or the ADSs holders.”

 

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations, both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our revenues, for the periods indicated. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. The operating results in any period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017     2018     2019  
     RMB     %     RMB     %     RMB     US$     %  
     (in thousands, except for percentages)  

Revenues

     654,802       100.0       1,474,475       100.0       2,055,789       295,296       100.0  

Cost of revenues

     (626,193     (95.6     (1,357,837     (92.1     (1,893,513     (271,986     (92.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

     28,609       4.4       116,638       7.9       162,276       23,310       7.9  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

              

General and administrative expenses

     (46,816     (7.1     (161,839     (11.0     (161,160     (23,149     (7.8

Research and development expenses

     (3,222     (0.5     (6,702     (0.4     (9,730     (1,398     (0.5

Loss on disposal of intangible assets, net

     —         —         —         —         (3,840     (552     (0.2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     (50,038     (7.6     (168,541     (11.4     (174,730     (25,099     (8.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

     (21,429     (3.2     (51,903     (3.5     (12,454     (1,789     (0.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest income

     104       0.0       44       0.0       275       40       0.0  

Interest expense

     (1,364     (0.2     (3,913     (0.3     (6,093     (875     (0.3

Other income, net (including other income from a related party of nil, RMB7,844 and nil in the year of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively)

     10,377       1.6       16,274       1.1       27,730       3,983       1.3  

Share of net (loss)/income from equity method investees

     —         —         (1,449     (0.1     162       23       0.0  

Foreign exchange (loss)/gain

     (1,252     (0.2     631       0.1       (1,489     (214     (0.1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(Loss)/income before income tax

     (13,564     (2.0     (40,316     (2.7     8,131       1,168       0.3  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     (405     (0.1     (3,979     (0.3     (21,580     (3,100     (1.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

     (13,969     (2.1     (44,295     (3.0     (13,449     (1,932     (0.7
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Add: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

     —         —         1,681       0.1       1,684       242       0.1  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to Quhuo Limited

     (13,969     (2.1     (42,614     (2.9     (11,765     (1,690     (0.6
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-GAAP Financial Data(1)

              

Adjusted net (loss)/income

     (10,670     (1.6     45,327       3.1       51,350       7,376       2.5  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2018

Revenues

Our revenues increased by 39.4% from RMB1,474.5 million in 2018 to RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in revenues generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our continued market penetration and expansion.

 

   

Revenues from on-demand food delivery solutions increased by 40.3% from RMB1,444.6 million in 2018 to RMB2,027.4 million (US$291.2 million) in 2019. The increase was primarily (1) driven by the increase in delivery orders fulfilled by delivery riders on our platform, as a result of the growing penetration in our existing geographical markets and the expansion into new geographical markets, as our geographical coverage increased from 551 delivery areas across 47 cities as of December 31, 2018 to 809 delivery areas across 62 cities as of December 31, 2019, and to a lesser extent, (2) driven by an increase in the average service fee per delivery order charged to certain industry customers.

 

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Revenues from shared-bike maintenance solutions decreased by 23.6% from RMB27.8 million in 2018 to RMB21.2 million (US$3.1 million) in 2019, primarily due to the decrease in the geographical coverage of our solutions as we strategically withdrew our operations from a few cities where we underperformed.

 

   

Revenues from ride-hailing solutions increased significantly from RMB2.0 million in 2018 to RMB6.9 million (US$996,000) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in the number of vehicles we leased to ride-hailing drivers on our platform.

 

   

Revenues from housekeeping solutions and other services were nil and RMB262,000 (US$38,000) in 2018 and 2019, respectively. We launched our housekeeping solutions in January 2019 and continuously tapped into other industries to provide diversified, flexible earning opportunities for workers on our platform.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 39.5% from RMB1,357.8 million in 2018 to RMB1,893.5 million (US$272.0 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in the cost related to our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our business growth.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our on-demand food delivery solutions increased by 40.8% from RMB1,325.9 million in 2018 to RMB1,866.3 million (US$268.1 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increases in (1) service fees paid to our delivery riders and team leaders in line with the increase in the orders fulfilled by our delivery riders, (2) insurance expenses for delivery riders, (3) hiring expenses for delivery riders, including service fees paid to third-party labor service companies and referral fees paid to existing delivery riders on our platform, and (4) rental fees paid to lease the workspace for additional service stations to accommodate the increase in delivery rider headcount.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our shared-bike maintenance solutions decreased by 36.0% from RMB27.9 million in 2018 to RMB17.9 million (US$2.6 million) in 2019, which was generally in line with the decline of the business volume of our shared-bike maintenance solutions, primarily due to the decrease in the geographical coverage of our solutions as we strategically withdrew our operations from a few cities where we underperformed.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our ride-hailing solutions increased significantly from RMB4.0 million in 2018 to RMB9.0 million (US$1.3 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in the number of vehicles we rented from third parties.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our housekeeping solutions and other services was nil and RMB341,000 (US$49,000) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, as we launched our housekeeping solutions in January 2019 and have continuously tapped into other industries since then.

Gross profit

As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit increased by 39.1% from RMB116.6 million in 2018 to RMB162.3 million (US$23.3 million) in 2019. Our gross profit margin remained stable at 7.9% in 2018 and 2019.

Operating expenses

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 0.4% from RMB161.8 million in 2018 to RMB161.2 million (US$23.1 million) in 2019, primarily due to the decrease in share-based compensation expenses from RMB89.6 million in 2018 to RMB64.8 million (US$9.3 million) in 2019, which was consistent with the vesting

 

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schedule of options granted under our share incentive plan. For detailed analysis on changes of our share-based compensation, see “—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Share-based compensation.” Excluding the effect of share-based compensation, our general and administrative expenses would have increased by 33.4% from RMB72.2 million in 2018 to RMB96.4 million (US$13.8 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increases in (1) salaries and benefits for our operational staff, and (2) professional service fees, partially offset by the decrease in office expenses.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 45.2% from RMB6.7 million in 2018 to RMB9.7 million (US$1.4 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in salaries and benefits for our research and development personnel.

Loss on disposal of intangible assets

We recorded loss on disposal of intangible assets of nil and RMB3.8 million (US$0.6 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily due to transfer of customer relationships in certain delivery areas for our on-demand food deliver solutions to third parties.

Operating loss

As a result of the foregoing, we incurred operating loss of RMB51.9 million and RMB12.5 million (US$1.8 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Interest expense

Our interest expense increased by 55.7% from RMB3.9 million in 2018 to RMB6.1 million (US$0.9 million) in 2019, primarily associated with our short-term bank borrowings for restructuring purpose.

Other income, net

We recorded other income, net of RMB16.3 million and RMB27.7 million (US$4.0 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily consisting of (1) governmental subsidies, (2) service fees paid by third parties to us for labor consulting services and IT services we provided, and (3) investment income from commercial bank deposits and disposal of our equity interest in an equity method investee company, and partially offset by other expenses, primarily consisting of finance charges.

Share of net (loss)/income from equity method investees

We recorded share of net loss from equity method investees of RMB1.4 million and share of net income from equity method investees of RMB0.2 million (US$23,000) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily due to the net loss or income incurred by our equity method investees.

Foreign exchange (loss)/gain

We recorded a foreign exchange gain of RMB0.6 million and a foreign exchange loss of RMB1.5 million (US$0.2 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily due to fluctuations in the exchange rates in the process of our restructuring.

Income tax expense

Our income tax expense increased significantly from RMB4.0 million in 2018 to RMB21.6 million (US$3.1 million) in 2019, primarily due to the increase in our taxable income generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions.

 

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Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, we incurred net loss of RMB44.3 million and RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million) in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Year Ended December 31, 2018 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2017

Revenues

Our revenues increased significantly from RMB654.8 million in 2017 to RMB1,474.5 million in 2018, primarily due to a significant increase in revenues from our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our continued market penetration and expansion.

 

   

Revenues from on-demand food delivery solutions increased significantly from RMB654.8 million in 2017 to RMB1,444.6 million in 2018. The increase was primarily (1) driven by the increase in delivery orders fulfilled by delivery riders on our platform, as a result of the growing penetration in our existing geographical markets and the expansion into new geographical markets, as our geographical coverage increased from 481 delivery areas across 40 cities as of December 31, 2017 to 551 delivery areas across 47 cities as of December 31, 2018, and to a lesser extent, (2) driven by an increase in the average service fee per delivery order charged to certain industry customers.

 

   

Revenues from shared-bike maintenance solutions were nil and RMB27.8 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively. We launched our shared-bike maintenance solutions in January 2018 and currently expect that our shared-bike maintenance solutions will remain consistent with the market trends for the shared-bike industry.

 

   

Revenues from ride-hailing solutions were nil and RMB2.0 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively. We launched our ride-hailing solutions in October 2018 and currently expect business growth driven by the market conditions and our continued penetration in the ride-hailing market.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues increased significantly from RMB626.2 million in 2017 to RMB1,357.8 million in 2018, primarily due to the increase in the cost related to our on-demand food delivery solutions as a result of our business growth.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our on-demand food delivery solutions increased significantly from RMB626.2 million in 2017 to RMB1,325.9 million in 2018, primarily attributable to (1) the increase in service fees paid to our delivery riders and team leaders due to the increase in the orders fulfilled by our delivery riders, (2) the increase in the insurance and on-demand delivery supplies, (3) the increase in the hiring expenses for delivery riders, including service fees paid to third-party labor service companies and referral fees paid to existing delivery riders on our platform, and (4) the increase in the rental fees paid to lease the workspace for additional service stations to accommodate the increase in delivery rider headcount.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our shared-bike maintenance solutions was nil and RMB27.9 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as we launched our shared-bike maintenance solutions in January 2018.

 

   

Cost of revenues related to our ride-hailing solutions was nil and RMB4.0 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as we launched our ride-hailing solutions in October 2018.

Gross profit

As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit increased significantly from RMB28.6 million in 2017 to RMB116.6 million in 2018. Our gross profit margin increased from 4.4% in 2017 to 7.9% in 2018, primarily due to the improved operational efficiency and economies of scale as a result of our business growth.

 

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Operating expenses

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses increased significantly from RMB46.8 million in 2017 to RMB161.8 million in 2018, primarily due to the significant increase in share-based compensation expenses from RMB3.3 million in 2017 to RMB89.6 million in 2018. For detailed analysis on changes of our share-based compensation, see “—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Share-based compensation.” After deducting the effect of share-based compensation, our general and administrative expenses would have increased by 66.0% from RMB43.5 million in 2017 to RMB72.2 million in 2018, primarily due to (1) the increase in salaries and benefits for our operational staff, (2) the increase in travel expenses, and (3) the increase in office and rental expenses.

Research and development expenses

Our research and development expenses increased significantly from RMB3.2 million in 2017 to RMB6.7 million in 2018, primarily due to the increase in salaries and benefits for our research and development personnel, and rental expenses related to servers utilized by us.

Operating loss

As a result of the foregoing, we incurred operating loss of RMB21.4 million and RMB51.9 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Interest expense

Our interest expense increased significantly from RMB1.4 million in 2017 to RMB3.9 million in 2018, primarily associated with our short-term bank borrowings for working capital purpose.

Other income, net

Our other income, net was RMB10.4 million and RMB16.3 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively, primarily consisting of (1) service fees paid by one of our affiliated entities to us for labor consulting services we provided, (2) governmental subsidies, and (3) investment income from commercial bank deposits, and partially offset by other expenses. Our other expense in 2018 was primarily due to the amount we paid to settle our dispute with an industry customer.

Share of net loss from equity method investees

Our share of net loss from equity method investees was nil and RMB1.4 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively, primarily due to the net loss incurred by our equity method investees.

Foreign exchange (loss)/gain

We recorded a foreign exchange loss of RMB1.3 million in 2017 and a foreign exchange gain of RMB0.6 million in 2018, primarily due to fluctuations in the exchange rates of our foreign currency deposits.

Income tax expense

Our income tax expense increased from RMB0.4 million in 2017 to RMB4.0 million in 2018, primarily due to the increase in our taxable income generated from our on-demand food delivery solutions.

 

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Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, we incurred a net loss of RMB14.0 million and RMB44.3 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Non-GAAP Financial Measure

We use adjusted net income (loss), which is a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating our operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Adjusted net income (loss) represents net income (loss) before share-based compensation expenses. We believe that adjusted net income (loss) helps identify underlying trends in our business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of share-based compensation expenses. We believe that such non-GAAP financial measure also provides useful information about our operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in its financial and operational decision-making.

The non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. It should not be considered in isolation or construed as alternatives to net loss or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review the historical non-GAAP financial measure in light of the most directly comparable GAAP measures, as shown below. The non-GAAP financial measure presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. We encourage investors and others to review our financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.

The table below sets forth a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure for the periods indicated:

 

     For the Year Ended December 31,  
     2017     2018     2019  
     RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
     (in thousands)  

Net loss

     (13,969     (44,295     (13,449     (1,932

Add:

        

Share-based compensation expenses

     3,299       89,622       64,799       9,308  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted net (loss)/income

     (10,670     45,327       51,350       7,376  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Prior to this offering, we have been a private company with limited accounting and financial reporting personnel and other resources to address our internal controls and procedures. In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 and for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, we and our independent accountant identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The material weakness identified is our lack of sufficient accounting and financial reporting personnel with requisite knowledge and experience in application of U.S. GAAP and SEC rules.

We are in the process of implementing a number of measures to address these material weakness identified, including: (1) hiring additional accounting and financial reporting personnel with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting

 

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experience, (2) expanding the capabilities of existing accounting and financial reporting personnel through continuous training and education in the accounting and reporting requirements under U.S. GAAP, and SEC rules and regulations, (3) developing, communicating and implementing an accounting policy manual for its accounting and financial reporting personnel for recurring transactions and period-end closing processes, and (4) establishing effective monitoring and oversight controls for non-recurring and complex transactions to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

The process of designing and implementing an effective financial reporting system is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to expend significant resources to maintain a financial reporting system that is adequate to satisfy our reporting obligation. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls to remediate our material weakness over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.”

As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenue for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. We will not “opt out” of such exemptions afforded to an emerging growth company.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We prepare our financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires our management to make judgment, estimates and assumptions. We continually evaluate these judgment, estimates and assumptions based on our own historical experience, knowledge and assessment of current business and other conditions, our expectations regarding the future based on available information and various assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, which together form our basis for making judgments about matters that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, our actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application.

The selection of critical accounting policies, the judgments and other uncertainties affecting application of those policies and the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions are factors that should be considered when reviewing our financial statements. We believe the following accounting policies involve the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. You should read the following description of critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and other disclosures included in this prospectus.

Consolidation of affiliated entities

To comply with PRC laws and regulations which prohibit foreign control of companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services, we primarily conduct our business in the PRC through our VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE. The equity interests of our VIE are legally held by PRC shareholders. Despite the lack of technical majority ownership, we have effective control of our VIE through a series of contractual agreements and a parent-subsidiary relationship exists between us and our VIE. Through the contractual agreements, the shareholders of our VIE effectively assigned all of their voting rights underlying their equity interests in our VIE to us and therefore, we have the power to direct the activities of our VIE that most significantly impact its

 

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economic performance. We also have the ability and obligations to absorb substantially all the profits or losses of our VIE that potentially could be significant to our VIE. Based on the above, we consolidate our VIE in accordance with SEC Regulation SX-3A-02 and ASC 810, Consolidation. We will reconsider the initial determination of whether a legal entity is a consolidated affiliated entity upon certain events listed in ASC 810-10-35-4 occurring. We will also continuously reconsider whether we are the primary beneficiary of our affiliated entities as facts and circumstances change. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

Revenue recognition

We have early adopted the requirements of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, or ASC 606, as of January 1, 2017 using the full retrospective method. We apply the five-step model outlined in ASC 606. We account for a contract when we have approval and commitment from the customer, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a material impact on our accumulated deficit balance as of January 1, 2017.

On-demand food delivery solutions

We enter into delivery service agreements to provide industry customers with our on-demand food delivery solutions. Industry customers generally divide their intra-city food delivery network into a number of delivery areas. We are responsible for fulfilling all on-demand food delivery orders on a daily and an if-needed basis within specified delivery areas that are managed by us. We manage our delivery rider groups to make sure there are sufficient delivery riders to fulfill all the orders within the delivery areas and assure that the delivery service quality is in compliance with service standards.

We have determined that our obligation is to stand ready to fulfill all the delivery orders and considered the series of services as a single performance obligation. The customers receive the benefit of the services and we on the term of a month-to-month contract has the right to payment as the service are performed. We charge delivery service fees to industry customers based on the number of orders completed at a fixed rate per order, subject to adjustments based on the monthly performance of our services provided. Revenues are variable based on the volume of delivery orders and monthly performance results. The variable consideration becomes fixed at the end of the month when the uncertainty on monthly performance evaluation is resolved. We recognize revenues from on-demand food delivery solutions as we provide the services.

Bike-sharing maintenance solutions

We derive revenue from service fees paid by the bike-sharing company for daily maintenance services we provided. Our shared-bike maintenance solutions include maintaining of orderliness of bikes, redistribution and transportation of idled bikes based on end users’ usage patterns within a designated area, and identification and transportation of malfunctioning bikes.

We have determined that our obligation is to perform maintenance services on the term of a month-to-month contract and considered the series of services as a single performance obligation. The customer receives the benefit of the services and we have the right to payment as the service are performed. We charge maintenance service fees to the bike-sharing company based on the number of service hours and the number of shared-bikes transported. Revenues are variable based on volume of service performed and we recognize revenues as the services are rendered.

Pursuant to ASC 606-10-32-2A, we have elected to exclude from revenue sales taxes and other similar taxes that are both imposed on and are concurrent with revenue producing transactions. Therefore, revenues are recognized net of value added taxes.

 

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Ride-hailing solutions

We generate revenue from ride-hailing solutions primarily from car rental fees paid by drivers on our platform according to our car leasing agreements with them. These arrangements are classified as operating leases as defined within ASC 840, Leases. We recognize revenues from such arrangements on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

To a lesser extent, we also generate revenues from provision of ride-hailing driver management services to certain ride-hailing platforms as an agent, and recognize such revenues on a net basis.

Redeemable convertible preferred shares

The redeemable convertible preferred shares, or preferred shares, have been classified as mezzanine equity as they may be redeemed at the option of the holders on or after an agreed upon date which is outside our sole control. The preferred shares were initially measured at fair value. The preferred shares are not currently redeemable, but it is probable that the preferred shares will become redeemable. There is no accretion to be recognized because the carrying amount of the preferred shares is greater than the redemption value.

The holders of preferred shares have the ability to convert the instrument into our ordinary shares. We have evaluated the embedded conversion option in the preferred shares to determine if there were any embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and to determine if there were any beneficial conversion features. The conversion option of the preferred shares does not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the conversion option is clearly and closely related to the host instrument and the underlying ordinary shares are not publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. The contingent redemption options of the convertible preferred shares did not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the underlying ordinary shares were neither publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. There were no other embedded derivatives that are required to be bifurcated.

Beneficial conversion features exist when the conversion price of the convertible preferred shares is lower than the fair value of the ordinary shares at the commitment date, which is the issuance date in our case. When a beneficial conversion feature, or BCF, exists as of the commitment date, its intrinsic value is bifurcated from the carrying value of the convertible preferred shares as a contribution to additional paid-in capital. On the commitment date, there is no beneficial conversion feature to be recognized because the most favorable conversion price used to measure the beneficial conversion feature of the preferred shares was higher than the fair value per ordinary share. We determined the fair value of our ordinary shares with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm.

The contingent conversion price adjustment is accounted for as a contingent BCF. In accordance with ASC paragraph 470-20-35-1, changes to the conversion terms that would be triggered by future events not controlled by an issuer should be accounted as contingent conversions, and the intrinsic value of such conversion options would not be recognized until and unless a triggering event occurred. No contingent BCF has been recognized for the periods presented.

Income taxes

We follow the liability method of accounting for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, or ASC 740. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. We record a valuation allowance to offset deferred tax assets if based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rate is recognized in tax expense in the period that includes the enactment date of the change in tax rate.

We accounted for uncertainties in income taxes in accordance with ASC 740. Interest and penalties arising from underpayment of income taxes shall be computed in accordance with the related PRC tax law. The amount

 

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of interest expense is computed by applying the applicable statutory rate of interest to the difference between the tax position recognized and the amount previously taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Interest and penalties recognized in accordance with ASC 740 are classified in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss as income tax expense.

In accordance with ASC 740, we recognize in our consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position if a tax return position or future tax position is “more likely than not” to prevail based on the facts and technical merits of the position. Tax positions that meet the “more likely than not” recognition threshold are measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement.

Share-based compensation

All of our share-based awards to employees were classified as equity awards and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on their grant date fair values. We early adopted ASU No. 2018-7, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Non-employee Share-Based Payment Accounting on January 1, 2017. Share-based awards to non-employees were classified as equity awards and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on their grant date fair value. We have elected to recognize share-based compensation using the accelerated method, for all share-based awards granted with graded vesting based on service conditions.

In determining the value of share options granted to employees and non-employees, we have used the binomial option pricing model, with assistance from an independent third-party valuation firm. Under this option pricing model, certain assumptions, including the risk-free interest rate, the expected volatility, the suboptimal exercise factor, the fair value per ordinary share, the expected dividend yield and the post-vesting forfeiture rate are required in order to determine the fair value of our options. The fair value of share options was estimated on the date of grant using the following key assumptions:

 

     For the year ended
December 31, 2017
    For the year ended
December 31, 2018
    For the year ended
December 31, 2019
 

Risk-free interest rate

     3.62% or nil       3.37% or nil       1.52%-3.62% or nil  

Expected volatility

     30.39% or nil       30.67% or nil       29.53%-32.67% or nil  

Suboptimal exercise factor

     2.2 or nil     2.2 or nil       2.2-2.5 or nil  

Fair value per ordinary share

     RMB16.47       RMB32.10       US$5.14  

Expected dividend yield

     0     0     0

Post-vesting forfeiture rate

     0     0     0

A change in the terms or conditions of the awards is accounted for as a modification of the award. Incremental compensation cost is measured as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before its terms are modified, measured based on the fair value of the awards and other pertinent factors at the modification date. For vested awards, we recognize incremental compensation cost in the period the modification occurs. For unvested awards, we recognize over the remaining requisite service period, the sum of the incremental compensation cost and the remaining unrecognized compensation cost for the original award on the modification date. If the fair value of the modified award is lower than the fair value of the original award immediately before modification, the minimum compensation cost we recognize is the cost of the original award.

Fair Value Estimate

We are required to estimate the fair value of the ordinary shares underlying our options when performing the fair value calculations with the binomial option model. Therefore, our board of directors has estimated the fair value of our ordinary shares at various dates, with input from management, considering the third-party valuations of ordinary shares at each grant date. The valuations of our ordinary shares were performed using

 

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methodologies, approaches and assumptions consistent with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Audit and Accounting Practice Aid Series: Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, or the AICPA Practice Guide. In addition, our board of directors considered various objective and subjective factors, along with input from management and the independent third-party valuation firm, to determine the fair value of our ordinary shares, including: external market conditions affecting the industry, trends within the industry, the prices at which we sold preferred shares, the superior rights and preference of the preferred shares or other senior securities relative to our ordinary shares at the time of each grant, the results of operations, financials position, our stage of development and business strategy, the lack of an active public market for our ordinary shares, the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event such as an initial public offering or liquidation of the Company, the likelihood of redemption of the preference shares, risk free rate obtained from interest rate market, and historical volatility of the ordinary shares which takes several comparable companies into account. In order to determine the fair value of our ordinary shares underlying each share-based award grant, we first determined our business enterprise value, or BEV, and then allocated the BEV to each element of our capital structure (redeemable convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares) using a hybrid method comprising the probability-weighted expected return method and the option pricing method. In our case, three scenarios were assumed, namely: (i) the liquidation scenario, in which the option pricing method was adopted to allocate the value between redeemable convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares, and (ii) the redemption scenario, in which the option pricing method was adopted to allocate the value between redeemable convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares, and (iii) the mandatory conversion scenario, in which equity value was allocated to redeemable convertible preferred shares and ordinary shares on an as-if converted basis.

In determining the fair value of the ordinary shares, we applied the discounted cash flow analysis based on our projected cash flow using our best estimate as of the valuation date. The determination of our fair value of the ordinary shares requires complex and subjective judgments to be made regarding our projected financial and operating results, our unique business risks, and our operating history and prospects at the time of valuation.

We determined the fair value of our share awards granted to employees and non-employees as of the date of grant, taking into consideration the various objective and subjective factors described above. We computed the per share weighted-average estimated fair value for share awards based on the binomial option pricing model.

Once public trading market of the ADSs has been established in connection with the completion of this offering, it will no longer be necessary for us to estimate the fair value of our ordinary shares in connection with our accounting for granted share awards.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity have been cash generated from our operations and external financing.

As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, we had RMB17.3 million and RMB126.8 million (US$18.2 million) in cash, respectively. Our cash consists primarily of cash and demand deposits. We believe that our current cash and anticipated cash flow from operating and financing activities will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs, including our cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures, for at least the next 12 months without considering the proceeds from this offering.

We intend to finance our future working capital requirements and capital expenditures from cash generated from operating activities and financing activities, including the net proceeds we will receive from this offering. We may, however, require additional cash resources due to changing business conditions or other future developments, including acquisitions or investments we may decide to selectively pursue. If our existing cash resources are insufficient to meet our requirements, we may seek to issue equity or debt securities or obtain credit facilities. The issue of additional equity securities, including convertible debt securities, would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be

 

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available in the amounts we need or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain additional equity or debt financing as required, our business operations and prospects may suffer.

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

 

    For the Year Ended December 31,  
    2017     2018     2019  
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  
    (in thousands)  

Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities

    (28,615     19,807       17,624       2,533  

Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities

    (65,102     (94,281     12,483       1,792  

Net cash generated from financing activities

    71,350       82,495       80,550       11,570  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

    (80     179       (1,221     (175

Net (decrease)/increase in cash

    (22,447     8,200       109,436       15,720  

Cash at the beginning of the period

    31,590       9,143       17,343       2,491  

Cash at the end of the period

    9,143       17,343       126,779       18,211  

Operating activities

Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB17.6 million (US$2.5 million) in 2019, primarily due to a net loss of RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million), (1) adjusted for certain non-cash items, mainly including share-based compensation of RMB64.8 million (US$9.3 million), amortization of RMB10.6 million (US$1.5 million), deferred income taxes of RMB9.3 million (US$1.3 million), and loss on disposal of intangible assets, net of RMB3.8 million (US$0.6 million), (2) adjusted for changes in certain working capital items that positively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including an increase of RMB78.8 million (US$11.3 million) in accounts payable, an increase of RMB15.1 million (US$2.2 million) in income tax payable, and an increase of RMB13.7 million (US$2.0 million) in other non-current liabilities, and (3) partially offset by changes in certain working capital items that negatively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including an increase of RMB112.4 million (US$16.1 million) in accounts receivable, an increase of RMB51.8 million (US$7.4 million) in other non-current assets, and an increase of RMB11.3 million (US$1.6 million) in prepayments and other current assets.

Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB19.8 million in 2018, primarily due to a net loss of RMB44.3 million, (1) adjusted for certain non-cash items, mainly including share-based compensation of RMB89.6 million, amortization of RMB9.0 million, and deferred income taxes of RMB2.4 million, (2) adjusted for changes in certain working capital items that positively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including a decrease of RMB23.7 million in prepayments and other current assets, and an increase of RMB4.5 million in accounts payable, and (3) partially offset by changes in certain working capital items that negatively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including an increase of RMB28.2 million in other non-current assets, an increase of RMB25.9 million in amounts due from related parties, and an increase of RMB15.7 million in accounts receivable.

Net cash used in operating activities was RMB28.6 million in 2017, primarily due to a net loss of RMB14.0 million, (1) adjusted for certain non-cash items, mainly including impairment of intangible assets of RMB3.6 million, share-based compensation of RMB3.3 million, and amortization of RMB2.2 million, and (2) adjusted for changes in certain working capital items that negatively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including an increase of RMB50.9 million in accounts receivable, an increase of RMB26.4 million in prepayments and other current assets, and an increase of RMB16.5 million in other non-current assets, and (3) partially offset by changes in certain working capital items that positively impact the cash flow from operating activities, mainly including an increase of RMB64.3 million in accounts payable.

 

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Investing activities

Net cash generated from investing activities amounted to RMB12.5 million (US$1.8 million) in 2019, which was primarily attributable to (1) proceeds from sales of short-term investments of RMB2,715.0 million (US$390.0 million), (2) proceeds from disposal of intangible assets in customer relationships of RMB21.2 million (US$3.0 million), and (3) proceeds from disposals of long-term investments of RMB11.0 million (US$1.6 million), partially offset by (1) purchase of short-term investments of RMB2,691.6 million (US$386.6 million) in commercial bank deposits, (2) acquisition of intangible assets of RMB21.9 million (US$3.1 million), including customer relationships acquired from third parties to cover more delivery areas for our on-demand food delivery solutions and internally-used computer software, and (3) purchase of property and equipment of RMB17.8 million (US$2.6 million).

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to RMB94.3 million in 2018, which was primarily attributable to (1) purchase of short-term investments of RMB2,578.5 million in commercial bank deposits, (2) acquisition of intangible assets of RMB32.5 million, including customer relationships acquired from third parties to cover more delivery areas for our on-demand food delivery solutions and internally-used computer software, and (3) prepayment for long-term investments of RMB30.2 million, partially offset by proceeds from sales of short-term investments in commercial bank deposits of RMB2,554.8 million.

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to RMB65.1 million in 2017, which was primarily attributable to (1) purchase of short-term investments of RMB50.4 million in commercial bank deposits, (2) acquisition of intangible assets of RMB20.4 million, including customer relationships acquired from third parties to cover more delivery areas for our on-demand food delivery solutions and internally-used computer software, (3) prepayment for long-term investments of RMB9.0 million, and (4) acquisition of business, net of cash acquired of RMB8.5 million, partially offset by proceeds from sales of short-term investments in commercial bank deposits of RMB25.0 million.

Financing activities

Net cash generated from financing activities amounted to RMB80.6 million (US$11.6 million) in 2019, which was primarily attributable to (1) proceeds from short-term loans of RMB116.0 million (US$16.7 million), and (2) proceeds from long-term debt of RMB15.2 million (US$2.2 million), partially offset by (1) repayments of short-term debt of RMB45.8 million (US$6.6 million), and (2) repayments of long-term debt of RMB3.8 million (US$0.5 million).

Net cash generated from financing activities amounted to RMB82.5 million in 2018, which was primarily attributable to (1) proceeds from short-term loans of RMB85.8 million, and (2) capital contributions by shareholders of RMB28.7 million, partially offset by repayments of short-term loans of RMB36.9 million.

Net cash generated from financing activities amounted to RMB71.4 million in 2017, which was primarily attributable to (1) capital contributions by shareholders of RMB94.5 million, and (2) proceeds from short-term loans of RMB63.3 million, partially offset by repayments of short-term loans of RMB86.4 million.

Capital Expenditures

Our capital expenditures were RMB1.2 million, RMB3.9 million and RMB17.8 million (US$2.6 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Our capital expenditures were primarily used for the purchase of property and equipment, such as vehicles in connection with our ride-hailing solutions and electronic equipment. We will continue to make capital expenditures to meet the expected growth of our business.

 

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Contractual Obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019:

 

     Payment due by period  
     Total      Less than
one year
     one – three
years
 
     (RMB in thousands)  

Operating lease commitments(1)

     22,138        19,288        2,850  

Long-term debt(2)

     19,921        7,979        11,942  

Short-term loans(3)

     136,000        136,000         

 

(1)

Represents minimum payments under non-cancelable operating leases related to vehicles in connection with our ride-hailing solutions, office premises and on-demand food delivery service stations that expire at various dates. Our operating lease commitments have no renewal options, rent escalation clauses and restrictions or contingent rents.

(2)

On August 24, 2018, we entered into an agreement with a third party, pursuant to which we borrowed RMB9.4 million to purchase 100 vehicles for a total consideration of RMB11.8 million for our ride-hailing solution business. Under the terms of the agreement, we shall repay the debt in fixed monthly installments over 36 months. The implied interest rate was 14.86%. We obtained the ownership of the vehicles at inception of the arrangement and registered the vehicles as the collateral for the borrowing. In addition, in July 2019, we entered into an agreement with a third party, pursuant to which we borrowed RMB15.2 million. We are required to repay the borrowings in fixed monthly installments over 36 months. The implied interest rate ranged from 8.45% to 8.98%.

(3)

We have entered into several banking facilities, pursuant to which we borrowed short-term loans with interest rates ranging from 4.0% to 6.0%. All short-term loans were intended for general working capital purposes.

Off-Balance Sheet Commitments and Arrangements

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholder’s equity or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or product development services with us.

Holding Company Structure

Quhuo Limited is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries and our VIE and its subsidiaries in China. As a result, our ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries and fees paid by our VIE. If our subsidiaries or any newly formed subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us.

In addition, our subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with the Accounting Standards for Business Enterprise as promulgated by the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, or PRC GAAP. Under PRC law, each of our PRC subsidiaries, our VIE and its subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory surplus reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. In addition, each of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion funds as well as staff bonus and welfare funds at its discretion, and our VIE may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at its discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned company out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

 

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Inflation

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

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk

Foreign exchange risk

Substantially all of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any derivative financial instruments to hedge exposure to such risk. Although in general our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Renminbi because the value of our business is effectively denominated in Renminbi, while our ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars.

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The PRC government allowed the Renminbi to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar had been stable and traded within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the Renminbi has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amounts available to us.

We estimate that we will receive net proceeds of approximately US$                 million from this offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us, based on the assumed initial offering price of US$             per ADS. Assuming that we convert the full amount of the net proceeds from this offering into RMB, a 10% appreciation of the U.S. dollar against RMB, from a rate of RMB             to US$1.00 to a rate of RMB             to US$1.00, will result in an increase of RMB             million in our net proceeds from this offering. Conversely, a 10% depreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB, from a rate of RMB             to US$1.00 to a rate of RMB             to US$1.00, will result in a decrease of RMB             million in our net proceeds from this offering.

 

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Interest rate risk

Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to our short-term loan. We have not been exposed to material risks due to changes in interest rates, and we have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure.

After completion of this offering, we may invest the net proceeds we receive from the offering in interest-earning instruments. Investments in both fixed rate and floating rate interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. Fixed rate securities may have their fair market value adversely impacted due to a rise in interest rates, while floating rate securities may produce less income than expected if interest rates fall.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

A list of recently issued accounting pronouncements that are relevant to us is included in note 2 of our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

The information presented in this section has been derived from an industry report commissioned by us and prepared by Frost & Sullivan, an independent research firm, regarding our industry and our market position in China. We refer to this report as the F&S report. We believe that the sources of such information are appropriate, and we have taken reasonable care in extracting and reproducing such information. We have no reason to believe that such information is false or misleading in any material respect or that any fact has been omitted that would render such information false or misleading in any material respect. However, neither we nor any other party involved in this offering has independently verified such information, and neither we nor any other party involved in this offering makes any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. Therefore, investors are cautioned not to place any undue reliance on the information, including statistics and estimates, set forth in this section or similar information included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Emergence of Workforce Operational Solution Platforms

Rapid growth of China’s on-demand consumer service market

The on-demand consumer service market comprises companies that fulfill consumer demand via the immediate delivery of goods and services primarily through technology platforms in a number of industry settings, including food delivery, ground transportation, housekeeping, bike-sharing, caretaking and other services. China’s on-demand consumer service market has flourished and gradually become an integral part of consumers’ daily lives, primarily driven by society-wide embracement of the on-demand economy. According to the F&S report, China’s on-demand consumer service market, in terms of gross transaction value, increased from RMB1,296.4 billion in 2015 to RMB4,641.4 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 37.6%, and is expected to reach RMB9,482.2 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 15.4% from 2019 to 2024. The following factors have driven the rapid growth of China’s on-demand consumer service market:

Rapid urbanization. China’s rapid urbanization and continued expansion of populated cities have accelerated the growth of the consumer service industry, as residents in urban areas generally have higher demand for a wide range of consumer services. According to the F&S report, the urbanization rate in China increased from 56.1% in 2015 to 60.6% in 2019, and is expected to reach 64.8% by 2024. By the end of 2018, China had 164 cities with a population of over one million, as compared to only 10 cities of such size in the U.S. The population density in urban cities in China was 2,526 people per square kilometer in 2018, over approximately 7.5 times that of the United States and approximately 2.4 times that of Japan.

Consumption upgrade. China continues to shift its economic growth model from investment-driven to consumption- and service-driven. The ongoing urbanization in China has created a mass consumer base with increasing disposable income and strong consumption desires. According to the F&S report, China’s per capita disposable income is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2019 to 2024, outpacing the nominal GDP growth rate of 7.7% over the same period. The rise in Chinese consumers’ income levels has led to significant changes in consumer behavior towards discretionary expenditures and a proliferation of consumer services promoting quality of life through convenience and efficiency.

Democratization of mobile internet. According to the F&S report, China’s mobile internet population is expected to increase from 864.0 million in 2019 to 1,157.0 million in 2024 at a CAGR of 6.0%. The democratization of mobile internet and advanced mobile payment infrastructure accelerated the growth of the on-demand consumer service market.

Challenges in China’s on-demand consumer service market

The proliferation of on-demand consumer service companies, such as on-demand food delivery and ride-hailing platforms, has created enormous demand for flexible, stable and trained workers to deliver standardized,

 

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high-quality services vis-à-vis their end consumers. However, China’s labor market currently faces multiple challenges. China’s working-age population declined over the last five years, and is expected to continue to decrease from 890.0 million in 2019 to 862.3 million in 2024, primarily due to population aging and declining birth rates. A mismatch between the availability of unemployed but poorly-trained workers and the demand for well-trained workers has exacerbated the unbalanced supply and demand for qualified workers in China. This, together with other macroeconomic factors such as inflation, have resulted in a rise in labor costs. On-demand consumer service companies lack the resources or capability to deliver goods, services or experiences offline all by themselves, which generally requires a sufficient number of trained workers with industry-specific know-how.

Against this backdrop, on-demand consumer service companies began to collaborate with third-party companies and engage independent contractors or part-time workers to deliver services to their end consumers under the flexible workforce model. According to the F&S report, the market size of the flexible workforce model in terms of revenue grew rapidly from RMB1,265.5 billion in 2015 to RMB4,388.0 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 36.5%, and is expected to reach RMB9,587.3 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2019 to 2024. The penetration rate of China’s flexible workforce model was approximately 13.3% in 2019, compared to that of 43.6% in Japan and 33.9% in the United States, and is expected to increase to approximately 22.2% in 2024.

Emerging workforce operational solution platforms

Workforce operational solution platforms have emerged in China, and their solutions have become critical to the business performance of on-demand consumer service companies to maintain their service quality and consumer satisfaction. Compared with traditional human resource service companies that are primarily focused on recruitment and administrative services, workforce operational solution companies provide end-to-end solutions to fully address the operational demands of on-demand consumer service companies. Among other things, workforce operational solution platforms help on-demand consumer service companies mobilize a large team of untrained workers and offer systematic professional training to transform them into trained workers capable of delivering standardized services. The following table illustrates the major differences between workforce operational solution platforms and traditional human resource service companies:

 

LOGO

 

Source: F&S report

Furthermore, compared with in-house operations or crowdsourcing, workforce operational solutions can significantly improve the operational efficiency and/or reduce operational costs for on-demand consumer service companies in the offline delivery of goods, services and experiences. However, the market for workforce operational solutions within a single industry is highly fragmented, consisting of a large number of small-scale, single-industry service suppliers with limited operational experience or geographical coverage. These market players generally lack a set standard in terms of service quality and worker qualifications or the capability of maintaining standardized, high-quality services on par with industry customers’ operational requirements. They may also lack advanced proprietary technology infrastructure and data analytics capability, and as a result, may fail to appropriately distribute delivery riders among different delivery areas with uneven order volumes, which could lead to inconsistent service capacity and poor service quality. Market players compete on operational scale

 

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and technology infrastructure that support their solution offerings in standardized quality across different geographical markets and industries. Those who are able to set the market standard in terms of service quality, proprietary technologies and operating leverage are more likely to capture the consolidation opportunities in the highly fragmented market.

Overview of China’s Workforce Operational Solution Platform Market

Market overview

Workforce operational solution platforms provide industry-tailored solutions that facilitate the business operations of on-demand consumer service companies by delivering goods, services and experiences to their end consumers. China’s workforce operational solution platform market has achieved significant growth over the past few years. The market size increased from RMB106.3 billion in 2015 to RMB240.8 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 22.7%, and is expected to reach RMB680.6 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 23.1% from 2019 to 2024, according to the F&S report.

Market Size of China’s Workforce Operational Solution Platform Market (2015-2024E)

 

LOGO

 

Source: F&S report

China’s on-demand food delivery market and the corresponding workforce operational solution platform market

On-demand food delivery services allow consumers to order food online and receive delivery offline with ease. According to the F&S report, the gross merchandise volume of China’s on-demand food delivery market increased from RMB60.0 billion in 2015 to RMB641.2 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 80.8%, and is expected to reach RMB1,897.5 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 24.2% from 2019 to 2024. The penetration rate of on-demand food delivery services is expected to increase from 35.7% in 2019 to 46.4% in 2024.

On-demand food delivery platforms provide delivery services to their restaurant partners in two ways, namely the premium delivery model and the crowdsourcing model. Under the premium delivery model, on-demand food platforms engage and manage well-trained delivery riders primarily through workforce operational solution platforms to ensure high-quality delivery services. By comparison, under the crowdsourcing model, qualified but not necessarily trained individuals bid delivery orders on the on-demand food delivery platforms at their discretion. The primary purpose of the crowdsourcing model is to fulfill orders with relatively

 

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low unit costs and supplement premium delivery services during peak hours. The following table illustrates the major differences between the premium delivery model and the crowdsourcing model:

 

LOGO

 

Source: F&S report

Driven by the incentive to improve their returns and strengthen their brands through high-quality delivery services, on-demand food delivery platforms have gradually adopted the premium delivery model since 2015. According to the F&S report, the gross merchandise volume of premium delivery market is expected to increase from RMB286.5 billion in 2019 to RMB1,160.1 billion in 2024 at a CAGR of 32.3%. Moreover, since 2018, some major on-demand food delivery platforms have also terminated their in-house delivery operations and engaged only third parties to fulfill premium deliveries. The corresponding workforce operational solution platform market for the on-demand food delivery industry, in terms of revenue, increased from RMB3.2 billion in 2015 to RMB49.1 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 97.9%, and is expected to reach RMB178.1 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 29.4% from 2019 to 2024.

Market Size of China’s Workforce Operational Solution Platform Market in the On-demand Food Delivery Industry

(2015-2024E)

 

LOGO

 

Source: F&S report

 

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Major on-demand food delivery platforms have embraced the full outsourcing of workforce operational solution platforms to fulfill premium deliveries primarily for the following reasons:

Reduced operational cost. Workforce operational solution platforms can achieve a 50% cost saving on average compared to in-house delivery services.

Improved competitive advantage. The on-demand food delivery industry is highly complex and requires market players to conduct training for delivery riders on requisite motorcycle riding skills and techniques, communication, compliance matters, and emergency procedure, and respond to emergency situations and protect delivery riders and themselves from potential liabilities. Through strategic partnerships with workforce operational solution platforms, market players can improve their competitive advantage by being extricated from such economic and operational burdens and allocating more resources on their core business operations.

The corresponding workforce operational solution platform market for the on-demand food delivery industry is highly fragmented. Quhuo ranked No.1 in terms of both revenue and the number of delivery orders in 2018 and 2019, respectively, according to the F&S report.

 

LOGO

 

LOGO

China’s ride-hailing market and the corresponding workforce operational solution platform market

Ride-hailing companies connect passengers and local drivers operating private vehicles or leased vehicles. The gross merchandise volume of China’s ride-hailing market increased from RMB45.1 billion in 2015 to RMB290.6 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 59.3%, and is expected to reach RMB470.7 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2019 to 2024, according to the F&S report.

 

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Ride-hailing companies engage more than 60% of drivers through workforce operational solution platforms, primarily for the following reasons:

Reduced operational cost. Workforce operational solution platforms can achieve a 60% cost saving on average compared to in-house operations.

Adequate supply of qualified vehicles and drivers. According to the F&S report, in 2019, less than 6% of ride-hailing drivers and less than 4% registered ride-hailing vehicles in China were in strict compliance to have obtained relevant permits and operation licenses despite the heightened regulations. Against the backdrop, ride-hailing companies prefer to partner with workforce operational solution platforms that have assembled a fleet of qualified vehicles and established a network of qualified drivers in local markets.

More efficient screening and onboarding process. Workforce operational solution platforms are well-versed in handling relevant procedures, such as registrations of vehicles and drivers, license applications and automobile financing so that they are able to complete screening and onboarding processes more efficiently.

Auto-related and driver-centric service offerings. With auto-related and driver-centric services, such as filing for insurance claims, roadside assistance and vehicle repair and maintenance, workforce operational solution platforms are well-positioned to retain existing drivers and attract new drivers for ride-hailing companies.

The corresponding workforce operational solution platform market for the ride-hailing service industry, in terms of revenue, increased from RMB100.9 billion in 2015 to RMB157.3 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 11.7%, and is expected to reach RMB295.7 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 13.5% from 2019 to 2024.

Market Size of China’s Workforce Operational Solution Platform Market in the Ride-hailing Industry

(2015-2024E)

 

LOGO

 

Source: F&S report

There has been fierce competition among workforce operational solution platforms that serve the ride-hailing industry. Certain market players are affiliated with automakers or ride-hailing companies so they have access to funds and resources to sustain and expand their operations. Ride-hailing companies nonetheless frequently engage third-party workforce operational solution platforms, such as Quhuo, to access a sufficient number of well-trained drivers.

China’s housing rental service market and the corresponding workforce operational solution platform market

Housing rental service providers in China, including long-term housing rental platforms and online accommodation and sharing platforms, play an important role in pairing long-term and short-term housing supply and demand. Long-term housing rental platforms operate under a purchase-and-operate or lease-and-operate model, specializing in transforming housing units, offering ready-to-move-in housing services and facilitating a variety of housing-related, value-added services. Accommodation sharing and booking platforms operate and manage an online marketplace for residential hosts to accommodate guests with lodging services. There are two

 

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types of online accommodation and sharing platforms: business-to-consumer (B2C) platforms and consumer-to-consumer platforms (C2C). Unlike C2C platforms which serve as pure-play marketplaces, B2C platforms engage in management and operation of the property entrusted to them. According to the F&S report, the gross merchandise volume of China’s housing rental service market increased from RMB674.5 billion in 2015 to RMB1,326.3 billion in 2019 at a CARG of 18.4%, and is expected to reach RMB1,726.6 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2019 to 2024.

In China’s housing rental service market, long-term housing rental platforms and B2C online accommodation and sharing platforms generally have demand for standardized, efficient and responsive residence services, such as housekeeping services, in order to improve customer experience, which in turn requires a large number of flexible, skilled workers to deliver such services.

Housing rental service providers mainly partner with workforce operational solution platforms to deliver housekeeping services, primarily for the following reasons:

Reduced operational cost. Workforce operational solution platforms can achieve up to a 15% and a 30% cost saving on average for housing rental service providers compared to in-house operations and crowdsourcing, respectively.

Comprehensive training and management. Workforce operational solution platforms are able to provide proper training to housekeepers to enhance their capabilities to maintain high-standard productivity and service quality. Moreover, workforce operational solution platforms also provide proper guidance to housekeepers to assist their daily operational activities.

Sufficient workforce supply and relatively low turnover rate. Housing rental service providers need to engage an adequate number of housekeepers to meet their increasing demands along with their expansion, especially during peak seasons. Workforce operational solution platforms, with operations across various industries, are able to maintain a team of housekeepers by encouraging male workers in their network to bring in their female relatives. Moreover, workforce operational solution platforms can maintain a relatively low turnover rate among housekeepers on their platforms by virtue of comprehensive training, management and other support and services.

According to the F&S report, the corresponding workforce operational solution platform market, in terms of revenue, increased from RMB1.6 billion in 2015 to RMB5.1 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 33.6%, and is expected to reach RMB15.3 billion by 2024, representing a CAGR of 24.6% from 2019 to 2024.

China’s bike-sharing market and the corresponding workforce operational solution platform market

Bike-sharing services allow consumers to utilize publicly parked bikes to meet their short-distance transportation needs. The gross merchandise volume of China’s bike-sharing market experienced significant growth from 2015 to 2019 at a CAGR of 137.5%, which created a buoyant demand for shared-bike maintenance services. These services comprise distribution and transportation of shared-bikes, including identification and replacement of malfunctioning bikes, and repair and maintenance of shared-bikes. The bike-sharing market is expected to grow at a more sustainable CAGR of 12.1% from 2019 to 2024. The corresponding workforce operational solution platform market for the bike-sharing industry, in terms of revenue, is expected to reach RMB7,207.5 million by 2024 at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2019 to 2024.

Bike-sharing platforms have great demands for a massive, flexible and standardized workforce to fulfill shared-bike maintenance services, especially considering the labor-intensive nature of the market and a pattern of fluctuation of such demands. Most bike-sharing platforms have outsourced entirely the distribution and transportation of shared-bikes to third-party workforce operational solution platforms, and will increasingly engage third-party workforce operational solution platforms for repair and maintenance of bikes, in light of higher operational efficiency and lower working capital pressure. According to the F&S report, workforce operational solution platforms can achieve up to a 15% cost saving on average compared to in-house operations.

 

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BUSINESS

Our Mission

Our mission is to enable on-demand consumer service companies to do better business and individuals on our platform to create better lives.

Overview

We were the largest workforce operational solution platform in China as measured by the number of average monthly active workers in 2019, according to the F&S report. We provide tech-enabled, end-to-end operational solutions to blue-chip on-demand consumer service businesses in industries with significant e-commerce exposure, including food delivery, ride-hailing, housekeeping and bike-sharing. In 2019, we ranked No.1 in the on-demand food delivery solution market in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, with a market share exceeding that of the next top four market players combined in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, according to the F&S report. Within the on-demand consumer service ecosystem, we play a unique and indispensable role as the link between consumer service businesses and the end consumers to enable the delivery of goods, services and experiences to consumers.

Our story began in 2012 when a trio of ex-DHL entrepreneurs founded our company to partner with the rapidly growing on-demand food delivery businesses in China and provide a platform of large, flexible and standardized workforce focused on the last-mile delivery of prepared food. In the years that followed, the on-demand consumer service industry has flourished with the increasing society-wide consumer embracement of the on-demand economy, driven by rapid urbanization, consumption upgrade and democratization of mobile internet. According to the F&S report, China’s on-demand consumer service market, in terms of gross transaction value, increased from RMB1,296.4 billion in 2015 to RMB4,641.4 billion in 2019 at a CAGR of 37.6%, and is expected to reach RMB9,482.2 billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 15.4% from 2019 to 2024. The proliferation of on-demand consumer service industry has created a new and expansive demand for flexible, stable and trained workforce to deliver standardized, high-quality services to consumers. However, China’s labor market is experiencing significant challenges, including a continuous decline in skilled working-age labor force and persistently increasing labor costs. The on-demand consumer service companies also generally lack in-house resources or capability to deliver standardized and high-quality services to end consumers. This mismatch among demand, supply and capability creates an enormous and sustainable business opportunity for us. As a clear leader in the workforce operational solution market, we believe we are well positioned to capture the enormous opportunity in this highly fragmented market with a number of small-scale, single-industry players incapable of delivering standardized solutions.

To the on-demand consumer service companies that we serve, our solutions have become critical to their business strategy, operational focus and financial performance. We have established deep-rooted, long-standing partnerships with blue-chip industry customers in an increasing number of on-demand consumer service industries in China. Our platform helps industry customers mobilize a large team of workers and utilize a combination of training, performance monitoring and refinement, and incentives to transform them into skilled workers who can follow industry-specific, standardized and highly efficient service procedures. In the on-demand food delivery market alone, we were able to achieve an average of approximately 40% cost saving for industry customers in terms of operational cost per order in 2018, according to the F&S report. Leveraging our technology capabilities, we conduct data-driven operational analysis to assist our industry customers in improving their service quality and consumer satisfaction. For example, we have been able to work with our largest industry customer and limit our delivery time for prepared food generally within 30 minutes. As of December 31, 2019, we partnered with industry customers mostly comprising top market players in their respective industries, such as Meituan, Ele.me and KFC in the on-demand food delivery industry, Mobike in the bike-sharing industry, Didi in the ride-hailing industry and Anxin Home in the housing rental industry. Our geographic footprint reached 73 cities across 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China as of December 31, 2019.

 

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To the workers on our platform, we believe we have become a “go-to” one-stop platform that provides them with diversified, flexible earning opportunities. Workers are also attracted to our platform for career advancement prospects and various work-life support and services. We empower workers with minimal work experience to begin their career and progress with us and promoted over 330 workers on our platform to team leaders and other management roles in 2019. In the three months ended December 31, 2019, we had approximately 40,800 average monthly active workers on our platform. We believe that the size of our workforce allows us to further cement our relationship with industry customers and become their partner of choice when they enter new geographical markets or new on-demand consumer service industries. Workers on our platform are also encouraged to bring in their friends, relatives and acquaintances to continually and organically expand our workforce network. Over 74% of those who joined our platform in 2019 were referred by existing workers. We believe that the bonds among workers on our platform can be forged by such social relations, minimizing worker turnovers and making our platform more stable.

Our ability to quickly scale up our business and effectively manage our workers rests on Quhuo+, a proprietary technology infrastructure that centralizes our operational management and streamlines our solution process. For workers in a management position, such as team leaders for our on-demand food delivery solutions, Quhuo+ allows them to pinpoint workers on our platform to monitor their workload and performance, and dynamically manage staffing and maintain solution quality. With Quhuo+, team leaders are able to transcribe industry-specific KPIs obtained from industry customers into executable guidance for workers on our platform, and benchmark workforce performance across all workers and teams based on data-driven analytics to refine our solutions and optimize our operational efficiency. For rank-and-file workers, Quhuo+ allows them to review their workload, access on-the-job training and review their performance. As a result, we are able to cultivate a specialized yet flexible workforce and deploy the same workers across different industry settings based on their work schedules by, for example, allowing delivery riders on our platform to take part in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during their off-peak hours, which serves to optimize our operational cost and also diversify their earning opportunities. We have developed Quhuo+ into a scalable modular system with customizable parameters and settings to smoothly manage and transfer massive workers across different regions and industries we serve, which forms the bedrock of our highly scalable and replicable business model. As a result, we are able to scale our operations and replicate our success into greenfield regions or industries quickly and cost-effectively with minimal incremental costs on infrastructure. For example, we became No.1 in the shared-bike maintenance solution market in terms of revenue in 2018, according to the F&S report, within a span of 12 months.

We have grown rapidly in recent years to achieve greater economies of scale, which, coupled with our technology capabilities, increases our industry customers’ dependency on our platform. As our platform continues to grow, we are attracting customers from more industries as well as a greater number of workers. This powerful network effect has created strong entry barriers and underpins our long-term growth. Our revenues were RMB654.8 million, RMB1,474.5 million and RMB2,055.8 million (US$295.3 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. We recorded net loss of RMB14.0 million, RMB44.3 million and RMB13.4 million (US$1.9 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Excluding the effect of share-based compensation expenses, we recorded adjusted net loss of RMB10.7 million, adjusted net income of RMB45.3 million and adjusted net income of RMB51.4 million (US$7.4 million) in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measure” for a reconciliation of our net loss to adjusted net income (loss).

 

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We operate in a vibrant ecosystem consisting of workforce operational solution platforms, including us, on-demand consumer service companies and end consumers. The following diagram is a simplified presentation of our role in this ecosystem:

 

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Our Strengths

We believe the following competitive strengths contribute to our success and differentiate us from our competitors:

Leading tech-enabled workforce operational solution platform capturing market opportunity

We were the largest workforce operational solution platform in China as measured by the number of average monthly active workers in 2019, according to the F&S report. We provide tech-enabled, end-to-end operational solutions to on-demand consumer service companies. We ranked No.1 in the on-demand food delivery solution market in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue in 2019, with a market share exceeding that of the next top four market players combined in terms of both the number of delivery orders and revenue, according to the F&S report. We enjoy a significant early mover advantage as a pioneer in the market. We launched our on-demand food delivery solutions in 2013 and have continued to innovate and diversify our solution offerings to capitalize on the enormous market opportunity and unleash additional earning opportunities for workers on our platform. As of December 31, 2019, we served blue-chip customers from different industry settings with over 143,000 registered workers on our platform and a nationwide footprint of 73 cities across 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China, covering both metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen and a number of lower-tier cities with growth potential.

End-to-end operational solutions driving customer satisfaction and business growth

We provide industry customers with standardized, high-quality solutions to address their specific operational demands. We help industry customers mobilize a large team of untrained workers and utilize a combination of training, performance monitoring and refinement, and incentives to transform them into skilled workers who can follow industry-specific, standardized service procedures. Leveraging Quhuo+, our proprietary technology infrastructure, we conduct data-driven operational analysis to assist industry customers in improving their service quality and consumer satisfaction. For example, through our on-demand food delivery solutions, we were able to generally limit our average delivery time within 30 minutes and achieve an average on-time delivery rate of over 98% for our largest industry customer in 2019.

 

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Our solutions alleviate industry customers from the burden associated with discovering, training, managing and maintaining a sufficient number of skilled workers, allowing them to improve the efficiency of the final touchpoint of the delivery of goods, services and experiences. For example, in the on-demand food delivery market alone, we were able to achieve an average of approximately 40% cost saving for industry customers in terms of operational cost per order in 2018, according to the F&S report. Through their partnerships with us, industry customers are freed to focus on their core business activities and achieve their business objectives cost-effectively.

Our solutions have allowed us to achieve rapid business growth and solidify our market leadership. The total number of cities within our network increased from 31 as of January 1, 2017 to 73 as of December 31, 2019. The average monthly number of delivery orders fulfilled through our on-demand food delivery solutions increased from approximately 7.9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2017 to approximately 15.6 million in the three months ended December 31, 2018, and further to approximately 29.2 million in the three months ended December 31, 2019.

Proprietary technology infrastructure boosting operational efficiency and expansion

We take pride in Quhuo+, a proprietary technology infrastructure that centralizes our operational management and streamlines our solution process. For workers in a management position, such as team leaders for our on-demand food delivery solutions, Quhuo+ allows them to pinpoint workers on our platform to monitor their workload and performance and dynamically manage staffing and maintain solution quality. With Quhuo+, team leaders are able to transcribe industry-specific KPIs obtained from industry customers into executable guidance for workers on our platform, and benchmark workforce performance across all workers and teams based on data-driven analytics to refine our solutions and optimize our operational efficiency. For rank-and-file workers, Quhuo+ allows them to review their workload, access on-the-job training and review their performance. As a result, we are able to cultivate a specialized yet flexible workforce and deploy the same workers across different industry settings based on their work schedules by, for example, allowing delivery riders on our platform to take part in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during their off-peak hours, which serves to optimize our operational cost and also diversify their earning opportunities. We have developed Quhuo+ into a scalable modular system with customizable parameters and settings to smoothly manage and transfer massive workers across different regions and industries we serve, which has become the bedrock of our highly replicable and scalable business model. As a result, we are able to scale our operations and replicate our success into greenfield regions or industries quickly and cost-effectively with minimal incremental costs on infrastructure. For example, we became No.1 in the shared-bike maintenance solution market in terms of revenue generated from the redistribution and transportation of idle bikes in 2018, according to the F&S report, within a span of 12 months.

Deep-rooted, long-standing partnerships with blue-chip industry customers

We have established deep-rooted, long-standing partnerships with many blue-chip industry customers in a variety of on-demand consumer service businesses. We believe we have forged a symbiotic relationship with our industry customers to the extent that our solutions have become a vital, indispensable part of their service value chain. For example, in the on-demand food delivery market, we are among the earliest third-party service suppliers of Meituan and Ele.me. The industry customers that collectively contributed more than 90% of our revenue in 2019 have been with us for more than four years. As of December 31, 2019, we served 12 industry customers mostly comprising top market players in their respective industries.

We have received numerous awards and recognition from industry customers. For example, we received an Outstanding Contribution Award from Meituan and a Best Performance of the Year Award from KFC in 2018. We were recognized as the Best Partner by Ele.me for the first quarter of 2019.

 

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Compelling value proposition to workers solidifying our platform

We believe we have become a “go-to” one-stop platform that provides workers with diversified earning opportunities. Our platform also appeals to workers through career advancement prospects and various work-life support and services, including assistance with legal and tax compliance, financial support, insurance, labor disputes and accident handling. We focus on transforming individuals into trained workers capable of delivering standardized services in different industry settings through a combination of onboarding training, practical in-the-field coaching, and ongoing daily reviews, covering topics including service techniques and manners and complaint handling. We also focus on cultivating a community that encourages every worker to pursue a better life with us by offering them the opportunity of advancing from a novice worker to the management position, such as a team leader, in recognition of their diligence, dedication and personal growth. Many workers joined us also for the flexibility we provide in terms of work types, working hours, geographic locations and career options. Serving various on-demand consumer service businesses, we offer diversified work opportunities for workers with differentiated skillsets to maximize our repository of workers. The number of our average monthly active workers increased from over 15,400 in the three months ended December 31, 2017 to over 23,300 in the three months ended December 31, 2018, and further to over 40,800 in the three months ended December 31, 2019.

We encourage workers on our platform to bring in their relatives, friends and acquaintances with diversified work opportunities we offer. We believe that the social bonds among workers can make our network more stable and sustainable. Our strong word-of-mouth reputation also speaks to our attractiveness to workers. In 2019, over 74% of those who joined our platform were referred by existing workers.

Powerful network effect creating strong competitive edge

Our platform provides compelling value propositions to both industry customers and workers, creating a powerful network effect. As our platform becomes more attractive to workers, we are able to deploy a massive number of workers through a nationwide network and standardize our solution quality across geographical markets for industry customers that also operate on a nationwide basis. Over time, we believe our solutions have become a vital, indispensable part of the service value chain of industry customers who, as a result, have become increasingly dependent on us to achieve their business objectives vis-à-vis end consumers. As we continue to solidify our partnerships with industry giants and grow our customer base, we expect to attract more workers by offering better earning opportunities and career prospects, which in return will enhance our capacity to partner with more industry customers. As our platform grows larger, we will achieve greater economies of scale and establish a common, scalable infrastructure to expand into different geographical markets and industries with minimal incremental operating cost. We believe that the powerful network effect represents a formidable competitive advantage in scaling our operations across different geographical markets and industries.

Visionary and seasoned management team with proven track record

We were founded by a trio of ex-DHL entrepreneurs, who have been working closely together for over 10 years. We benefit from the leadership of a management team with prominent strategic visions, in-depth industry expertise, extensive managerial and operational experience, and proven execution capability. As market forerunners, the key members of our management have an average of 17 years of relevant industry experience. Mr. Leslie Yu, our founder and chief executive officer, is a successful, renowned entrepreneur and a former senior business manager at DHL. Mr. Shuyi Yang, our co-founder and vice president, has previously served various senior positions at DHL, eNet and iSoftStone. Mr. Zhen Ba, our co-founder and vice president, has previously served various senior positions at DHL and LF Logistics. Other key members of our management have previously served in leading private and public companies across logistics, e-commerce and information technology sectors. We believe that, under the leadership of our management team, we are able to follow the market trend and execute our business strategies.

 

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Our Strategies

We intend to further grow our business by pursuing the following strategies:

Strengthen our market leading position

We will continue to strengthen our market leading position. We endeavor to set the market standard in terms of solution quality and worker qualifications and stay abreast of the evolving industry trend and customer demand. We also seek to further solidify our partnerships with key industry customers by optimizing our solutions. We intend to establish or maintain our partnerships with top market players in each industry we serve and attract long-tail customers. We will also attract more workers to expand our service capacity to serve more prospective customers.

Increase market penetration and expansion

We intend to leverage our established workforce resources and infrastructure in existing industries and geographical markets to scale up our operation quickly and cost-effectively, with minimal incremental cost on infrastructure. We seek to deepen our penetration in existing industries, such as the ride-hailing and the housekeeping markets, and also seek to explore and exploit additional industries, such as the grocery delivery, the vehicle maintenance service, the last-mile express delivery, the commercial cleaning and the caregiving markets, to unlock new earning opportunities for workers and diversify our customer portfolio. As part of our expansion, we plan to deploy the same workers across industry settings to allow them to participate in different solutions we offer based on their work schedules. In addition, we intend to solidify our presence in existing geographical markets and expand into lower-tier cities following the footsteps of our industry customers into new growth markets.

Invest in technology and enhance data insights

We will continue to invest in our technology. We seek to enhance the functionality and configuration of Quhuo+ to improve our operational and managerial efficiency, and develop new features and functions and improve the user experience to create more values for workers. We also seek to improve the scalability of Quhuo+ to allow seamless interface configuration between different solution scenarios and geographies. Additionally, we intend to make the mobile app version of Quhuo+ accessible to any workers interested in flexible, gainful work opportunities, and ultimately develop Quhuo+ into a widely-adopted operational management platform across multiple sectors by all businesses.

Enhance worker loyalty to our platform

We will continue to invest in additional value-added services to workers on our platform. For example, we intend to provide workers with suitable wealth management products and financial advisory services in collaboration with third-party financial service providers. We also seek to offer more flexible, diversified earning opportunities to workers on our platform as we continue to tap into new consumer service industries. We believe that these value-added services and increasing opportunities for workers will enhance their loyalty to our platform and drive word-of-mouth referrals.

Pursue strategic alliances, investments and acquisitions

We intend to selectively pursue strategic alliances, investments and acquisitions to further strengthen our competitiveness. We will evaluate and execute alliance, investment and acquisition opportunities that complement and scale up our business, optimize our profitability, help us expand into adjacent industries and add new capabilities to our platform.

 

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Our Value Propositions to Industry Customers and Workers

We enable the delivery of standardized goods, services and experiences cost-effectively:

 

   

Industry-tailored solutions. We launched our on-demand food delivery solutions in 2013 and have continued to expand our solution offerings to other industry settings, including ride-hailing, housekeeping and bike-sharing. We have crafted our solutions to address the specific operational requirements from customers in different industries, leveraging Quhuo+ which is developed based on our accumulated industry knowledge and operational experience and applicable across different geographical markets and industries.

 

   

Standardized solution quality. We transcribe comprehensive, dynamic KPIs imposed by industry customers into executable guidance to workers on our platform. We formulate a set of industry-specific, standardized operational procedures, covering, among other topics, service delivery techniques, conversation manners and complaint handling. We impart this knowledge through on-the-job training and detailed action plans to guide worker performance, which allows us to maintain standardized solution quality on par with the requirements from industry customers across different geographical markets and industries.

 

   

Improved operational efficiency. Our solutions lift the burden associated with searching for, contracting with, training, managing and paying a sufficient number of individual workers under the traditional labor employment model for industry customers to fulfill services to their consumers. Our solutions enable industry customers to commit their limited operational and managerial resources to their core business activities and achieve their business objectives cost-effectively. As we have standardized our solution quality among an expansive repository of workers across geographical markets and industries, our solutions also effectively aid industry customers in executing their expansion strategies.

We empower workers on our platform and enable them to create better lives:

 

   

Diversified earning opportunities. Our platform lessens workers’ job-hunting burden and unleashes attractive earning potential serving our industry customers. We empower workers with minimal work experience to begin their career and progress with us. We help workers with working gear and provide them with training and other resources to help them elevate productivity and earning levels. As we continually expand into new industries, we offer more diversified types of positions to existing workers, so that they could further exploit their earning potential by serving multiple roles across different industries. We also enable them to bring in their friends, relatives and acquaintances with differentiated skillsets and aspirations who are on the lookout for earning opportunities.

 

   

Supportive worker community. We value the workers on our platform and care for their well-being. We provide comprehensive support and services to a novice worker in discharging his or her daily work routines and to a team leader in managing work assignment and tracking performance. We also assist workers in obtaining insurance, on-the-job and safety training, emergency assistance and applicable permits and licenses application. We continually innovate our support and service to workers, and recently launched payday loan services in collaboration with third parties to ease their short-term liquidity problems. As a result, we have created a supportive community for workers, which drives worker loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.

 

   

Career advancement opportunities. We cultivate a work environment that encourages every worker to take on more responsibilities, providing the support and the opportunity for them to not only make a living but also pursue a long-term career with us. As a novice worker accumulates work experience and develops management skills, we offer such worker the advancement opportunity to become a team leader and more.

 

   

Work-life flexibility. Many workers left the traditional employment model and joined us for more flexibility in terms of work types, working hours, geographic locations and career options. For

 

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example, workers may select to work for a day shift or a night shift and change their working schedules easily by reporting to the team leader. As we continually diversify working opportunities on our platform, workers can rotate to take part in different solutions we offer to find the most suitable jobs based on their skillsets, objectives and personalities.

The value propositions we offer to industry customers and workers have created a powerful network effect. As we continue to solidify our partnerships with industry giants and grow our customer base, we expect to attract more workers by offering better earning opportunities and career prospects, which in return will enhance our capacity to partner with more industry customers. As we grow larger, we will achieve greater economies of scale and establish a common, scalable infrastructure to expand into different geographical markets and industries with minimal incremental operating cost. We believe that the powerful network effect represents a formidable competitive advantage in scaling our operations across different geographical markets and industries. The following diagram illustrates our services and support to industry customers and workers on our platform:

 

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Our Solutions

We have established a solid market presence in the on-demand food delivery industry and continued to expand into other industries by leveraging our accumulated industry knowledge and operational experience. We currently provide four industry-tailored operational solutions, including on-demand food delivery solutions, ride-hailing solutions, housekeeping solutions and shared-bike maintenance solutions.

On-demand food delivery solutions

We launched our on-demand food delivery solutions in February 2013. We operate exclusively under the premium delivery model which is characterized by, among others, higher service quality, service reliability and delivery speed compared to the crowdsourcing model. According to the F&S report, driven by the incentive to improve their returns and strengthen their brands through high-quality delivery services, major on-demand food delivery platforms have gradually adopted the premium delivery model since 2015 and have fully partnered with third-party workforce operational solution platforms, such as us, to fulfill premium deliveries in lieu of in-house delivery operations. With our on-demand food delivery solutions, industry customers are able to scale up their delivery coverage quickly and complete additional deliveries at low incremental costs.

Our industry customers typically divide their intra-city food delivery network into a number of delivery areas. We and our industry customers generally enter into a standard form delivery service agreement, pursuant to which we are assigned certain number of delivery areas within a city. We deploy delivery riders on our

 

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platform to serve each industry customer. On the one hand, each delivery rider on our platform, after being assigned to a certain industry customer, obtains access to that customer’s mobile app and dispatch portal to receive and complete delivery orders. We, on the other, offer onboarding logistics support and training, and manage delivery riders on our platform through Quhuo+. With our support, each team leader on our platform sets up a service station for one or more delivery areas, and supervises all delivery riders in that service station under a unified management standard. Our team leaders also manage customer relationships within their assigned delivery areas. Under the supervision of the team leader, all delivery riders dispatched from a specific service station will be responsible solely for the delivery orders initiated within and destined for that delivery area. We may adjust the dispatch of workers among different delivery areas to accommodate the peak demand and seasonality swings for different industry customers.

A delivery service agreement typically is one year in term and is renewable by mutual consent. The agreement grants us a non-exclusive right to provide on-demand food delivery services within designated delivery areas and contains certain restrictive covenants. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We may be held liable for breach of contract under our agreements with industry customers.” If we breach the terms of the delivery service agreement and fail to rectify the breach within a prescribed time frame, industry customers may unilaterally adjust the scope of our business cooperation, deduct outstanding fees payable to us, and/or terminate the agreement. We are also obligated to indemnify industry customers for personal injury and property loss or damage sustained by any third party caused by us or from the rendering of our delivery services. We sometimes are required to place a deposit with an industry customer, from which the customer is entitled to deduct liquidated damages or economic losses sustained. We derive revenue from service fees paid by industry customers based on the number of fulfilled orders, subject to KPI-based adjustments.

A typical delivery service agreement also sets forth detailed service standards and KPIs to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of our delivery services and the workplace safety in our daily operations, such as the timely delivery rate, complaint rate and accident rate. To ensure the quality of our solutions and cultivate a safety-conscious work environment, we require all delivery riders on our platform to abide by our delivery service standards. We have formulated a set of criteria in relation to service techniques and manners and safety consciousness that generally follow the KPIs required by our industry customers in an understandable manner for workers. We provide delivery riders with systematic training programs consisting of onboarding training, practical in-the-field training, and daily review and face-to-face meetings. The training covers topics ranging from delivery techniques, conversation manners, driving skills and techniques, complaint handling to health and safety matters. We continually evaluate their performance based on our service criteria, give them timely feedback based on the analysis of their track record, and guide their rectification. In addition, we have implemented various measures to enhance the safety of delivery riders on our platform, including assistance in obtaining insurance and handling emergency situations.

 

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The following flowchart illustrates the typical transaction process of our on-demand food delivery solutions:

 

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As of December 31, 2019, we delivered our on-demand food delivery solutions in 62 cities in China. In the three months ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, our average monthly delivery riders were over 15,400, 22,700 and 39,900, respectively, and the average monthly delivery orders fulfilled by those delivery riders were approximately 7.9 million, 15.6 million and 29.2 million, respectively. Despite the large volume of orders we handle, we generally limited our average delivery time within 30 minutes and achieved an average on-time delivery rate of over 98% for our largest industry customer in 2019.

Ride-hailing solutions

We launched our ride-hailing solutions in October 2018. Under the current regulatory regime in China, ride-hailing drivers are required to obtain licenses both for themselves and for the vehicles they steer. According to the F&S report, less than 6% ride-hailing drivers and less than 4% registered ride-hailing vehicles in the market were in strict compliance with relevant regulations in 2019. Ride-hailing companies and drivers may be subject to fines and bans for violation of the relevant regulations. We attract ride-hailing companies with our access to a fleet of qualified ride-hailing drivers that are in short supply. We attract qualified candidates to our platform with our car leasing arrangements, under which we sublease vehicles with the requisite license to drivers and charge them monthly rental fees. As a result, we relieve their financial burden in obtaining a vehicle when they enter the ride-hailing market. We also provide them with strong driver-centric support and services, such as filing for insurance claims, roadside assistance and vehicle repair and maintenance. In addition to inviting qualified ride-hailing drivers to join us, we also motivate workers with driving skills on our platform to obtain the required permit so that they could become qualified ride-hailing drivers and take part in our ride-hailing solutions. As of December 31, 2019, we had over 670 full-time ride-hailing drivers on our platform and had access to a pool of over 5,100 other workers on our platform that meet the requisite minimum years of driving experience to become qualified ride-hailing drivers. We believe that it is more cost-effective to convert existing eligible workers on our platform into drivers than to attract new drivers through referrals or marketing campaigns and that our access to a large pool of eligible workers represents incremental growth potential.

Drivers use mobile apps from the ride-hailing companies to acquire and complete ride orders. We receive the performance data from ride-hailing companies and analyze these data to help drivers refine their services and increase their ratings and income level.

We primarily derive revenue from rental fees under our car leasing agreements with drivers. We may also charge ride-hailing companies services fees based on our consulting services to them.

 

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As of December 31, 2019, we delivered our ride-hailing solutions to a major ride-hailing company in eight cities. Drivers on our platform fulfilled approximately 2,659,000 rides in 2019.

Housekeeping solutions and other services

We launched our housekeeping solutions in January 2019. We encourage workers on our platform with referral bonuses to bring in their relatives, friends and acquaintances to join our platform for our housekeeping solutions, which we believe helps us grow our workforce organically and enhance the stability and sustainability of our worker community. See “—Workers on Our Platform.”

We tailor our housekeeping solutions primarily for housing rental service providers, including accommodation sharing and booking platforms and long-term rental apartments, which typically require standardized, high-quality housekeeping services to be provided on an efficient and responsive basis. Our industry customer issues detailed operational guidelines to ensure the consistency of solution quality, and we relay such requirements to housekeepers on our platform and formulate detailed action plans and trainings for them. Upon completion of each service order, the housekeepers must photograph or videotape the cleaned property and submit the evidence to the industry customer through a specified communication channel. Our industry customer also conducts inspection of the cleaned property from time to time to ensure solution quality.

We derive revenue from service fees paid by our industry customer based on the number of fulfilled orders, subject to KPI-based adjustments. As of December 31, 2019, we delivered housekeeping solutions to two long-term housing rental service providers in three cities.

In addition, we continuously tap into new industries to provide diversified, flexible earning opportunities for workers on our platform. As of the date of this prospectus, we provide additional services including grocery delivery and vehicle maintenance services. We derive revenue from service fees paid by industry customers based on the number of fulfilled orders.

Shared-bike maintenance solutions

We launched our shared-bike maintenance solutions in January 2018 to address the imminent demand for maintenance and distribution services from bike-sharing companies. A common issue plaguing the bike-sharing businesses is the disproportionate geographical distribution of bikes as the demand for bikes can be unpredictable, asymmetric and fluctuating among different neighborhoods throughout the day. As a result, bike-sharing companies must deploy fleets of vehicles to redistribute the bikes to guarantee a desirable number of bikes at different locations. It is also critical for bike-sharing companies to identify, repair and replace malfunctioning bikes not only to improve user experience but also to prevent safety hazards and other incidents that may result from malfunctioning bikes. Our shared-bike maintenance solutions presently include maintaining of orderliness of bikes, redistribution and transportation of idle bikes based on usage patterns within a designated area, and identification and transportation of malfunctioning bikes.

As the demand for our shared-bike maintenance solutions is more flexible compared to that of our on-demand food delivery solutions, we encourage delivery riders on our platform to take part in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during their off-peak hours. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 25% of the workers engaged in the shared-bike maintenance solutions were on a part-time basis from working as delivery riders on our platform. We believe we can further unlock underutilized workforce capacity as we continue to innovate our solutions and expand into new industries.

We derive revenue from service fees paid by bike-sharing companies based on service hours and/or the number of shared-bikes we transported and identified as malfunctioned. As of December 31, 2019, we delivered shared-bike maintenance solutions to a major bike-sharing company in six cities.

Our Geographic Footprint

We are able to operate across multiple industries within a single city in a highly efficient manner as we consolidate the management of each business line based on Quhuo+ and our offline business support team. As of December 31, 2019, our geographic footprint reached 73 cities across 26 provinces, municipalities and

 

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autonomous regions in China, among which we provided solutions for multiple industries in eight cities. The following map illustrates our nationwide geographic footprint as of December 31, 2019.

 

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We generally focus on each city’s primary business districts and then gradually expand to adjacent areas to optimize our operational efficiency and cost management. We have already covered most provincial capitals and other major cities in China. We have also expanded into lower-tier cities, following the footsteps of our industry customers. We consider both external and internal factors in determining whether to launch our solution offerings in a new city. For example, we take into account the size of the local workforce market, the level of average wage, the on-the-ground pricing of industry customers, and the prospective synergies between the expansion and our existing presence.

Workers on Our Platform

We establish business outsourcing relationships with workers on our platform, pursuant to which we pay service fees to workers engaged in our solutions, including those in a management position such as team leaders for our on-demand food delivery solutions, as independent contractors through third-party labor service companies on a monthly basis. The service fees comprise base pay calculated based on the number of fulfilled orders and adjustments calculated based on other criteria that follow the KPIs required by our industry customers.

The number of our average monthly active workers increased from over 15,400 in the three months ended December 31, 2017 to over 23,300 in the three months ended December 31, 2018, and further to over 40,800 in

 

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the three months ended December 31, 2019. We believe we have become a “go-to” one-stop platform that provides workers with stable earning opportunities across different industry settings, career advancement prospects, and a supportive community with inclusive work-life support and services. As many workers joined us as fresh high school or college graduates with minimal work experience, we enable them to begin their career and progress on our platform. Moreover, many workers quit their old jobs under the traditional employment model, such as factory workers, and joined us for higher earning potential and more flexibility in terms of working hours and career options.

We manage workers on our platform primarily through Quhuo+. We provide comprehensive support to a novice worker in discharging his or her daily work routines and to a team leader in managing work assignment and tracking performance. We help workers with working gear and provide them with training and other resources to help them smoothly get started and elevate their productivity and earning levels. We also assist them in emergency assistance and applicable permits and license application. We cultivate a work environment that encourages every worker to take on more responsibilities, providing the support and the opportunity for them to not only make a living but also pursue a long-term career with us. As a novice worker accumulates the work experience and develops management skills, we offer the advancement opportunity to become a team leader and more. We also provide performance-based incentives to award excellence and motivate internal competition. As we continue to innovate our support to workers, we recently launched payday loan services in collaboration with a third-party credit information company, an asset management company and a lending company, through which we connect workers with loan providers to help ease their short-term liquidity problems. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not generated any material revenues from our payday loan services.

We attract workers to join us through multiple online and offline channels. We encourage the workers on our platform to bring in their friends, relatives and acquaintances to expand our worker network. Over 74% of those who joined our platform in 2019 were referred by existing workers. We believe that the bonds among workers on our platform can be forged by such social relations, making our platform more stable and sustainable. We also make it possible for those who have temporarily left our platform to return to our platform. As their past job performance and other work information can be tracked down and retrieved, we are able to streamline the process for returnees.

Quhuo+

We have developed Quhuo+ to centralize our operational management and streamline our solution process by eliminating middle-layer information gathering and reporting, which we believe is a key differentiator from many competitors that utilize a traditional model featuring multiple layers of management. We utilize Quhuo+ to monitor the workload and performance of workers on our platform and analyze their performance data, which allows us to dynamically manage staffing and continually benchmark workforce performance across all workers and teams to maintain solution quality. In particular, by leveraging our data analytics capability, we are able to instruct each service station to deploy an appropriate number of delivery riders with the strongest track record of performance to serve a certain delivery area in need. We continue to refine our solutions and optimize our service quality and operational efficiency, through data-driven analytics based on worker management, solution performance and customer feedback.

With Quhuo+, we have assigned an internal team of operational managers to track and benchmark the performance data generated from our service stations for our on-demand food delivery solutions and assist our team leaders in formulating performance improvement plans for the service stations they are in charge of. Our operational managers communicate with team leaders periodically to review the operating data on Quhuo+ and discuss measures to address any issues identified. They are also in charge of maintaining relationships with industry customers, helping team leaders design and implement service fee plans of their respective service stations, applying for large expenses on behalf of their designated service stations, and assisting each service station in optimizing efficiency and reducing cost, logistics management, annual inspection of business registration, corporate culture development, and tax and financing matters. We believe our operational managers

 

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are able to help team leaders become more adaptive to the management role and develop and improve their effective managerial skills by applying the data and functions on Quhuo+. As of December 31, 2019, we had a team of over 200 operational managers, all employed by us. The following screenshots illustrate the various aspects and metrics of our internal management interface based on Quhuo+:

 

LOGO

Quhuo+ allows us to cultivate a specialized yet flexible workforce and deploy the same workers across different industry settings based on their work schedules by, for example, allowing delivery riders on our platform to take part in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during their off-peak hours, which serves to optimize our operational cost and also diversify their earning opportunities. We have developed Quhuo+ into a scalable modular system with customizable parameters and settings to smoothly manage and transfer a large team of workers across different regions and industries we serve and continually support the expanded scope and heightened complexity of our operations. As a result, we are able to scale our operations and replicate our success into greenfield regions or industries quickly and cost-effectively with minimal incremental costs on infrastructure. As illustrated by the following screenshot, the team leader who operates in multiple industries can review the operating income and the staffing of multiple operational solutions in one management account:

 

 

LOGO

For workers in a management position, in particular team leaders for our on-demand food delivery solutions, Quhuo+ assists them with tactical planning and allows them to smoothly manage the daily operations of their designated service stations with a cluster of data-driven management modules:

 

   

Performance review. Among other things, Quhuo+ presents a team leader visualized graphs of a number of KPIs that help him review the operational performance of the corresponding service station. The team leader can examine the detailed breakdown of monthly income and expenditure of a specific

 

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service station, as well as the ranking of that service station to guide his management planning, such as cost and staffing adjustment.

 

   

Workforce management. The team leader can add in, modify and review workers’ personal information, as well as to terminate the business relationship with a certain worker.

 

   

Procurement management. The team leader can inspect the distribution and stock of working gear of any given period and submit the request for supplies procurement.

 

   

Expense management. The team leader can monitor a variety of operating expenses to guide budget making, including utilities, lease expenses, insurance expenses and other allowance expenses.

 

   

Service fee management. Under the guidance of our management team, team leaders can create and test service fee plans of the service stations under their management.

The following screenshots illustrate the interface of the portal designed for workers in a management position:

 

LOGO

 

LOGO

 

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LOGO

For rank-and-file workers, we utilize Quhuo+ to achieve centralized data management. Once a worker signs up with our platform, Quhuo+ guides him or her through the following procedures:

 

   

Account setup. Each worker is assigned a user identification number for account setup. Workers can rotate through our various industry-tailored operational solutions without registering multiple accounts, as their information is seamlessly accessible and transferrable in Quhuo+.

 

   

Filing for individually-owned business registration. We require workers on our platform to register themselves as individually-owned businesses so that they may enjoy tax benefits. We facilitate the online filing of registrations for all workers.

 

   

Obtaining applicable qualification certificates and insurance coverage. We instruct workers to obtain and upload to Quhuo+ any applicable qualification certificates, such as a health certificate for each delivery rider and housekeeper, and a driver’s permit for each ride-hailing driver. We also purchase various insurances for workers on our platform to protect them from possible damages to person or property during the course of providing services.

 

   

Training. To ensure we are delivering exceptional service levels and upholding high quality standards for our industry customers, we have developed ongoing training programs for workers in various forms that cater to the demands of each specific industry customer. Our training materials are accessible through the mobile app anytime and anywhere and are complemented by practical in-the-field training and ongoing daily reviews, covering topics from service manners and techniques, conversation manners, emergencies handling to complaint handling.

 

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After the onboarding process, workers can use the mobile app to check the status of their agreements with us, review their performance, apply for working gear, and refer their relatives, friends and acquaintances to join our platform. They also have the access to the payday loan services we recently launched in collaboration with third parties to ease their short-term liquidity problems. The following screenshots illustrate the interface of the mobile portal designed for regular workers:

 

LOGO

Selected Customer Stories

The following stories illustrate how our industry customers have benefited from our solutions.

Customer X

Customer X is a major nationwide on-demand food delivery platform in China. We have partnered with Customer X since shortly after we launched our on-demand food delivery solutions and followed its footsteps to expand into greenfield markets in China in recent years. As of December 31, 2019, our food delivery solutions covered 34 cities for Customer X. Along the way, Customer X has reported that compared to other service suppliers, we generally have higher order fulfillment rate, less delivery time, and lower accident rate and dispute rate.

“We always demand a level of speed and sophistication in our nationwide expansion. Our partnership with Quhuo helps us set up shops faster in a new city by mobilizing a large team of trained workers rapidly and cost-effectively.”—Mr. X, Customer X’s District Manager of Logistics

Customer Y

Customer Y is a fast-food restaurant chain that has been developing its on-demand food delivery services. We have partnered with Customer Y since early 2018 and gained an increase of the share of wallet from Customer Y through our solutions. According to Customer Y’s accounts, among its delivery partners, we have ranked at the top in terms of KPI fulfillment and at the bottom in terms of consumer complaints. In particular, Customer Y appreciates our ability to accommodate the temporary surges in demand for our food delivery solutions during inclement weather conditions and holidays without compromising our solution quality.

 

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“As we continue to open local restaurants with delivery options, we must ensure that we have the capacity to fulfill the delivery services to maintain consumer satisfaction. However, it takes time and resources to deal with worker recruitment, contracts, training, payment and other logistic matters. We believe we should focus on our core restaurant operations and other critical strategic initiatives and let Quhuo take care of the delivery and all there is with it.”—Ms. Y, Customer Y’s District Manager of Operational Excellence

Selected Worker Stories

We hold near and dear to our heart the personal development of the workers on our platform. We believe that we succeed when they succeed. We provide the workers career advancement opportunities and endeavor to diversify their earning options with our presence in multiple, expanding industries. The following stories illustrate the career development and earning options available to workers on our platform.

Story A—from Rider to Driver

Three years ago, Mr. A, a new migrant to a big city, signed up with our platform as a delivery rider. He quickly adapted to the new job with our support. We provided him with onboarding training and a transition period during which time he could learn the ropes at his work without compromising his ratings. We also paired him with an experienced delivery rider as his mentor for practical and emotional support. Recently, Mr. A contemplated becoming a ride-hailing driver, as he obtained a driver’s license a few years ago. He was hoping that this career change would further improve his life. We leased him a vehicle under our car leasing arrangements for ride-hailing solutions. Mr. A is now looking forward to his new job.

Story B—from Rider to Leader

Mr. B, initially a delivery rider on our platform, decided to apply for a team leader position two years ago. He was anxious about this transition as he had no systematic managerial skills. We are here to help. With Quhuo+, Mr. B was able to track the performance results of the riders under his supervision and visualize a number of KPIs that helped him make the right managerial decision at the right time, such as when to dispatch more delivery riders and when to procure more working gear such as takeaway incubators. It turned out to be easier than he thought. Mr. B has since gained a new perspective on life from the responsibilities he now shoulders. He recently decided to apply for a regional manager position. With more responsibilities and financial rewards, Mr. B is happy and full of vim and vigor.

Story C—from Rider to Ranger

Mr. C, a fresh high school graduate, started his first job with us as a delivery rider. He was dispatched to a busy delivery area, which follows a clear pattern of peak and off-peak hours in terms of delivery demands. For example, he gets nonstop delivery orders throughout lunch hours on weekdays but far fewer orders during off-peak hours. Mr. C was eager to pursue more earning opportunities. We encouraged Mr. C and other delivery riders on our platform to participate in our shared-bike maintenance solutions during off-peak hours on a part-time basis. Mr. C quickly seized this opportunity and rejoiced as we filled in his idle hours with work and rewards. He has faith in our ability to continue to diversify our customer portfolio and unleash more earning opportunities on our platform.

And the story goes on. . .

Mr. A’s financial situation has significantly improved after he became a ride-hailing driver. He persuaded his parents to move in with him for the earning opportunities offered by us and the bustling city. Mr. B eventually ended the long-distance relationship and reunited with his newly-wed wife. Mrs. B joined us as a housekeeper as part of our housekeeping solutions. They recently made the down payment for a condo in town. Mr. C fell in love with a girl he met through our platform, and he has been working toward a team leader position. We heard a proposal is underway? Or promotion?

 

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Our Technology

Quhuo+ forms the backbone of our business operations. We strategically designed Quhuo+ to be flexible and scalable with modularized functions. See “—Quhuo+” for details. As of December 31, 2019, we had a dedicated team of 62 technology research and development professionals with an average of five years of the relevant industry experience.

We have developed reliable and stable network infrastructure to ensure high availability and a low risk of downtime. We primarily utilize third-party cloud service providers to host our network infrastructure for core operational functionality, data backup, and artificial intelligence application.

Data Privacy and Security

We process a large amount of data from workers on our platform. We also have access to certain operating data related to our performance from industry customers. We take the privacy of personal data and confidential information seriously and have implemented an internal data security management policy. We have also implemented a combination of various industry-standard encryption algorithms to protect sensitive personal information. In addition, we utilize a system of firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to our internal systems. Replications and backups are performed once every week on our server. Our IT department monitors the performance of our websites, technology systems and network infrastructure to enable us to respond promptly to potential problems. We also continuously review, improve and iterate our data privacy policies and security foundation.

Branding, Marketing and Customer Relationship

We believe word-of-mouth marketing has helped us achieve, and will continue to drive, organic growth in our workers. We also believe brand recognition is critical to our ability to retain or establish partnership with existing or new industry customers, and our general marketing efforts are designed to enhance our brand awareness and reputation among them. We primarily attract new industry customers with testimonials of our solutions and referrals by existing customers. We also approach prospective industry customers by attending key account meetings and industry conferences, or through introduction by our investors. We conduct KPI reviews with industry customers and take measures to maintain close rapport with them.

Competition

We believe that we have pioneered innovation serving on-demand consumer service businesses. While we have not identified any other platform in China with a similar business model and operational scale comparable to us, we may compete with labor outsourcing companies and service suppliers that are independent from or affiliated with industry customers, as well as online or offline workforce marketplaces in each industry setting we serve. The market for workforce operational solutions within a single industry is highly fragmented, consisting of a large number of small-scale, single-industry service suppliers with limited operational experience or geographical coverage. We believe that we are able to compete favorably on the basis of:

 

   

capability to attract, retain and manage a sufficient number of workers;

 

   

capability to establish and maintain partnerships with industry customers;

 

   

technology infrastructure and data analytics capabilities;

 

   

scope and quality of our solution offerings;

 

   

industry-specific know-how and operational experience;

 

   

geographical coverage; and

 

   

brand recognition.

 

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Intellectual Property

We regard our trademarks, domain names, know-how, proprietary technologies and other similar intellectual properties as critical to our success, and we rely on trademark and trade secret laws and confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. As of the date of this prospectus, we hold or otherwise have legal right to use 19 registered copyrights for software and 20 registered trademarks in China.

We intend to protect our technology and proprietary rights vigorously, but there can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. Even if our efforts are successful, we may incur significant costs in defending our rights. From time to time, third parties may initiate litigation against us alleging infringement of their proprietary rights or declaring their non-infringement of our intellectual property rights. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.”

Employees

We had 551 full-time employees as of December 31, 2019. All of our full-time employees are located in China. The following table sets forth the number of our full-time employees by functions as of December 31, 2019:

 

Function:

   As of December 31, 2019  

Information technology research and development

     62  

Operating

     417  

General and administrative

     72  
  

 

 

 

Total

     551  
  

 

 

 

We enter into employment contracts with our full-time employees, which contain standard confidentiality provisions.

We are required under PRC law to make contributions to employee benefit plans at specified percentages of salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time. We engage a specialist agency to pay various mandatory employee social security plans that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including housing, pension, medical insurance and unemployment insurance.

We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we have not experienced any material labor disputes in the past. None of our employees are represented by labor unions.

Facilities

Our principal executive offices are located in Beijing, China, where we lease premises of approximately 936 square meters, with a lease term of four years. As of December 31, 2019, we leased properties in other cities with an aggregate of over 2,400 square meters, to support our business operations, with lease terms primarily ranging from one to two years.

We lease all of the facilities that we currently occupy, which we believe are adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future.

Insurance

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. We purchase personal accident insurance for workers engaged in our on-demand food delivery and shared-bike maintenance

 

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solutions, and automobile insurance for drivers engaged in our ride-hailing solutions. We purchase commercial liability insurance to protect our business against claims of property damage and bodily injury. We also provide our employees with social security insurance, including pension insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance and medical insurance. However, we do not maintain property insurance policies covering our equipment and facilities for losses due to fire, earthquake, flood or any other disaster, except for certain service stations for our on-demand food delivery solutions. Consistent with customary industry practice in China, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or key employee insurance for our executive officers. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.”

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may be subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently subject to any threatened or ongoing legal proceedings that, in the opinion of our management, may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

 

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REGULATION

This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business and operations in China.

Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment

Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment

Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors are principally governed by the Guidance Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Guidance Catalog, which was promulgated and is amended from time to time by the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, and the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC. The Guidance Catalog lays out the basic framework for foreign investment in China, classifying businesses into three categories with regard to foreign investment: “encourage,” “restricted,” and “prohibited.” Industries not listed in the catalog are generally deemed as falling into a fourth category “permitted” unless specifically restricted by other PRC laws. In addition, in June 2019, MOFCOM and the NDRC promulgated the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment, or the Negative List, which became effective on July 30, 2019 to amend the Guidance Catalog. Foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services (except for e-commerce) falls within the Negative List. As a result, foreign investors can only conduct investment activities through equity or contractual joint ventures with certain shareholding requirements and approvals from competent authorities. PRC partners are required to hold the majority interests in the joint ventures and approval from MOFCOM and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, for the incorporation of the joint ventures and the business operations.

Pursuant to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises promulgated by the State Council in December 2001 and most recently amended in February 2016, or the FITE Regulations, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications services provider may not exceed 50%. Moreover, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunication business in China, it must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating good track records and experience in operating value-added telecommunication business overseas. Foreign investors that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from MIIT and MOFCOM or their authorized local counterparts, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals. MIIT issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-added Telecommunications Business, or MIIT Circular, in July 2006. MIIT Circular reiterated the regulations on foreign investment in telecommunications businesses, which require foreign investors to set up foreign invested enterprises and obtain telecommunications business operating licenses to conduct any value-added telecommunications business in China. Under MIIT Circular, a domestic company that holds a telecommunications business operating licenses is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including providing resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business illegally in China.

To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE to operate our business in China. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business.”

Foreign Investment Law

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress, or the NPC, approved the Foreign Investment Law, which will take effect on January 1, 2020 and replace three existing laws on foreign investments in China, namely, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law, the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign

 

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Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic invested enterprises in China. The Foreign Investment Law establishes the basic framework for the access to, and the promotion, protection and administration of foreign investments in view of investment protection and fair competition.

According to the Foreign Investment Law, the State Council will publish or approve to publish a catalogue for special administrative measures, or the “negative list.” The Foreign Investment Law grants national treatment to foreign invested entities, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list.” Because the “negative list” has yet to be published, it is unclear whether it will differ from the Negative List as currently in effect. The Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign invested entities shall not operate foreign prohibited industries and foreign invested entities operating in foreign restricted industries shall meet the investment conditions stipulated under the negative list.

Furthermore, the Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign invested enterprises established according to the existing laws regulating foreign investment may maintain their structure and corporate governance within five years after the implementing of the Foreign Investment Law.

In addition, the Foreign Investment Law also provides several protective rules and principles for foreign investors and their investments in the PRC, including, among others, that local governments shall abide by their commitments to the foreign investors; foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to issue stocks and corporate bonds; except for special circumstances, in which case statutory procedures shall be followed and fair and reasonable compensation shall be made in a timely manner, expropriation or requisition of the investment of foreign investors is prohibited; mandatory technology transfer is prohibited; and the capital contributions, profits, capital gains, proceeds out of asset disposal, licensing fees of intellectual property rights, indemnity or compensation legally obtained, or proceeds received upon settlement by foreign investors within China, may be freely remitted inward and outward in RMB or a foreign currency.

On December 26, 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementation Regulations on the Foreign Investment Law which came into effect on January 1, 2020. It further requires that foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises shall be treated equally with respect to policy making and implementation.

According to the Foreign Investment Law, foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises shall submit investment information to the competent commerce departments. On December 30, 2019, MOFCOM and the State Administration for Market Regulation, or SAMR, jointly issued the Measures for Reporting of Foreign Investment Information, or the Foreign Investment Information Measures, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced the Interim Administrative Measures for the Record-filing of the Establishment and Modification of Foreign-invested Enterprises. Starting from January 1, 2020, for foreign investors carrying out investment activities directly or indirectly in the PRC, foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises shall submit investment information through the Enterprise Registration System and the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System operated by SAMR. Foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises shall disclose their investment information by submitting reports for their establishments, modifications and cancellations and their annual reports in accordance with the Foreign Investment Information Measures. If a foreign-invested enterprise investing in the PRC has submitted reports for its establishment, modification and cancellation, as well as its annual reports, the relevant information will be shared by the competent market regulation department with the competent commercial department, and such foreign-invested enterprise is not required to submit the reports separately.

Licenses, Permits and Filings

The PRC government extensively regulates the telecommunications industry, including the internet sector. The State Council, MIIT, MOFCOM, the State Administration for Market Regulation, or the SAMR, the former

 

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State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (which has been replaced by the State Administration of Radio and Television), the former China Banking Regulatory Commission, or the CBRC, and other relevant government authorities have promulgated an extensive regulatory scheme governing telecommunications. New laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time that will require us to obtain additional licenses and permits in addition to those that we currently have, and will require us to address new issues that arise from time to time. In addition, substantial uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of current and any future PRC laws and regulations applicable to the telecommunications.

We are required to hold certain licenses and permits and to make certain filings with the relevant PRC governmental authorities in connection with various aspects of our business, including the following:

Value-added Telecommunication Business Operating Licenses

The PRC Telecommunications Regulations, or the Telecom Regulations, which were issued by the State Council in 2000 and were most recently amended in February 2016 are the primary governing law on telecommunication services. The Telecom Regulations set out the general framework for the provision of telecommunication services by PRC entities. Under the Telecom Regulations, telecommunications service providers are required to procure operating licenses prior to their commencement of operations. The Telecom Regulations draw a distinction between “basic telecommunications services” and “value-added telecommunications services.” A “Catalog of Telecommunications Business” was issued as an attachment to the Telecom Regulations to categorize telecommunications services as basic or value-added. In December 2015, MIIT released the Catalog of Telecommunication Business (2015 Revision), or the 2015 Telecom Catalog, which was implemented in March 2016. Under the 2015 Telecom Catalog, both the online data processing and transaction processing business and information service business, continue to be categorized as value-added telecommunication services.

In March 2009, MIIT issued the Administrative Measures for Telecommunications Business Operating Permit, or the Telecom Permit Measures, which was implemented in 2009 and most recently amended in 2017. Pursuant to the Telecom Permit Measures, the operation scope of the value-added telecommunication business operating license, or the VATS license, shall detail the permitted activities of the enterprise to which it is granted. An approved telecommunication services operator shall conduct its business in accordance with the specifications recorded on its VATS License. The VATS Licenses can be further categorized based on the specific business operations permitted to be carried out under such licenses, including among others, the VATS Licenses for internet information services, or the ICP License, and the VATS License for electronic data interchange business, or the EDI License. In addition, a VATS License holder is required to obtain approval from the original permit-issuing authority prior to any change to its shareholders, business scope or other information recorded on such license. In February 2015, the State Council has issued the Decisions on Cancelling and Adjusting a Batch of Administrative Approval Items, which, among others, replaced the pre-registration approval requirement for telecommunications business with post-registration approval requirement.

In September 2000, the State Council promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the Internet Measures, most recently amended in January 2011. Under the Internet Measures, “internet information services” refer to the provision of information through the internet to online users, and are divided into “commercial internet information services” and “non-commercial internet information services.” Commercial internet information services operators shall obtain an ICP License from the relevant government authorities within China.

Regulations on Online Lending Information Services

On August 17, 2016, the CBRC, MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, jointly issued the Interim Measures on Administration of Business Activities of Online Lending Information Intermediaries, or the Interim Measures. According to the Interim Measures, “online

 

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lending information intermediaries” refer to the legally established financial information intermediaries specialized in online lending information intermediary business, such as information collection, information release, credit assessment, information exchange, and match of lending, on the Internet as the primary channel to facilitate the direct lending between borrowers and lenders.

Pursuant to the Interim Measures, online lending information service providers shall complete registration with local financial regulatory authority and apply for appropriate telecommunication business license in accordance with relevant rules issued by competent telecommunication authority. The Interim Measures also require the online lending information service providers to substantially cover “online lending information intermediary” in its business scope filed with the local registration regulatory authority.

According to the Interim Measures, online lending information service providers shall not engage in or accept entrustment to engage in certain activities, including, among others, (1) financing for themselves directly or indirectly, (2) accepting, collecting or gathering funds of lenders directly or indirectly, (3) providing security to lenders or promising break-even principals and interests directly or in a disguised form, (4) raising funds by issuing financial products on their own as wealth management products, (5) splitting the maturity term of any financing project, (6) securitization, and (7) equity crowd-funding.

Food Operation Permit

China has adopted a licensing system for food supply operations under the Food Safety Law and its implementation rules. Entities or individuals that intend to engage in food production, food distribution or food service businesses must obtain licenses or permits for such businesses. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Food Operation Licensing issued by the China Food and Drug Administration in August 2015 and amended in November 2017, an enterprise needs to obtain a Food Operation Permit from the local food and drug administration, and the permits already obtained by food business operators prior to the effective date of these new measures will remain valid for their originally approved validity period.

Regulations Relating to Internet Information Security and Privacy Protection

Internet information in China is regulated from a national security standpoint. The NPC has enacted the Decisions on Preserving Internet Security in December 2000 and amended in August 2009, which subject violators to potential criminal punishment in China for any attempt to: (1) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (2) disseminate politically disruptive information; (3) leak state secrets; (4) spread false commercial information; or (5) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security of the PRC, or the MPS, has promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Computer Information Network and Internet Security Protection in December 1997 and amended in January 2011, which prohibits use of the internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leak of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. If an internet information service provider violates these measures, the MPS and its local branches may issue warning, confiscate the illegal gains, impose fines, and, in severe cases, advice competent authority to revoke its operating license or shut down its websites.

Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services, issued by MIIT in December 2011 and implemented in March 2012, an internet information service provider may not collect any user personal information or provide any such information to third parties without the consent of the user. An internet information service provider must expressly inform the users of the method, content and purpose of the collection and processing of such user personal information and may only collect such information necessary for the provision of its services. An internet information service provider is also required to properly maintain the user’s personal information, and in case of any leak or likely leak of the user’s personal information, the internet information service provider must take immediate remedial measures and, in severe circumstances, immediately report to the telecommunications authority. Moreover, pursuant to the Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law issued by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, in August

 

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2015 and implemented in November 2015, any internet service provider that fails to fulfill the obligations related to internet information security administration as required by applicable laws and refuses to rectify upon orders, shall be subject to criminal penalty for the result of (1) any dissemination of illegal information in large scale; (2) any severe effect due to the leakage of the client’s information; (3) any serious loss of criminal evidence; or (4) other severe situation. Any individual or entity that (1) sells or provides personal information to others in a way violating the applicable law, or (2) steals or illegally obtains any personal information, shall be subject to criminal penalty in severe situation. In addition, the Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the PRC on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Infringing Personal Information, issued in May 2017 and implemented in June 2017, clarified certain standards for the conviction and sentencing of the criminals in relation to personal information infringement.

In November 2016, the SCNPC promulgated the Cyber Security Law of the PRC, or the Cyber Security Law, which became effective on June 1, 2017. The Cyber Security Law requires that a network operator, which includes, among others, internet information services providers, take technical measures and other necessary measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and the compulsory requirements of the national and industrial standards to safeguard the safe and stable operation of its networks. We are subject to such requirements as we are operating website and mobile applications and providing certain internet services mainly through our mobile applications. The Cyber Security Law further requires internet information service providers to formulate contingency plans for network security incidents, report to the competent departments immediately upon the occurrence of any incident endangering cyber security and take corresponding remedial measures.

Internet information service providers are also required to maintain the integrity, confidentiality and availability of network data. The Cyber Security Law reaffirms the basic principles and requirements specified in other existing laws and regulations on personal data protection, such as the requirements on the collection, use, processing, storage and disclosure of personal data, and internet information service providers being required to take technical and other necessary measures to ensure the security of the personal information they have collected and prevent the personal information from being divulged, damaged or lost. Any violation of the Cyber Security Law may subject the internet information service provider to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, shutdown of websites or criminal liabilities.

Furthermore, the Rules on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users promulgated by MIIT in July 2013 and became effective in September 2013 contain detailed requirements on the use and collection of personal information as well as security measures required to be taken by telecommunications business operators and internet information service providers.

Regulations Relating to Intellectual Property in the PRC

Trademark

The PRC Trademark Law and its implementation rules protect registered trademarks. The PRC Trademark Office of State Administration of Industry and Commerce is responsible for the registration and administration of trademarks throughout the PRC. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration. Registered trademarks are granted a valid term of ten years, which could be renewed each time for another ten years commencing from the day after the expiry date of the last period of validity if the required renewal formalities have been completed. Pursuant to the PRC Trademark Law, counterfeit or unauthorized production of the label of another person’s registered trademark, or sale of any label that is counterfeited or produced without authorization will be deemed as an infringement to the exclusive right to use a registered trademark. The infringing party will be ordered to stop the infringement immediately, a fine may be imposed and the counterfeit goods will be confiscated. The infringing party may also be held liable for the right holder’s damages, which will be equal to the gains obtained by the infringing party or the losses suffered by the right holder as a result of the infringement, including reasonable expenses incurred by the right holder for stopping the infringement.

 

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Domain name

MIIT promulgated the Measures on Administration of Internet Domain Names on August 24, 2017, which took effect on November 1, 2017. MIIT is the major regulatory body responsible for the administration of the PRC internet domain names, under supervision of which the China Internet Network Information Center, or the CNNIC, is responsible for the daily administration of “.cn” domain names and Chinese domain names. The CNNIC adopts a “first-to-file” principle with respect to the registration of domain names. Applicants for registration of domain names must provide the true, accurate and complete information of their identities to domain name registration service institutions. The applicants will become the holder of such domain names upon the completion of the registration procedure.

Copyright

The PRC Copyright Law, or the Copyright Law, which took effect on June 1, 1991 and was amended in 2001 and 2010, provides that Chinese citizens, legal persons, or other organizations shall, whether published or not, own copyright in their copyrightable works, which include, among others, works of literature, art, natural science, social science, engineering technology and computer software. Copyright owners enjoy certain legal rights, including right of publication, right of authorship and right of reproduction. The Copyright Law extends copyright protection to Internet activities, products disseminated over the Internet and software products. In addition, the Copyright Law provides for a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center. According to the Copyright Law, an infringer of the copyrights shall be subject to various civil liabilities, which include ceasing infringement activities, apologizing to the copyright owners and compensating the loss of copyright owner. Infringers of copyright may also subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities in severe situations.

Pursuant to the Computer Software Copyright Protection Regulations promulgated by the State Council on December 20, 2001 and amended on January 30, 2013, Chinese citizens, legal persons and other organizations shall enjoy copyright on software they develop, regardless of whether the software is released publicly. Software copyright commences from the date on which the development of the software is completed. The protection period for software copyright of a legal person or other organizations shall be 50 years, concluding on December 31 of the 50th year after the software’s initial release. The software copyright owner may go through the registration formalities with a software registration authority recognized by the State Council’s copyright administrative department. The software copyright owner may authorize others to exercise that copyright, and is entitled to receive remuneration.

Patent

According to the PRC Patent Law (revised in 2008), the State Intellectual Property Office is responsible for administering patent law in the PRC. The patent administration departments of provincial, autonomous region or municipal governments are responsible for administering patent law within their respective jurisdictions. The Chinese patent system adopts a first-to-file principle, which means that when more than one person files different patent applications for the same invention, only the person who files the application first is entitled to obtain a patent of the invention. Patents in China fall into three categories: invention, utility model and design. To be patentable, an invention or a utility model must meet three criteria: novelty, inventiveness and practicability. A patent is valid for twenty years in the case of an invention and ten years in the case of utility models and designs.

Regulations Relating to Labor Protection in the PRC

Labor Contract Law

The PRC Labor Contract Law, or the Labor Contract Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended on December 28, 2012, is primarily aimed at regulating rights and obligations of employer and employee relationships, including the establishment, performance and termination of labor contracts. Pursuant to

 

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the Labor Contract Law, labor contracts shall be concluded in writing if labor relationships are to be or have been established between employers and the employees. Employers are prohibited from forcing employees to work above certain time limit and employers shall pay employees for overtime work in accordance to national regulations. In addition, employee wages shall be no lower than local standards on minimum wages and must be paid to employees in a timely manner.

Interim Provision on Labor Dispatch

Pursuant to the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch promulgated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on January 24, 2014 and became effective on March 1, 2014, dispatched workers are entitled to equal pay with full-time employees for equal work. Employers are allowed to use dispatched workers for temporary, auxiliary or substitutive positions, and the number of dispatched workers may not exceed 10% of the total number of employees.

Tort Law

Pursuant to the Tort Law of the PRC, which was promulgated by the SCNPC on December 26, 2009 and became effective on July 1, 2010, employers shall bear tortious liability for any injury or damage caused to other people by their employees in the course of their work. Parties that use dispatched labor shall bear tortious liability for any injury or damage caused to other people by dispatched personnel during the course of their work during the labor dispatch period; the labor dispatching party shall bear corresponding supplementary liability where it is at fault.

Social insurance and housing fund

As required under the Regulation of Insurance for Labor Injury implemented on January 1, 2004 and amended in 2010, the Provisional Measures for Maternity Insurance of Employees of Corporations implemented on January 1, 1995, the Decisions of the State Council on the Establishment of a Unified Program for Old-Aged Pension Insurance issued on July 16, 1997, the Decisions of the State Council on the Establishment of the Medical Insurance Program for Urban Workers promulgated on December 14, 1998, the Unemployment Insurance Measures promulgated on January 22, 1999 and the PRC Social Insurance Law implemented on July 1, 2011, employers are required to provide their employees in the PRC with welfare benefits covering pension insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, labor injury insurance and medical insurance. These payments are made to local administrative authorities. Any employer that fails to make social insurance contributions may be order to rectify the non-compliance and pay the required contributions within a prescribed time limit and be subject to a late fee. If the employer still fails to rectify the failure to make the relevant contributions within the prescribed time, it may be subject to a fine ranging from one to three times the amount overdue. In accordance with the Regulations on the Management of Housing Fund which was promulgated by the State Council in 1999 and amended in 2002 and 2019, employers must register at the designated administrative centers and open bank accounts for depositing employees’ housing funds. Employer and employee are also required to pay and deposit housing funds, with an amount no less than 5% of the monthly average salary of the employee in the preceding year in full and on time.

On July 20, 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council released the Reform Plan on the National and Local Taxation Collection and Management System, according to which the tax authority bears the responsibility of calculating and collecting social insurance premiums from January 1, 2019.

Employee stock incentive plan

SAFE promulgated the Notice of Issues Related to the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Listed Company, or SAFE Circular 7, on

 

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February 15, 2012. Under SAFE Circular 7, employees, directors, supervisors, and other senior management who participate in any stock incentive plan of an publicly-listed overseas company and who are PRC citizens or non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of no less than one year, subject to a few exceptions, are required to entrust a qualified domestic agent to register with SAFE through the domestic company, which may be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, has issued certain circulars concerning employee stock options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, employees working in the PRC who exercise stock options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of an overseas listed company are required to file documents related to employee stock options and restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of employees who exercise their stock option or purchase restricted shares. If the employees fail to pay or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold income tax in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC governmental authorities.

Pursuant to the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, issued by SAFE and effective on July 4, 2014, if a non-listed special purpose vehicle grants equity-based incentives to its directors, supervisors, senior officers in the domestic enterprise directly or indirectly controlled by it, as well as other employees in employment or labor relations with the company by using the company’s stock rights or options, the relevant domestic individual residents may apply for going through foreign exchange registration of a special purpose vehicle before exercise of its rights.

Regulations Relating to Tax in the PRC

Income Tax

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, imposes a uniform enterprise income tax rate of 25% on all PRC resident enterprises, including foreign-invested enterprises, unless they qualify for certain exceptions. The enterprise income tax is calculated based on the PRC resident enterprise’s global income as determined under PRC tax laws and accounting standards. If a non-resident enterprise sets up an organization or establishment in the PRC, it will be subject to enterprise income tax for the income derived from such organization or establishment in the PRC and for the income derived from outside the PRC but with an actual connection with such organization or establishment in the PRC. The EIT Law and its implementation rules permit certain “high and new technology enterprises strongly supported by the state” that independently own core intellectual property and meet statutory criteria, to enjoy a reduced 15% enterprise income tax rate. In January 2016, the SAT, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance, or MOF, jointly issued the Administrative Rules for the Certification of High and New Technology Enterprises, specifying the criteria and procedures for the certification of High and New Technology Enterprises.

On April 22, 2009, SAT issued the Circular of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Relating to Identification of PRC-Controlled Overseas Registered Enterprises as Resident Enterprises in Accordance with the De Facto Standards of Organizational Management, or SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (1) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (2) decisions relating to the enterprise’s

 

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financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (3) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (4) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC. Further to SAT Circular 82, on July 27, 2011, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Printing and Distributing the Administrative Measures for Income Tax on PRC-controlled Resident Enterprises Incorporated Overseas (Trial Implementation), or SAT Bulletin 45, which took effect in September 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82. SAT Bulletin 45 provides for procedures and administration details of determination on resident status and administration on post-determination matters.

Value-added tax

The Provisional Regulations of the PRC on Value-added Tax, the VAT Regulation, were promulgated by the State Council on December 13, 1993 and came into effect on January 1, 1994 which were subsequently amended from time to time. The Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Provisional Regulations of the PRC on Value-added Tax (Revised in 2011) was promulgated by MOF on December 25, 1993 and subsequently amended on December 15, 2008 and October 28, 2011, or collectively, the VAT Law. On November 19, 2017, the State Council promulgated the Decisions on Abolishing the Provisional Regulations of the PRC on Business Tax and Amending the Provisional Regulations of the PRC on Value-added Tax, or the Order 691. On April 4, 2018, MOF and SAT jointly promulgated the Circular on Adjustment of Value-Added Tax Rates, or Circular 32. According to the VAT Law, the Order 691 and Circular 32, all enterprises and individuals engaged in the sale of goods, the provision of processing, repair and replacement services, sales of services, intangible assets, real property and the importation of goods within the territory of the PRC are taxpayers under the VAT Law. The value-added tax rates generally applicable are simplified as 16%, 10%, 6% and 0%, and the value-added tax rate applicable to small-scale taxpayers is 3%.

Dividend withholding tax

The EIT Law provides that since January 1, 2008, an income tax rate of 10% will normally be applicable to dividends declared to non-PRC resident investors which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or which have such establishment or place of business but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC.

Pursuant to the Arrangement Between the Mainland of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Incomes, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, and other applicable PRC laws, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied the relevant conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable laws, the 10% withholding tax on the dividends the Hong Kong resident enterprise receives from a PRC resident enterprise may be reduced to 5%. However, based on the Circular on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, or SAT Circular 81, issued on February 20, 2009 by SAT, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretions, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. According to the Circular on Several Questions regarding the “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties, which was issued on February 3, 2018 by SAT and took effect on April 1, 2018, when determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation, whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in twelve months to residents in third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the counterparty country or region to the tax treaties does not levy any tax or grant tax exemption on relevant incomes or levy tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and it will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases.

 

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This circular further provides that applicants who intend to prove his or her status of the “beneficial owner” shall submit the relevant documents to the relevant tax bureau according to the Announcement on Issuing the Measures for the Administration of Non-Resident Taxpayers’ Enjoyment of the Treatment under Tax Agreements.

On February 3, 2015, SAT issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or SAT Bulletin 7. SAT Bulletin 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to cover not only where a non-resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, or an Indirect Transfer, but also to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. SAT Bulletin 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable asset indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

On October 17, 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. According to SAT Bulletin 37, where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare its tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the EIT Law, the tax authority may order it to pay its tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay its tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority. If the non-resident enterprise voluntarily declares and pays its tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid its tax payable in time.

Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange

General administration of foreign exchange

Under the PRC Foreign Currency Administration Rules promulgated on January 29, 1996 and most recently amended on August 5, 2008 and various regulations issued by SAFE and other relevant PRC government authorities, Renminbi is convertible into other currencies for current account items, such as trade-related receipts and payments and payment of interest and dividends. The conversion of Renminbi into other currencies and remittance of the converted foreign currency outside the PRC for of capital account items, such as direct equity investments, loans and repatriation of investment, requires the prior approval from SAFE or its local office.

Payments for transactions that take place within the PRC must be made in Renminbi. Unless otherwise approved, PRC companies may not repatriate foreign currency payments received from abroad or retain the same abroad. Foreign-invested enterprises may retain foreign exchange in accounts with designated foreign exchange banks under the current account items subject to a cap set by SAFE or its local office. Foreign exchange proceeds under the current accounts may be either retained or sold to a financial institution engaged in settlement and sale of foreign exchange pursuant to relevant SAFE rules and regulations. For foreign exchange proceeds under the capital accounts, approval from SAFE is generally required for the retention or sale of such proceeds to a financial institution engaged in settlement and sale of foreign exchange.

Pursuant to the Circular of the SAFE on Further Improving and Adjusting Foreign Exchange Administration Policies for Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 59, promulgated by SAFE on November 19, 2012, which

 

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became effective on December 17, 2012 and was further amended on May 4, 2015, approval of SAFE is not required for opening a foreign exchange account and depositing foreign exchange into the accounts relating to the direct investments. SAFE Circular 59 also simplified foreign exchange-related registration required for the foreign investors to acquire the equity interests of Chinese companies and further improve the administration on foreign exchange settlement for foreign-invested enterprises.

The Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Currency Management Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Circular 13, effective from June 1, 2015, cancels the administrative approvals of foreign exchange registration of direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment and simplifies the procedure of foreign exchange-related registration. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 13, the investors shall register with banks for direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment.

The Circular on Reforming the Management Approach regarding the Settlement of Foreign Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprise, or SAFE Circular 19, which was promulgated by SAFE on March 30, 2015 and became effective on June 1, 2015, provides that a foreign-invested enterprise may, according to its actual business needs, settle with a bank the portion of the foreign exchange capital in its capital account for which the relevant foreign exchange administration has confirmed monetary capital contribution rights and interests (or for which the bank has registered the injection of the monetary capital contribution into the account). Pursuant to SAFE Circular 19, for the time being, foreign-invested enterprises are allowed to settle 100% of their foreign exchange capital on a discretionary basis; a foreign-invested enterprise shall truthfully use its capital for its own operational purposes within the scope of business; where an ordinary foreign-invested enterprise makes domestic equity investment with the amount of foreign exchanges settled, the invested enterprise must first go through domestic re-investment registration and open a corresponding account for foreign exchange settlement pending payment with the foreign exchange administration or the bank at the place where it is registered.

The Circular on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, which was promulgated by SAFE and became effective on June 9, 2016, provides that enterprises registered in the PRC may also convert their foreign debts from foreign currency into Renminbi on self-discretionary basis. SAFE Circular 16 also provides an integrated standard for conversion of foreign exchange under capital account items (including but not limited to foreign currency capital and foreign debts) on self-discretionary basis, which applies to all enterprises registered in the PRC.

According to the FIE Record-filing Interim Measures, the Administrative Rules on the Company Registration, which was promulgated by the State Council on June 24, 1994, became effective on July 1, 1994 and latest amended on February 6, 2016, and other laws and regulations governing the foreign invested enterprises and company registrations, the establishment of a foreign invested enterprise and any capital increase and other major changes in a foreign invested enterprise shall be registered with the SAMR or its local counterparts, and shall be filed through the foreign investment comprehensive administrative system, if such foreign invested enterprise does not involve special access administrative measures prescribed by the PRC government.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 13 and other laws and regulations relating to foreign exchange, when setting up a new foreign invested enterprise, the foreign invested enterprise shall register with the bank located at its registered place after obtaining the business license, and if there is any change in capital or other changes relating to the basic information of the foreign-invested enterprise, including without limitation any increase in its registered capital or total investment, the foreign invested enterprise must register such changes with the bank located at its registered place after obtaining approval from or completing the filing with competent authorities. Pursuant to the relevant foreign exchange laws and regulations, the above-mentioned foreign exchange registration with the banks will typically take less than four weeks upon the acceptance of the registration application.

Pursuant to the Circular on Further Promoting the Cross-border Trade and Investment Facilitation, or SAFE Circular 28, which was promulgated by SAFE on October 25, 2019, non-investment foreign-invested companies

 

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are allowed to conduct domestic equity investment with settled capital from foreign exchange if such investment projects are true and compliant and do not otherwise violate the existing Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment.

Offshore investment

Under the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, issued by SAFE and effective on July 4, 2014, PRC residents are required to register with the local SAFE branch prior to contributing assets or equity interests in an offshore special purpose vehicle, or the SPV, which is defined as offshore enterprises directly established or indirectly controlled by PRC residents for investment and financing purposes, with the enterprise assets or interests they hold in China or overseas. The term “control” means obtain the operation rights, right to proceeds or decision-making power of a SPV through acquisition, trust, holding shares on behalf of others, voting rights, repurchase, convertible bonds or other means. An amendment to registration or subsequent filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required if there is any change in basic information of the offshore company or any material change with respect to the capital of the offshore company. At the same time, SAFE has issued the Operation Guidance for the Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration over Round-trip Investment regarding the procedures for SAFE registration under SAFE Circular 37, which became effective on July 4, 2014 as an attachment of SAFE Circular 37.

Under the relevant rules, failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 may result in bans on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant onshore company, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent or affiliates, and may also subject relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.

Overseas direct investment

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures on Overseas Investment issued by MOFCOM on September 6, 2014 and became effective on October 6, 2014, where the outbound investment carried out by an enterprise involves sensitive countries and regions and sensitive industries, verification management shall be implemented, and archive filing management shall be implemented for other circumstances of outbound investment of an enterprise. For outbound investments subject to archive filing, a central enterprise shall report its outbound investments to the Ministry of Commerce for filing and a local enterprise to the provincial department in charge of commerce at its locality. Where two or more enterprises jointly make an outbound investment, the relatively major shareholder shall be responsible for going through the archive filing or verification procedures after acquiring the written consent of other investors. If the shareholding ratio of each investor is the same, the investors shall negotiate and decide to entrust one of them to going through the archive filing or verification procedures. If investors are not within the same administrative jurisdiction, the Ministry of Commerce or the department in charge of commerce which is responsible for handling the verification and archive filing shall notify the departments in charge of commerce of the place where other investors are located of the relevant results.

Administrative Measures for the Outbound Investment of Enterprises

Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for the Outbound Investment of Enterprises issued by the NDRC on December 26, 2017 and became effective on March 1, 2018, non-sensitive projects carried out by investors to make direct investment with assets and equities or provide financing or a guarantee subject to record-filing administration and the authority in charge of record-filing shall be the development and reform authority under the provincial government at the place where the investor is registered if the investor is a local enterprise and the amount of investment made by the Chinese investor is less than US$300 million. Where a project is carried out by two or more investors together, the investor making a larger amount of investment shall be responsible for

 

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applying for the approval or record-filing after obtaining the consent of other investors. Where the amount of investment made by each investor is the same, one of the investors shall be selected by consensus to apply for the approval or record-filing.

Regulations on Foreign Debt

A loan made by a foreign entity as direct or indirect shareholder in a foreign-invested enterprise is considered to be foreign debt in China and is regulated by various laws and regulations, including the Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Administration, the Interim Provisions on the Management of Foreign Debts, the Statistical Monitoring of Foreign Debts Tentative Provisions, the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Provisional Regulations on Statistics and Supervision of External Debt, and the Administrative Measures for Registration of Foreign Debts. Under these rules and regulations, a shareholder loan in the form of foreign debt made to a PRC entity does not require the prior approval of SAFE. However, such foreign debt must be registered with and recorded by SAFE or its local branches within 15 business days after entering into the foreign debt contract. Pursuant to these rules and regulations, the maximum amount of the aggregate of (1) the outstanding balance of foreign debts with a term not longer than one year, and (2) the accumulated amount of foreign debts with a term longer than one year, of a foreign-invested enterprise shall not exceed the difference between its registered total investment and its registered capital, or Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance.

On January 12, 2017, the People’s Bank of China, or the PBOC, promulgated the Notice of the People’s Bank of China on Full-coverage Macro-prudent Management of Cross-border Financing, or PBOC Circular 9, which sets forth an upper limit for PRC entities, including foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises, regarding their foreign debts. Pursuant to PBOC Circular 9, the limit of foreign debts for enterprises shall be calculated based on the following formula: the limit of foreign debt, or the Net Assets Limit = net assets * cross-border financing leverage ratio * macro-prudent regulation parameter. “Net assets” is calculated as the net assets value stated in the relevant entity’s latest audited financial statement. The cross-border financing leverage ratio for enterprises is two. The macro-prudent regulation parameter is one. PBOC Circular 9 does not supersede the Interim Provisions on the Management of Foreign Debts, but rather serves as a supplement to it. PBOC Circular 9 has provided for a one-year transitional period, or the Transitional Period, from its promulgation date for foreign-invested enterprises, during which period foreign-invested enterprises could choose to calculate their maximum amount of foreign debt based on either (1) the Total Investment and Registered Capital Balance, or (2) the Net Assets Limit. After the Transition Period, the maximum amount applicable to foreign-invested enterprises is to be determined by the PBOC and SAFE separately. However, although the Transitional Period ended on January 10, 2018, as of the date of this prospectus, neither the PBOC nor SAFE has issued any new regulations regarding the appropriate means of calculating the maximum amount of foreign debt for foreign-invested enterprises. In addition, according to PBOC Circular 9, a foreign loan must be filed with SAFE through the online filing system of SAFE after the loan agreement is signed and at least three business days prior to the borrower withdraws any amount from such foreign loan.

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

The principal laws and regulations regulating the dividend distribution of dividends by foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC include the PRC Company Law, as amended in 1999, 2004, 2005, 2013 and 2018, the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law promulgated in 1986 and amended in 2000 and 2016 and its implementation regulations promulgated in 1990 and subsequently amended in 2001 and 2014, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law promulgated in 1979 and subsequently amended in 1990, 2001 and 2016 and its implementation regulations promulgated in 1983 and subsequently amended in 1986, 1987, 2001, 2011, 2014 and 2019, and the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law promulgated in 1988 and amended in 2000, 2016 and 2017 and its implementation regulations promulgated in 1995 and amended in 2014 and 2017. Under the current regulatory regime in the PRC, foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their retained earnings, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. A PRC

 

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company is required to set aside as statutory reserve funds at least 10% of its after-tax profit, until the cumulative amount of such reserve funds reaches 50% of its registered capital unless laws regarding foreign investment provide otherwise. A PRC company shall not distribute any profits until any losses from prior fiscal years have been offset. Profits retained from prior fiscal years may be distributed together with distributable profits from the current fiscal year.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

The following table sets forth certain information concerning our directors and executive officers as of the date of this prospectus.

 

Name

   Age   

Position/Title

Leslie Yu    44    Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director and Chief Executive Officer
Shuyi Yang    43    Director and Vice President
Zhen Ba    39    Director and Vice President
Gang Wang*    45    Director and Chief Operating Officer
Wenting Ji*    44    Director and Chief Financial Officer
Yung-Hung Chang    47    Director
Harry Chi Hui    56    Director
Chenxi Zhao    31    Director
Fan Yang    33    Director
Fan Pan    42    Chief Technology Officer
Jingchuan Li**    47    Independent Director
Jing Zhou**    46    Independent Director
Jie Jiao**    39    Independent Director

 

*

Each of Mr. Gang Wang and Ms. Wenting Ji will resign from our board of directors, effective upon SEC’s declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part.

**

Each of Mr. Jingchuan Li, Ms. Jing Zhou and Ms. Jie Jiao has accepted appointment as our independent director, effective upon SEC’s declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part.

Leslie Yu is our founder and has served as chairman of our board of directors since June 2019 and our chief executive officer since the inception of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. in March 2012. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Yu served as general manager of Shanghai Origin Myway International Logistics Co., Ltd. from September 2010 to March 2012. Prior to that, Mr. Yu was a senior business manager at DHL Supply Chain (China) Co., Ltd., the third-party logistics unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group (DAX: DPW), from August 2005 to August 2010. Mr. Yu served as an operating manager at New Times International Transport Service Co., Ltd., a freight forwarding company based in Beijing, from January 2004 to July 2005. Mr. Yu started his career at United Biscuits (China) Co., Ltd. and served as a sales planning supervisor from August 1996 to July 1999. Mr. Yu received his bachelor’s degree in international economic law from Renmin University of China in 1996, and his master’s degree in business administration from Auckland Institute of Studies in 2002.

Shuyi Yang is our co-founder and has served as our director since June 2019 and our vice president in charge of technology since the inception of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. in March 2012. Prior to founding our company, Mr. Yang served as the general manager of the region of North China at APLL-ZHIQIN Technology Logistics Ltd. from January 2010 to January 2012. Mr. Yang was a project manager at DHL Supply Chain (China) Co., Ltd. from December 2004 to January 2010. Mr. Yang received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shenyang University in 1998.

Zhen Ba is our co-founder and has served as our director since June 2019 and our vice president in charge of business development since the inception of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. in March 2012. Mr. Ba served as the director of sales for the region of North China at LF Logistics from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Ba was a project manager at DHL Supply Chain (China) Co., Ltd. from January 2005 to August 2010. Mr. Ba received his bachelor’s degree in English from China Foreign Affairs University (formerly known as Foreign Affairs College) in 2002 and his master’s degree in management from Lancaster University in 2003.

 

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Gang Wang has served as our director since August 2019 and our chief operating officer since September 2014. Prior to joining us, Mr. Wang served as the head of supply chain at Kidsland (China) Trading Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Kidsland International Holdings Limited (HKEX: 2122) from March 2011 to March 2014. Mr. Wang was a site operation manager at DHL Supply Chain (China) Co., Ltd. from May 2006 to March 2011. Mr. Wang received his bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University of Technology in 1996 and his master’s degree in business administration from Capital University of Economics and Business in 2011.

Wenting Ji has served as our director since August 2019 and our chief financial officer since January 2019. Prior to joining us, Ms. Ji held the position of chief financial officer at Delsk Group from July 2017 to December 2018. Ms. Ji served as the vice president of finance at Yoyi Digital from January 2012 to July 2017. From May 2007 to January 2012, Ms. Ji served as the financial reporting director at Fang Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN). Ms. Ji received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in economics from Nankai University in 1996 and 1999, respectively. Ms. Ji has been a member of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants since 2005 and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants since 2007.

Yung-Hung Chang has served as our director since August 2019. Mr. Chang has also served as the managing partner of Fusi Capital, responsible for equity investment, fund raising and risk control since October 2014. Mr. Chang served as the senior strategic consultant at SBI Nine Brooks VC Investment Management Ltd. and the partner of Fusi VC Investment Management Ltd. from October 2013 to October 2014. He was the vice president and head of northern region of Citibank (China) Co., Ltd. from September 2005 to June 2013. Mr. Chang received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan in 1997 and his master’s degree from National School of Development of Peking University in 2010.

Harry Chi Hui has served as our director since August 2019. Mr. Hui is also the founder and managing partner of ClearVue Partners, a private equity firm investing in growth stage companies in China’s consumer sectors, since January 2012. Mr. Hui served as the Shanghai-based chief marketing officer and president of PepsiCo Investment (China) Limited and head of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy for the China beverages division of PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP) from November 2006 to September 2010. Mr. Hui served as the president of Universal Music Asia, one of the world’s largest music company, from October 2001 to September 2006. Mr. Hui received his bachelor’s degree in science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1985 and his MBA degree from University of Southern California in 1992.

Chenxi Zhao has served as our director since August 2019. Ms. Zhao is also the partner of SB China Venture Capital since October 2018. Ms. Zhao has served various positions at SB China Venture Capital, including investment director, executive director and partner, since December 2014. She served as the investment director of iStart, an early stage venture capital fund, from April 2012 to August 2014. Ms. Zhao also served as the investment manager of Shanghai Zhong Lu Group Co., Ltd. from June 2010 to March 2012. Ms. Zhao received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in 2009 and her master’s degree in accounting from University of Southern California Marshall Business School in 2010.

Fan Yang has served as our director since August 2019. Mr. Yang has been a senior manager of the mini-programs division of Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU) since February 2018. He served various other positions at Baidu, such as a senior manager of the business infrastructure platform division from July 2016 to October 2017 and a manager of the Baidu union product division from February 2008 to April 2014. Mr. Yang also served as a senior manager of the platform business division of Meituan Dianping (HKEX: 3690) from April 2014 to July 2016. Mr. Yang received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Nanjing University in 2008.

Fan Pan has served as our chief technology officer since May 2015. Prior to joining us, Mr. Pan co-founded and served as the chief technology officer at Beijing Gaotu Information Technology Co., Ltd. from May 2012 to December 2014. Mr. Pan also co-founded Visual China Group Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 0681) and held various positions, including the chief technology officer and the general manager of the e-commerce department, from November 2000 until October 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Pan founded and worked at Beijing CCIDnet Information

 

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Technology Co., Ltd. from April 1999 to June 2001. Mr. Pan received his college degree from Beijing College of Finance and Commerce in 1996.

Jingchuan Li will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Li has served as a senior partner at Tahota Law Firm since July 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Li worked at Beijing Zhongrui Law Firm initially as an associate and then as a partner from March 2004 to July 2016. Prior to joining Beijing Zhongrui Law Firm, Mr. Li served as an associate at King & Wood Mallesons from February 2003 to March 2004. Mr. Li was an associate at Huamao & Guigu Law Firm from September 2000 to February 2003. Mr. Li received his bachelor’s degree in law from Renmin University of China in 1996 and his master’s degree in civil and commercial law from Tsinghua University in 2003.

Jing Zhou will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Zhou has served as a partner at Hammer Capital since September 2017. Prior to that, Ms. Zhou served as the chief finance officer of ChangYou.com Limited (Nasdaq: CYOU) from January 2015 to August 2017. Ms. Zhou was the general counsel at Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU) from August 2003 to December 2014. Ms. Zhou received her bachelor’s degree in law from Renmin University of China in 1996, her master’s degree in law from The University of Sydney in 2000 and her EBMA degree from Tsinghua University and INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration) in 2015.

Jie Jiao will serve as our independent director immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Ms. Jiao has served as the chief financial officer of Play For Dream Inc. since June 2019. She has also served as an independent non-executive director of China Sunshine Paper Holdings Company Limited (HKEX: 2002) since January 2014, TradeGo FinTech Limited (HKEX: 8017) since September 2018 and China Index Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: CIH) since June 2019. Ms. Jiao served as the chief financial officer at iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited (Nasdaq: ICLK) from June 2014 to December 2018. Prior to joining iClick, Ms. Jiao served as the vice president at ArtGo Holdings Limited (HKEX: 3313) from March 2012 to May 2014. Ms. Jiao served as the general counsel and head of the investor relationship department at Fang Holdings Limited (NYSE: SFUN) from January 2010 to February 2012. Ms. Jiao also served as the board secretary of China Sunshine Paper Holdings Company Limited (HKEX: 2002) from April 2007 to March 2010. Ms. Jiao received her bachelor’s degree in law and economics from Peking University in 2003, and her master’s degree in law from Oxford University in 2005. Ms. Jiao is a Chartered Financial Analyst and obtained her PRC Legal Profession Qualification Certificate in 2010.

The business address of our directors and executive officers is: 3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building, No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. No family relationship exists between any of our directors and executive officers.

Board of Directors

Our board of directors will consist of 10 directors upon the SEC’s declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company to qualify to serve as a director. A director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested therein, and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of our directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement is considered, provided (a) such director, if his interest (whether direct or indirect) in such contract or arrangement is material, has declared 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 and (b) if such contract or arrangement is a transaction with a related party, such transaction has been approved by the audit committee. Our directors may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money, mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and issue debentures, debenture share and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party.

 

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Pursuant to our shareholder’s agreement and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of associations, SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. and iStart Venture Limited jointly have the right to appoint, remove or replace one director, each of Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. and FUSI Irvine L.P. individually has the right to appoint, remove or replace one director, and the founders of the Company jointly have the right to appoint, remove or replace five directors. These rights will be terminated upon completion of this offering.

Committees of the Board of Directors

We will establish three committees under the board of directors immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. We will adopt a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee’s members and functions are described below.

Audit Committee. Our audit committee will consist of Ms. Jie Jiao, Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou, and will be chaired by Ms. Jie Jiao. Ms. Jie Jiao, Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. We have determined that Ms. Jie Jiao qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert.”

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

 

   

selecting the independent registered public accounting firm and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

   

reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response;

 

   

reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions, as defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act;

 

   

discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

   

reviewing major issues as to the adequacy of our internal controls and any special audit steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies;

 

   

reviewing and reassessing annually the adequacy of our audit committee charter;

 

   

meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

   

monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance; and

 

   

reporting regularly to the board.

Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee will consist of Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou, and will be chaired by Mr. Leslie Yu. Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. As a foreign private issuer, we have elected to not have our compensation committee consist of entirely independent directors.

The compensation committee will assist the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer

 

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may not be present at any committee meeting during which their compensation is deliberated upon. The compensation committee will be responsible for, among other things:

 

   

reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the total compensation package for our chief executive officer and other executive officers;

 

   

reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors;

 

   

reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements; and

 

   

selecting compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our nominating and corporate governance committee will consist of Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou, and will be chaired by Mr. Leslie Yu. Mr. Jingchuan Li and Ms. Jing Zhou satisfy the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. As a foreign private issuer, we have elected not to have our nominating and corporate governance committee consist of entirely independent directors.

The nominating and corporate governance committee will assist the board in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee will be responsible for, among other things:

 

   

recommending nominees to the board for election or re-election to the board, or for appointment to fill any vacancy on the board;

 

   

reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, age, skills, experience and availability of service to us;

 

   

selecting and recommending to the board the names of directors to serve as members of the audit committee and the compensation committee, as well as of the nominating and corporate governance committee itself;

 

   

developing and reviewing the corporate governance principles adopted by the board and advising the board with respect to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance and our compliance with such laws and practices; and

 

   

evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the board as a whole.

Terms of Directors and Officers

Our directors may be elected by a resolution of our board of directors, or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders, pursuant to the post-offering memorandum and articles of association of our company effective immediately prior to completion of this offering. Our directors are not subject to a term of office and hold office until such time as they are removed from office by ordinary resolution of the shareholders. Pursuant to the post-offering memorandum and articles of association, an appointment of a director may be on terms that the director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the company and the director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. A director will cease to be a director if, among other things, the director (1) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (2) dies or is found by our company to be or becomes of unsound mind; (3) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (4) without special leave of absence from our board, is absent from three consecutive board meetings and our board of directors resolve that his office be vacated; or (5) is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors.

 

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Duties of Directors

Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe to us fiduciary duties, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly and a duty to act in what they consider in good faith to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also 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. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than what may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care, and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time. Our company may have the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached. A shareholder may in certain limited exceptional circumstances have the right to seek damages in our name if a duty owed by our directors is breached. See “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law” for additional information on our standard of corporate governance under Cayman Islands law.

Our board of directors has all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, our business affairs. The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:

 

   

convening shareholders’ annual general meetings and reporting its work to shareholders at such meetings;

 

   

declaring dividends and distributions;

 

   

appointing officers and determining the term of office and its responsibilities of the officers;

 

   

exercising the borrowing powers of our company and mortgaging the property of our company; and

 

   

approving the transfer of shares in our company, including the registration of such shares in our share register.

Employment Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with our executive officers. Each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period, which will be automatically extended for successive one-year terms unless either party gives the other party a prior written notice to terminate employment. We may terminate the employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, including conviction or pleading of guilty to a felony, fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, negligent or dishonest act to our detriment, misconduct or failure to perform his or her duty, disability, or death. An executive officer may terminate his or her employment at any time with a one-month prior written notice if there is a material and substantial reduction in such executive officer’s existing authority and responsibilities or at any time if the termination is approved by our board of directors.

Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the employment agreement expires, in strict confidence and not to use or disclose to any person, corporation or other entity without written consent, any confidential information. Each executive officer has also agreed to assign to us all his or her all inventions, improvements, designs, original works of authorship, formulas, processes, compositions of matter, computer software programs, databases, mask works and trade secrets.

Each executive officer has also agreed that, during his or her term of employment and for a period of two years after terminating employment with us, such executive officer will not, without our prior written consent, (1) approach our suppliers, clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer in his or her capacity as a representative of us for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (2) assume employment with or

 

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provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors, without our express consent; or (3) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of, or hire or engage any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination, without our express consent.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers, pursuant to which we will agree to indemnify our directors and executive 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.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

In 2019, the aggregate cash compensation to directors and executive officers was approximately RMB5.0 million, and we did not pay any compensation to our non-executive directors. This amount consisted only of cash and did not include any share-based compensation or benefits in kind. Each of our directors and officers is entitled to reimbursement for all necessary and reasonable expenses properly incurred in the course of employment or service. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors, except that our PRC subsidiary, our VIE and its subsidiaries are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee’s salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund. Our board of directors may determine compensation to be paid to the directors and the executive officers. The compensation committee will assist the directors in reviewing and approving the compensation structure for the directors and the executive officers.

For information regarding share awards granted to our directors and officers, see “—Share Incentive Plan.”

Share Incentive Plan

In August 2019, our board of directors approved our 2019 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2019 Plan, replacing the 2017 share incentive plan adopted by our affiliated company, to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. Under the 2019 Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2019 Plan shall be 9,502,550 ordinary shares, which constitutes 19.55% of the total outstanding shares of our company on an as-converted basis as of the date of adoption of the 2019 Plan. We assumed all the options granted by our affiliated company prior to the adoption of the 2019 Plan. As of the date of this prospectus, 8,792,312 options have been granted, excluding, if any, awards that were forfeited or canceled after the relevant grant dates and awards that have been vested. The exercise of substantially all the awards under our 2019 Plan shall be conditional upon, among others, the completion of this offering.

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2019 Plan.

Types of awards. The 2019 Plan permits the awards of options, restricted shares, restricted share unit or any other type of awards that the committee decides.

Plan administration. Our board of directors or a committee of one or more members of the board of directors will administer the 2019 Plan. The committee or the full board of directors, as applicable, will determine the participants to receive awards, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each award grant.

Award agreement. Awards granted under the 2019 Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of the award, the provisions applicable in the event of the grantee’s employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind the award.

 

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Eligibility. We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants of our company, subsidiaries, parent company or related entities. However, we may grant options that are intended to qualify as incentive share options only to our employees and employees of our parent companies and subsidiaries.

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

Exercise of options. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is 10 years from the date of a grant.

Transfer restrictions. Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the recipient except under limited circumstances, including by will or the laws of descent and distribution, unless otherwise provided by the plan administrator.

Termination and amendment of the 2019 Plan. Unless terminated earlier, the 2019 Plan has a term of 10 years. Our board of directors has the authority to amend or terminate the plan. However, no such action may adversely affect in any material way any awards previously granted unless agreed by the recipient.

The following table sets forth information on share options that we have awarded or have agreed to award as of the date of this prospectus pursuant to the 2019 Plan.

 

     Class A
Ordinary

Shares
Underlying
the awards
awarded
     Exercise Price
Per Share
(US$)
     Date of Grant      Date of Expiration  

Directors and Executive Officers

           

Leslie Yu

     2,673,352        0.0001       
January 1, 2019 and
September 1, 2019
 
 
    
January 1, 2029 and
September 1, 2029
 
 

Shuyi Yang

     170,122        0.0001        September 1, 2019        September 1, 2029  

Zhen Ba

     170,122        0.0001        September 1, 2019        September 1, 2029  

Gang Wang

     981,849       
0.0001-
0.2009

 
    
September 20, 2017 and
September 1, 2019
 
 
    
September 20, 2027 and
September 1, 2029
 
 

Wenting Ji

     *        0.2176        January 1, 2019        January 1, 2029  

Yung-Hung Chang

     —          —          —          —    

Harry Chi Hui

     —          —          —          —    

Chenxi Zhao

     —          —          —          —    

Fan Yang

     —          —          —          —    

Fan Pan

     *        0.2009        September 20, 2017        September 20, 2027  

Total

     4,952,991           

 

*

Would beneficially own less than 1% of our ordinary shares upon exercise of all share options.

Equity incentive trust

Quhuo Trust was established under the trust deed, dated August 23, 2019, between us, The Core Trust Company Limited, or Core Trust, as trustee and Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited, as nominees. Through Quhuo Trust, our ordinary shares and other rights and interests under awards granted pursuant to the 2019 Plan may be

 

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provided to certain of recipients of equity awards. As of the date of this prospectus, the participants in the Quhuo Trust include our employees, directors, consultants and certain of our executive officers.

Participants in the Quhuo Trust transfer their equity awards to Core Trust to be held for their benefit. Upon satisfaction of vesting conditions and request by grant recipients, Core Trust will exercise the equity awards and transfer the relevant ordinary shares and other rights and interest under the equity awards to the relevant grant recipients with the consent of the trust administrator. Each of the trust deeds provides that Core Trust shall not and shall have no right to exercise the voting rights attached to such ordinary shares unless otherwise directed by the trust administrator, which is the board of directors, its authorized committee or an authorized representative of our company.

 

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership, as determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of our ordinary shares, as of the date of this prospectus, as adjusted to reflect the sale of the ADSs offered in this offering and assuming the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs is not exercised, for:

 

   

each of our directors and executive officers; and

 

   

each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5.0% of our ordinary shares.

The percentage of beneficial ownership of each listed person after this offering is calculated based on (1) 48,606,410 ordinary shares issued and outstanding on an as-converted basis as of the date of this prospectus, and (2)             Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, including (1)            Class A ordinary shares to be sold by us in this offering represented by ADSs, (2) 24,131,100 preferred shares to be converted into Class A ordinary shares on one-for-one basis immediately prior to this offering, and (3) 9,502,500 ordinary shares issued to and held by a nominee of our equity incentive trust that will be converted into Class A ordinary shares on one-for-one basis immediately prior to this offering, but excluding Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise by the underwriters of their options to purchase additional Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs. To our knowledge, except as indicated in the footnotes to the following table, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days. These shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

    Ordinary shares
beneficially owned
immediately prior to
this offering
    Ordinary shares
beneficially owned
immediately after
this offering†
 
    Number     Percent
(%)†
    Number of
Class A
ordinary
shares
    Number of Class B
ordinary shares
    Percent of total
ordinary shares
on an as-converted
basis (%)†
    Percentage
of aggregate
voting power
(%)††
 

Directors and Executive Officers*:

           

Leslie Yu(1)

    6,296,630       12.95          

Shuyi Yang(2)

    6,113,540       12.58          

Zhen Ba(3)

    2,363,030       4.86          

Gang Wang**

    —         —            

Wenting Ji**

    —         —            

Yung-Hung Chang

    —         —            

Harry Chi Hui

    —         —            

Chenxi Zhao

    —         —            

Fan Yang

    —         —            

Fan Pan

    —         —            

Jingchuan Li***

    —         —            

Jing Zhou***

    —         —            

Jie Jiao***

    —         —            

Directors and executive officers as a group

    14,773,200       30.39          

Principal Shareholders:

           

LESYU Investments Limited(1)

    6,296,630       12.95          

YGS Investment Limited(2)

    6,113,540       12.58          

 

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     Ordinary shares
beneficially owned
immediately prior to
this offering
     Ordinary shares
beneficially owned
immediately after
this offering†
 
     Number      Percent
(%)†
     Number of
Class A
ordinary
shares
     Number of Class B
ordinary shares
     Percent of total
ordinary shares
on an as-converted
basis (%)†
     Percentage
of aggregate
voting
power
(%)††
 

BZB Investment Limited(3)

     2,363,030        4.86              

Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited(4)

     9,502,550        19.55              

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.(5)

     5,950,290        12.24              

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. (6)

     5,673,780        11.67              

ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd.(7)

     3,616,630        7.44              

 

*

The business addresses for our directors and executive officers is 3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building, No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

**

Each of Mr. Gang Wang and Ms. Wenting Ji will resign from our board of directors, effective upon SEC’s declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part.

***

Each of Mr. Jingchuan Li, Ms. Jing Zhou and Ms. Jie Jiao has accepted appointment as our independent director, effective upon SEC’s declaration of effectiveness of our registration statement on Form F-1, of which this prospectus is a part.

For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of shares beneficially owned by such person or group by the sum of the total number of shares outstanding on an as-converted basis and the number of shares such person or group has the right to acquire upon exercise of option, warrant or other right within 60 days after the date of this prospectus.

††

For each person and group included in this column, the percentage of voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our Class A and Class B ordinary shares as a single class. In respect of all matters upon which the ordinary shares are entitled to vote, each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to 15 votes, voting together as one class. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. The trustee of our equity incentive trust does not have any voting power in relation to the 9,502,550 Class A ordinary shares held by Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited.

(1)

Represents 6,296,630 ordinary shares that are held by LESYU Investments Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly-owned by Mr. Leslie Yu. All such ordinary shares will be automatically designated into Class B ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The registered office of LESYU Investments Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands.

(2)

Represents 6,113,540 ordinary shares that are held by YGS Investment Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly-owned by Mr. Shuyi Yang. All such ordinary shares will be automatically designated into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The registered office of YGS Investment Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands.

(3)

Represents 2,363,030 ordinary shares that are held by BZB Investment Limited, a British Virgin Islands company wholly-owned by Mr. Zhen Ba. All such ordinary shares will be automatically designated into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The registered office of BZB Investment Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands.

 

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(4)

Represents 9,502,550 ordinary shares that are held by Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited, a British Virgin Islands company and the nominee of Quhuo Trust, which holds these shares for the benefits of the Company and participants thereunder. Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited is wholly-owned by The Core Trust Company Limited, a trust company acting as the trustee of Quhuo Trust. The investment power and voting power of Quhuo Trust are retained by the Company, and/or after duly exercise of the options by the grantees, the participants thereunder. The trustee and the nominee will not and have no right or power to exercise the voting rights attached to these shares, unless as otherwise instructed by the Company and/or, after duly exercise of options, the participants thereunder. All such ordinary shares will be automatically designated into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The registered office of Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited is Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands.

(5)

Represents (1) 4,679,290 series B preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001 and (2) 1,271,000 series C-1 preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001, both of which are held by Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a limited liability company incorporated under the laws of the PRC and is ultimately wholly-owned by Baidu, Inc., a Cayman Island company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “BIDU.” All of these shares will be automatically converted into Class A ordinary shares on one-to-one basis immediately prior to completion of this offering. The registered office of Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. is Baidu Campus, No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street, Haidian District, Beijing, the PRC.

(6)

Represents (1) 4,266,740 series B preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001; (2) 488,000 series C-1 preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001; and (3) 919,040 series D preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001 held by SBCVC Fund IV, L.P., a Cayman Islands company. The general partner of SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. is SBCVC Management IV, L.P., a Cayman Islands company. All of these shares will be automatically converted into Class A ordinary shares on one-to-one basis immediately prior to completion of this offering. The registered office of SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. is Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands.

(7)

Represents (1) 2,860,720 series C-1 preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001 and (2) 755,910 series D preferred shares of our company, par value US$0.0001, both of which are held by ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd., a Cayman Islands company. ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. is controlled by ClearVue Partner II, L.P., the general partner of which is ClearVue Partners II GP, L.P. and ultimately controlled by Harry Chi Hui and William Apollo Chen. All of these shares will be automatically converted into Class A ordinary shares on one-to-one basis immediately prior to completion of this offering. The registered office of ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. is 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Cayman Islands.

Pursuant to an acting-in-concert agreement dated as of June 13, 2019 executed by our founders, Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Shuyi Yang and Mr. Zhen Ba, agree that they must consult with each other before voting and deciding on material matters relating to management of our company, including but not limited to the appointment of directors and investment decisions, and Mr. Shuyi Yang and Mr. Zhen Ba further undertake to vote or cause to be voted, by themselves or through their respective controlled entities, in concert and consistent with the votes cast by Mr. Leslie Yu in any circumstances, including in the event no unanimous consent could be reached by them. As a result, Mr. Leslie Yu, through his wholly-owned holding company, controls the voting power over 14,773,200 ordinary shares of our issued and outstanding share capital as of the date of this prospectus. The acting-in-concert agreement will be terminated upon the completion of this offering, and the table above assumes such termination.

Immediately prior to completion of this offering, each of the ordinary shares held by Mr. Leslie Yu, through his wholly-owned holding company, will be converted into one Class B ordinary share and each of the ordinary shares and preferred shares held by other shareholders will be converted into one Class A ordinary share, as a result of which, upon completion of this offering, Mr. Leslie Yu will have the voting power over 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares of our issued and outstanding share capital immediately after completion of this offering.

 

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As of the date of this prospectus, none of our outstanding ordinary shares or preferred shares were held by any record holders in the United States. We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company. See “Description of Share Capital—History of Securities Issuances” for a description of issuances of our shares that have resulted in significant changes in ownership held by our major shareholders.

Historical Changes in Our Shareholding

See “Description of Share Capital—History of Securities Issuances” for historical changes in our shareholding.

 

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Transactions with Related Entities

Revenue from Beijing Xiaodu Information Technology Management Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary.      Beijing Xiaodu Information Technology Management Co., Ltd., or Beijing Xiaodu, is a company controlled by a principal shareholder before it was disposed in August 2017, and is primarily engaged in on-demand food delivery business. We generated revenues from Beijing Xiaodu with our on-demand food delivery solutions of RMB114.8 million, nil and nil in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Transactions with Jinzhou Xingda Technology Co., Ltd.     Jinzhou Xingda Technology Co., Ltd., or Jinzhou Xingda, was an equity method investee company of ours and is primarily engaged in on-demand food delivery business. We had amounts due from Jinzhou Xingda of nil, RMB25.2 million and nil as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, representing working capital advanced to Jinzhou Xingda. In addition, we provided labor consulting services to Jinzhou Xingda and recorded other income of RMB7.8 million in 2018.

Transactions with Ningbo Xingda Zhisong Network Technology Co., Ltd.     Ningbo Xingda Zhisong Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Ningbo Xingda, was an equity method investee company of ours and is primarily engaged in on-demand food delivery business. We had amounts due from Ningbo Xingda of nil, RMB0.6 million and nil as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, representing working capital advanced to Ningbo Xingda.

Transactions with Shanghai Xinying Network Technology Co., Ltd.    Shanghai Xinying Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Xinying, is a company controlled by our principal shareholders, and is primarily engaged in on-demand food delivery business. We had amounts due from Shanghai Xinying of RMB3.8 million, RMB3.8 million and nil as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, representing working capital advanced to Shanghai Xinying.

Transactions with Ningbo Nuannuan Network Technology Co., Ltd.     Ningbo Nuannuan Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Ningbo Nuannuan, is a company controlled by Lili Sun, spouse of Mr. Leslie Yu, and is primarily engaged in on-demand food delivery business. We had amounts due from Ningbo Nuannuan of RMB60,000, RMB0.2 million and nil as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, representing working capital advanced to Ningbo Nuannuan.

Amounts due from Jinzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda were unsecured and interest-free. On February 1, 2019, we entered into share disposal agreements to dispose all of our 30% equity interests in Jinzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda, respectively. Amounts due from Shanghai Xinying and Ningbo Nuannuan were unsecured, interest-free and had fixed terms of repayment, and were repaid in August 2019.

We had amounts due from SBCVC Fund IV, L.P, one of our principal shareholders, of RMB18.4 million (US$2.6 million) as of December 31, 2019 due to our restructuring process, which were settled in March 2020 when we completed our restructuring.

Contractual Agreements with Our VIE and Its Shareholders

See “Corporate History and Structure—Contractual Arrangements.”

Private Placements

See “Description of Share Capital—History of Securities Issuances.”

Shareholders Agreement

See “Description of Share Capital—History of Securities Issuances—Shareholders Agreement.”

 

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Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

See “Management—Employment Agreements.”

Share Incentive Pan

See “Management—Share Incentive Plan.”

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

We were incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands, as amended, or the Companies Law, on June 13, 2019. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time and the Companies Law, and the common law of the Cayman Islands.

As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital is US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares with par value of US$0.0001 each, comprising (1) 475,868,900 ordinary shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, (2) 1,335,370 series A preferred shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, (3) 9,500,030 series B preferred shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, (4) 5,107,720 series C-1 preferred shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, (5) 2,377,370 series C-2 preferred shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, and (6) 5,810,610 series D preferred shares, with a par value of US$0.0001 per share. As of the date of this prospectus, 24,475,310 ordinary shares (including 9,502,550 shares issued and reserved for our equity incentive awards), 1,335,370 series A preferred shares, 9,500,030 series B preferred shares, 5,107,720 series C-1 preferred shares, 2,377,370 series C-2 preferred shares, and 5,810,610 series D preferred shares are issued and outstanding.

Immediately prior to completion of this offering, (1) each of the ordinary share held by LESYU Investments Limited will be re-designated and converted into one Class B ordinary share of the Company with a par value of US$0.0001, (2) each of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares, series A preferred shares, series B preferred shares, series C-1 preferred shares, series C-2 preferred shares and series D preferred shares will be re-designated and converted into one Class A ordinary share, (3) certain of our authorized but unissued ordinary shares will be re-designated into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, and (4) certain of our authorized but unissued ordinary shares will be re-designated into shares of the company with par value US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with our post-offering memorandum and articles of association on a one-for-one basis. Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, our authorized share capital will be US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares comprising (1) 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 each, (2) 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 each, and (3) 193,703,370 shares of par value US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as our board of directors may determine in accordance with our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We will have             Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs.

Our Post-offering Memorandum and Articles of Association

We have adopted the second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or post-offering memorandum and articles of association, which will become effective and replace our current memorandum and articles of association in its entirety immediately prior to the completion of this offering. The following are summaries of material provisions of the post-offering memorandum and articles of association, and of the Companies Law, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.

The following discussion primarily concerns ordinary shares and the rights of holders of ordinary shares. The holders of ADSs will not be treated as our shareholders and will be required to surrender their ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal from the depositary facility in which the ordinary shares are held in order to exercise shareholders’ rights in respect of the ordinary shares. The depositary will agree, so far as it is practical, to vote or cause to be voted the amount of Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs in accordance with the non-discretionary written instructions of the holders of such ADSs. See “Description of American Depositary Shares—Voting Rights.”

Objects of our company. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, the objects of our company are unrestricted and we have the full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands.

Ordinary shares. Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting

 

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and conversion rights. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of shareholders. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.

Conversion. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than Mr. Leslie Yu or his affiliates, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B ordinary share to any person other than Mr. Leslie Yu or his affiliates, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares.

Dividends. The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In addition, our shareholders may by an ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of our directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either our profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if, immediately after this payment, this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business.

Voting rights. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote by our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law or provided for in our post-offering memorandum and articles of association. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded. A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any shareholder present in person or by proxy at the meeting. On a poll, each Class A ordinary share entitles the holder thereof to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share entitles the holder thereof to 15 votes.

An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present in person or by proxy at a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the outstanding ordinary shares cast by those shareholders entitled to vote who are present or by proxy at a general meeting. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Law and our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We may, among other things, subdivide or consolidate our shares by ordinary resolution.

General meetings of shareholders. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obligated by the Companies Law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obligated to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.

Shareholders’ general meetings may be convened by the chairman of our board of directors or a majority of our board of directors. Advance notice of at least 10 calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting (if any) and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for

 

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any general meeting of shareholders consists of one or more shareholder present or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorized representative, representing not less than one-third of all votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares in our company entitled to vote at general meetings.

The Companies Law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders representing in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings as at the date of the deposit of the requisition, our board is obligated to convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. However, our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.

Transfer of ordinary shares. Subject to the restrictions in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.

Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any share unless:

 

   

the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

   

the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;

 

   

the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

   

in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and

 

   

a fee of such maximum sum as NASDAQ may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof.

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three calendar months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with us, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice requirement of NASDAQ, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 calendar days in any calendar year as our board may determine.

Liquidation. On a return of capital or the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.

 

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

Variations of rights of shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law and our post-offering amended and restated articles of association, if at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class) may be materially and adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class. 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 materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of further shares with preferred or other rights including without limitation the creation of shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.

Issuance of additional shares. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional Class A ordinary shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.

Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association also authorizes our board of directors to issue from time to time out of the authorized share capital of the company (other than the authorized but unissued ordinary shares) series of preference shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares in their absolute discretion and without approval of the shareholders; provided, however, before any preferred shares of any such series are issued, the directors shall by resolution of directors determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including but not limited to:

 

   

the designation of the series;

 

   

the number of shares to constitute the series;

 

   

the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and

 

   

the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences.

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

Inspection of books and records. Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records (other than our memorandum and articles of association). See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

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Anti-takeover provisions. Some provisions of our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:

 

   

authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and

 

   

limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders.

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

Election and removal of directors. Unless otherwise determined by our company in general meeting, our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will consist of not less than three directors, with the exact number of directors to be determined from time to time by the board of directors. There are no provisions relating to retirement of directors upon reaching any age limit. The directors have the power to appoint any person as a director either to fill a casual vacancy on the board or as an addition to the existing board. Our shareholders may also appoint any person to be a director by way of ordinary resolution.

Subject to restrictions contained in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, a director may be removed with or without cause by ordinary resolution of our company. In addition, the office of any director shall be vacated if the director (1) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors, (2) dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind, (3) resigns his office by notice in writing to our company, (4) without special leave of absence from our board, is absent from three consecutive board meetings and our board resolves that his office be vacated, or (5) is removed from office pursuant to our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Proceedings of board of directors. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our business is to be managed and conducted by our board of directors. The quorum necessary for board meetings may be fixed by the board and, unless so fixed at another number, will be a majority of the directors. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the board may from exercise all the powers of our company to raise or borrow money, to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any party thereof of our company to issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of our company or of any third party.

Exempted company. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Law. The Companies Law distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:

 

   

does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

 

   

is not required to open its register of members for inspection;

 

   

does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

 

   

may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value;

 

   

may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

 

   

may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

 

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may register as a limited duration company; and

 

   

may register as a segregated portfolio company.

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of our company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

Changes in capital. Our shareholders may from time to time by ordinary resolution:

 

   

increase our share capital by such sum, to be divided into shares of such classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe;

 

   

consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing shares;

 

   

sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them into shares of a smaller amount as fixed by the post-offering memorandum of association, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share shall be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; or

 

   

cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

Our shareholders may by special resolution reduce our share capital or any capital redemption reserve in any manner permitted by law.

Register of members. Under Companies Law, we must keep a register of members and there should be entered therein:

 

   

the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member, and such statement shall confirm (1) the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member, (2) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (3) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;

 

   

the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

 

   

the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members should be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this offering, our company’s register of members will be immediately updated to record and give effect to the issue of Class A ordinary shares by us to the Depositary (or its nominee) as the depositary. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name in the register of members.

If the name of any person is incorrectly entered in or omitted from our register of members, or if there is any default or unnecessary delay in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a member of our company, the person or member aggrieved (or any member of our company or our company itself) may apply to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.

 

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Differences in Corporate Law

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

Mergers and similar arrangements. The Companies Law permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (1) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (2) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by either (1) a special resolution of each constituent company or (2) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures. Save in certain limited circumstances, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provide the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Law. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful. Separate from the statutory provisions related to mergers and consolidation, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, 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:

 

   

the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met;

 

   

the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;

 

   

the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and

 

   

the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Law.

The Companies Law also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissenting minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months of the offer, the offeror may, within a two-month

 

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period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection may be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

If the arrangement and reconstruction by way of scheme of arrangement are thus approved or of a tender offer is made and accepted in accordance with the foregoing statutory procedures, 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. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow English case law precedents and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) which permit a minority shareholder to commence a class action against, or derivative actions in the name of, the company to challenge:

 

   

an act which is ultra vires or illegal and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders,

 

   

an act which constitutes a fraud against the minority where the wrongdoers are themselves in control of the company, and

 

   

an action which requires a resolution with a qualified (or special) majority which has not been obtained.

Indemnification of directors and executive officers and limitation of liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our post-offering memorandum and articles of association provides that our directors and officers and the personal representatives of the same shall be indemnified against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained in or about the conduct of the company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment), provided that the indemnity shall not extend to any matter in respect of any wilful default, fraud or dishonesty which may attach to any of said persons.

In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

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

Directors’ fiduciary duties. Under Cayman Islands law, at common law, members of a board of directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company to act in good faith in their dealings with or on behalf of the company and exercise their powers and fulfill the duties of their office honestly. This duty has four essential elements:

 

   

a duty to act in good faith in the best interests of the company;

 

   

a duty not to personally profit from opportunities that arise from the office of director (unless the company permits him to do so);

 

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a duty to avoid conflicts of interest; and

 

   

a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended.

In addition, a director also owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care and is required to exercise reasonable care when managing the affairs of the company. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved toward an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care, and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

The fiduciary duties imposed on directors by Cayman Islands law are similar to the fiduciary duties imposed on directors by Delaware law. However, our shareholders may experience difficulties in protecting their interests due to either (1) the relatively less developed case law in the Cayman Islands with respect to the requirements for bringing shareholder suits in Cayman Island courts, or (2) the risk that Cayman Islands courts will not recognize or enforce judgments of courts in the United States based on the civil liability provisions of United States federal securities laws. See “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to the ADS and this Offering—You may face difficulties in protecting your interest, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.”

Shareholder action by written consent. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. The Companies Law and our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.

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

The Companies Law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association allow our shareholders holding not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition a shareholder’s meeting, in which case our directors shall convene an extraordinary general meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders’ meeting, our post-offering amended and restated articles of association do not provide our shareholders other right to put proposal before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obligated by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

Cumulative voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the Companies Law but our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

Removal of directors. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled

 

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to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, subject to certain restrictions as contained therein, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. An appointment of a director may be on terms that the director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the company and the director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. A director shall hold office until the expiration of his or her term or his or her successor shall have been elected and qualified, or until his or her office is otherwise vacated. In addition, a director’s office shall be vacated if the director (1) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (2) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (3) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (4) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from three consecutive meetings of the board and the board resolves that his office be vacated; or (5) is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

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

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

Corporate governance. Cayman Islands laws do not restrict transactions with directors, requiring only that directors exercise a duty of care and owe a fiduciary duty to the companies for which they serve. Under our post-offering memorandum and articles of association, subject to any separate requirement for audit committee approval under the applicable rules of the stock exchange on which we list, or unless disqualified by the chairman of the relevant board meeting, so long as a director discloses the nature of his interest in any contract or arrangement which he is interested in, such a director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement in which such director is interested and may be counted in the quorum at such meeting.

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

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

 

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Amendment of governing documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law, our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended with a special resolution of our shareholders.

Rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that require our company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.

History of Securities Issuances

We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands on June 13, 2019. The following is a summary of our securities issuances since our incorporation:

Ordinary shares

Upon our incorporation, we issued one ordinary share to the initial subscriber and this one ordinary share was transferred to LESYU Investments Limited on the same day. On the same day, we issued additional 629,662, 611,354, 236,303, 950,255 and 19,956 ordinary shares to LESYU Investments Limited, YGS Investment Limited, BZB Investment Limited, Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited and Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited at nominal consideration, respectively.

On July 26, 2019, we issued additional 5,666,967, 5,502,186, 2,126,727, 8,552,295 and 179,604 ordinary shares to LESYU Investments Limited, YGS Investment Limited, BZB Investment Limited, Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited and Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited at nominal consideration, respectively.

Preferred shares

On August 23, 2019, we issued (1) 1,335,370 series A preferred shares, 554,000 series B preferred shares and 488,000 series C-1 preferred shares to iStart Venture Limited at an aggregate consideration of RMB1,758,776.94, RMB1,266,000 and RMB7,750,000, respectively; (2) 4,266,740 series B preferred shares, 488,000 series C-1 preferred shares and 919,040 series D preferred shares to SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. at an aggregate consideration of RMB10,606,500, RMB7,750,000, and US$4,000,000, respectively; (3) 4,679,290 series B preferred shares and 1,271,000 series C-1 preferred shares to Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. at an aggregate consideration of RMB20,500,000 and RMB15,500,000, respectively; (4) 2,860,720 series C-1 preferred shares and 755,910 series D preferred shares to ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. at an aggregate consideration of US$6,705,263 and US$3,290,000, respectively; (5) 1,359,850 series C-2 preferred shares and 657,110 series D preferred shares to CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership) at an aggregate consideration of RMB30,408,185 and RMB19,591,815, respectively; (6) 1,017,520 series C-2 preferred shares and 491,690 series D preferred shares to Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited at an aggregate consideration of RMB22,753,100 and RMB14,659,687, respectively; (7) 597,370 series D preferred shares to FUSI Irvine L.P. at an aggregate consideration of US$2,600,000; (8) 1,943,760 series D preferred shares to Beijing ErQu Management Consultant LLP at an aggregate consideration of RMB58,445,910; (9) 445,730 series D preferred shares to Delta Electronics Capital Company at an aggregate consideration of US$1,940,000.

Option grants

We have granted options to purchase our ordinary shares to certain of our directors, executive officers, employees and consultants. See “Management—Share Incentive Plan.”

 

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Shareholders Agreement

We entered into our shareholders agreement on August 23, 2019 with our shareholders.

Pursuant to this shareholders agreement, our board of directors shall consist of nine directors. SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. and iStart Venture Limited jointly have the right to appoint one director, each of Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. and FUSI Irvine L.P. individually has the right to appoint one director, and the founders of the Company jointly have the right to jointly appoint five directors. CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership) and Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited jointly have the right to appoint one board observer.

The shareholders agreement also provides for certain preferential rights, including among others, right of participation, redemption rights and co-sale rights. All the preferential rights will terminate or be waived upon the completion of this offering.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

American Depositary Shares

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary, will register and deliver the ADSs. Each ADS will represent ownership of            Class A ordinary share[s], deposited with Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS will also represent ownership of any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositary’s corporate trust office at which the ADSs will be administered is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA. The principal executive office of the depositary is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005, USA.

The Direct Registration System, or DRS, is a system administered by The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto.

We will not treat ADS holders as our shareholders and accordingly, you, as an ADS holder, will not have shareholder rights. Cayman Islands law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As a holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary and you, as an ADS holder, and the beneficial owners of ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. The laws of the State of New York govern the deposit agreement and the ADSs. See “—Jurisdiction and Arbitration.”

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of American Depositary Receipt. For directions on how to obtain copies of those documents, see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

Holding the ADSs

How will you hold your ADSs?

You may hold ADSs either (1) directly (a) by having an American Depositary Receipt, or ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (b) by holding ADSs in DRS, or (2) indirectly through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, you are an ADS holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs directly. ADSs will be issued through DRS, unless you specifically request certificated ADRs. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

Dividends and Other Distributions

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?

The depositary 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 as of the record date (which will be as close as practicable to the record date for our ordinary shares) set by the depositary with respect to the ADSs.

 

   

Cash. The depositary will convert or cause to be converted any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the ordinary shares or any net proceeds from the sale of any ordinary shares, rights, securities or other entitlements under the terms of the deposit agreement into U.S. dollars if it can do so on a practicable basis, and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States and will distribute promptly the amount thus received. If the depositary shall determine in its judgment that such conversions or transfers are not practical or lawful or if any government approval or license is needed and cannot be

 

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obtained at a reasonable cost within a reasonable period or otherwise sought, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold or cause the custodian to hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid and such funds will be held for the respective accounts of the ADS holders. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest for the respective accounts of the ADS holders.

Before making a distribution, any taxes or other governmental charges, together with fees and expenses of the depositary, that must be paid, will be deducted. See “Taxation.” It will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round down fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution.

 

   

Shares. For any ordinary shares we distribute as a dividend or free distribution, either (1) the depositary will distribute additional ADSs representing such ordinary shares or (2) existing ADSs as of the applicable record date will represent rights and interests in the additional ordinary shares distributed, to the extent reasonably practicable and permissible under law, in either case, net of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will try to sell ordinary shares which would require it to deliver a fractional ADS and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed ordinary shares sufficient to pay its fees and expenses, and any taxes and governmental charges, in connection with that distribution.

 

   

Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares. If we offer holders of our ordinary shares the option to receive dividends in either cash or shares, the depositary, after consultation with us and having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such elective distribution by us, has discretion to determine to what extent such elective distribution will be made available to you as a holder of the ADSs. We must timely first instruct the depositary to make such elective distribution available to you and furnish it with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. The depositary could decide it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make such elective distribution available to you. In such case, the depositary shall, on the basis of the same determination as is made in respect of the ordinary shares for which no election is made, distribute either cash in the same way as it does in a cash distribution, or additional ADSs representing ordinary shares in the same way as it does in a share distribution. The depositary is not obligated to make available to you a method to receive the elective dividend in shares rather than in ADSs. There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of ordinary shares.

 

   

Rights to Purchase Additional Shares. If we offer holders of our ordinary shares any rights to subscribe for additional shares, the depositary shall having received timely notice as described in the deposit agreement of such distribution by us, consult with us, and we must determine whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make these rights available to you. We must first instruct the depositary to make such rights available to you and furnish the depositary with satisfactory evidence that it is legal to do so. If the depositary decides it is not legal or reasonably practicable to make the rights available but that it is lawful and reasonably practicable to sell the rights, the depositary will endeavor to sell the rights and in a riskless principal capacity or otherwise, at such place and upon such terms (including public or private sale) as it may deem proper distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. The depositary will allow rights that are not distributed or sold to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them.

If the depositary makes rights available to you, it will establish procedures to distribute such rights and enable you to exercise the rights upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. The Depositary shall not be obligated to make available to you a method to exercise such rights to subscribe for ordinary shares (rather than ADSs).

 

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U.S. securities laws may restrict transfers and cancellation of the ADSs represented by shares purchased upon exercise of rights. For example, you may not be able to trade these ADSs freely in the United States. In this case, the depositary may deliver restricted depositary shares that have the same terms as the ADSs described in this section except for changes needed to put the necessary restrictions in place.

There can be no assurance that you will be given the opportunity to exercise rights on the same terms and conditions as the holders of ordinary shares or be able to exercise such rights.

 

   

Other Distributions. Subject to receipt of timely notice, as described in the deposit agreement, from us with the request to make any such distribution available to you, and provided the depositary has determined such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable and feasible and in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary will distribute to you anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it may deem practicable, upon your payment of applicable fees, charges and expenses incurred by the depositary and taxes and/or other governmental charges. If any of the conditions above are not met, the depositary will endeavor to sell, or cause to be sold, what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash; or, if it is unable to sell such property, the depositary may dispose of such property in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the circumstances for nominal or no consideration, such that you may have no rights to or arising from such property.

The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS 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 ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if we and/or the depositary determines that it is illegal or not practicable for us or the depositary to make them available to you.

Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

How are ADSs issued?

The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposit ordinary shares or evidence of rights to receive ordinary 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 depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons entitled thereto.

[Except for ordinary shares deposited by us in connection with this offering, no shares will be accepted for deposit during a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. The 180 day lock up period is subject to adjustment under certain circumstances as described in the section entitled “Shares Eligible for Future Sales—Lock-up Agreements.”]

How do ADS holders cancel an American Depositary Share?

You may turn in your ADSs at the depositary’s corporate trust office or by providing appropriate instructions to your broker. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the ordinary shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to you or a person you designate at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its corporate trust office, to the extent permitted by law.

How do ADS holders interchange between Certificated ADSs and Uncertificated ADSs?

You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send you a statement confirming that you are the owner of

 

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uncertificated ADSs. Alternatively, upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will execute and deliver to you an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

Voting Rights

How do you vote?

You may instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying your ADSs at any meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities. Otherwise, you could exercise your right to vote directly if you withdraw the ordinary shares. However, you may not know about the meeting sufficiently enough in advance to withdraw the ordinary shares.

If we ask for your instructions and upon timely notice from us by regular, ordinary mail delivery, or by electronic transmission, as described in the deposit agreement, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming meeting at which you are entitled to vote pursuant to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. The materials will include or reproduce (a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consents or proxies; (b) a statement that the ADS holders at the close of business on the ADS record date will be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, and the provisions of or governing the deposited securities, to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the ordinary shares or other deposited securities represented by such holder’s ADSs; and (c) a brief statement as to the manner in which such instructions may be given or deemed given in accordance with the second to last sentence of this paragraph if no instruction is received, to the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us. Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number of ordinary shares or other deposited securities. For instructions to be valid, the depositary must receive them in writing on or before the date specified. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to applicable law and the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, to vote or to have its agents vote the ordinary shares or other deposited securities (in person or by proxy) as you instruct. The depositary will only vote or attempt to vote as you instruct. If we timely requested the depositary to solicit your instructions but no instructions are received by the depositary from an owner with respect to any of the deposited securities represented by the ADSs of that owner on or before the date established by the depositary for such purpose, the depositary shall deem that owner to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us with respect to such deposited securities, and the depositary shall give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote such deposited securities. However, no such instruction shall be deemed given and no such discretionary proxy shall be given with respect to any matter if we inform the depositary we do not wish such proxy given, substantial opposition exists or the matter materially and adversely affects the rights of holders of the Class A ordinary shares.

We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. In addition, there can be no assurance that ADS holders and beneficial owners generally, or any holder or beneficial owner in particular, will be given the opportunity to vote or cause the custodian to vote on the same terms and conditions as the holders of our ordinary shares.

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 you may have no recourse if the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to deposited securities, if we request the depositary to act, we will give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted at least 30 business days in advance of the meeting date.

 

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Compliance with Regulations

Information Requests

Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall (a) provide such information as we or the depositary may request pursuant to law, including, without limitation, relevant Cayman Islands law, any applicable law of the United States of America, our memorandum and articles of association, any resolutions of our Board of Directors adopted pursuant to such memorandum and articles of association, the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the ordinary shares, ADSs or ADRs are listed or traded, or to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs or ADRs may be transferred, regarding the capacity in which they own or owned ADRs, the identity of any other persons then or previously interested in such ADRs and the nature of such interest, and any other applicable matters, and (b) be bound by and subject to applicable provisions of the laws of the Cayman Islands, our memorandum and articles of association, and the requirements of any markets or exchanges upon which the ADSs, ADRs or ordinary shares are listed or traded, or pursuant to any requirements of any electronic book-entry system by which the ADSs, ADRs or ordinary shares may be transferred, to the same extent as if such ADS holder or beneficial owner held ordinary shares directly, in each case irrespective of whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time such request is made.

Disclosure of Interests

Each ADS holder and beneficial owner shall comply with our requests pursuant to Cayman Islands law, the rules and requirements of NASDAQ and any other stock exchange on which the ordinary shares are, or will be, registered, traded or listed or our memorandum and articles of association, which requests are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such ADS holder or beneficial owner owns ADS and regarding the identity of any other person interested in such ADS and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or not they are ADS holders or beneficial owners at the time of such requests.

Fees and Expenses

As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs):

 

Service

  

Fees

•  To any person to which ADSs are issued or to any person to which a distribution is made in respect of ADS distributions pursuant to stock dividends or other free distributions of stock, bonus distributions, stock splits or other distributions (except where converted to cash)

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued

•  Cancellation of ADSs, including the case of termination of the deposit agreement

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS cancelled

•  Distribution of cash dividends

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

•  Distribution of cash entitlements (other than cash dividends) and/or cash proceeds from the sale of rights, securities and other entitlements

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

•  Distribution of ADSs pursuant to exercise of rights.

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

•  Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS held

•  Depositary services

   Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank

 

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As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible to pay certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs) such as:

 

   

Fees for the transfer and registration of ordinary shares charged by the registrar and transfer agent for the ordinary shares in the Cayman Islands (i.e., upon deposit and withdrawal of ordinary shares).

 

   

Expenses incurred for converting foreign currency into U.S. dollars.

 

   

Expenses for cable, telex and fax transmissions and for delivery of securities.

 

   

Taxes and duties upon the transfer of securities, including any applicable stamp duties, any stock transfer charges or withholding taxes (i.e., when ordinary shares are deposited or withdrawn from deposit).

 

   

Fees and expenses incurred in connection with the delivery or servicing of ordinary shares on deposit.

 

   

Fees and expenses incurred in connection with complying with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to ordinary shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs.

 

   

Any applicable fees and penalties thereon.

The depositary fees payable upon the issuance and cancellation of ADSs are typically paid to the depositary bank by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) receiving the newly issued ADSs from the depositary bank and by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) delivering the ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation. The brokers in turn charge these fees to their clients. Depositary fees payable in connection with distributions of cash or securities to ADS holders and the depositary services fee are charged by the depositary bank to the holders of record of ADSs as of the applicable ADS record date.

The depositary fees payable for cash distributions are generally deducted from the cash being distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. In the case of distributions other than cash (i.e., share dividends, rights), the depositary bank charges the applicable fee to the ADS record date holders concurrent with the distribution. In the case of ADSs registered in the name of the investor (whether certificated or uncertificated in direct registration), the depositary bank sends invoices to the applicable record date ADS holders. In the case of ADSs held in brokerage and custodian accounts (via DTC), the depositary bank generally collects its fees through the systems provided by DTC (whose nominee is the registered holder of the ADSs held in DTC) from the brokers and custodians holding ADSs in their DTC accounts. The brokers and custodians who hold their clients’ ADSs in DTC accounts in turn charge their clients’ accounts the amount of the fees paid to the depositary banks.

In the event of refusal to pay the depositary fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder.

The depositary may make payments to us or reimburse us for certain costs and expenses, by making available a portion of the ADS fees collected in respect of the ADR program or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary bank agree from time to time.

Payment of Taxes

You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable, or which become payable, on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register or transfer your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until such taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited

 

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securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to you any net proceeds, or send to you any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes. You agree to indemnify us, the depositary, the custodian and each of our and their respective agents, directors, employees and affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes (including applicable interest and penalties thereon) arising from any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained for you. Your obligations under this paragraph shall survive any transfer of ADRs, any surrender of ADRs and withdrawal of deposited securities or the termination of the deposit agreement.

Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers

 

If we:

  

Then:

Change the nominal or par value of our ordinary shares

   The cash, shares or other securities received by the depositary will become deposited securities.

Reclassify, split up or consolidate any of the deposited securities

   Each ADS will automatically represent its equal share of the new deposited securities.

Distribute securities on the ordinary shares that are not distributed to you, or recapitalize, reorganize, merge, liquidate, sell all or substantially all of our assets, or take any similar action

   The depositary may distribute some or all of the cash, shares or other securities it received. It may also deliver new ADSs or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.

Amendment and Termination

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of ADR without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, including expenses incurred in connection with foreign exchange control regulations and other charges specifically payable by ADS holders under the deposit agreement, or materially prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended. If any new laws are adopted which would require the deposit agreement to be amended in order to comply therewith, we and the depositary may amend the deposit agreement in accordance with such laws and such amendment may become effective before notice thereof is given to ADS holders.

How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

The depositary will terminate the deposit agreement if we ask it to do so, in which case the depositary will give notice to you at least 90 days prior to termination. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign, or if we have removed the depositary, and in either case we have not appointed a new depositary within 90 days. In either such case, the depositary must notify you at least 30 days before termination.

After termination, the depositary and its agents will do the following under the deposit agreement but nothing else: collect distributions on the deposited securities, sell rights and other property and deliver ordinary shares and other deposited securities upon cancellation of ADSs after payment of any fees, charges, taxes or other governmental charges. Six months or more after the date of termination, the depositary may sell any remaining deposited securities by public or private sale. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, for the pro rata benefit of the

 

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ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. It will not invest the money and has no liability for interest. After such sale, the depositary’s only obligations will be to account for the money and other cash. After termination, we shall be discharged from all obligations under the deposit agreement except for our obligations to the depositary thereunder.

Books of Depositary

The depositary will maintain ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of business matters relating to the Company, the ADRs and the deposit agreement.

The depositary will maintain facilities in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADRs.

These facilities may be closed at any time or from time to time when such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the depositary in connection with the performance of its duties under the deposit agreement or at our reasonable written request.

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary and the Custodian; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs

The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary and the custodian. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. The depositary and the custodian:

 

   

are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without gross negligence or willful misconduct;

 

   

are not liable if any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents are prevented or forbidden from, or subjected to any civil or criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the deposit agreement and any ADR, by reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States or any state thereof, the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of the possible criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present or future, of our memorandum and articles of association or any provision of or governing any deposited securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and computer failure);

 

   

are not liable by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the deposit agreement or in our memorandum and articles of association or provisions of or governing deposited securities;

 

   

are not liable for any action or inaction of the depositary, the custodian or us or their or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, any person presenting ordinary shares for deposit or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information;

 

   

are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement;

 

   

are not liable for any special, consequential, indirect or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement, or otherwise;

 

   

may rely upon any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party;

 

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disclaim any liability for any action or inaction or inaction of any of us or our respective controlling persons or agents in reliance upon the advice of or information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting ordinary shares for deposit, holders and beneficial owners (or authorized representatives) of ADSs, or any person believed in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information; and

 

   

disclaim any liability for inability of any holder to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit made available to holders of deposited securities but not made available to holders of ADS.

The depositary and any of its agents also disclaim any liability (i) for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, the manner in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote or failure to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable or for allowing any rights to lapse in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement, (ii) the failure or timeliness of any notice from us, the content of any information submitted to it by us for distribution to you or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, (iii) any investment risk associated with the acquisition of an interest in the deposited securities, the validity or worth of the deposited securities, the credit-worthiness of any third party, (iv) for any tax consequences that may result from ownership of ADSs, ordinary shares or deposited securities, or (v) for any 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 gross negligence or willful misconduct while it acted as depositary.

In the deposit agreement, we agree to indemnify the depositary under certain circumstances.

Jurisdiction and Arbitration

The laws of the State of New York govern the deposit agreement and the ADSs and we have agreed with the depositary that the federal or state courts in the City of New York shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any dispute arising from or in connection with the deposit agreement which may include claims arising under the U.S. federal securities laws, and that the depositary may in its sole direction, require that any claim or dispute arising from the relationship created by the deposit agreement be referred to and finally settled by an arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Although ADS holders, including holders that acquired ADSs in a secondary transaction, are subject to the arbitration provisions of the deposit agreement, the arbitration provisions do not preclude ADS holders from pursuing claims under the U.S. federal securities laws in federal courts. The arbitration provision of the deposit agreement is not intended to be deemed a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Jury Trial Waiver

The deposit agreement provides that each party to the deposit agreement (including each holder, beneficial owner and holder of interests in the ADRs) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any lawsuit or proceeding against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable law. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

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Requirements for Depositary Actions

Before the depositary will issue, deliver or register a transfer of an ADS, split-up, subdivide or combine ADSs, make a distribution on an ADS, or permit withdrawal of ordinary shares, the depositary may require:

 

   

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 ordinary shares or other deposited securities and payment of the applicable fees, expenses and charges of the depositary;

 

   

satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matters contemplated in the deposit agreement; and

 

   

compliance with (A) any laws or governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs or to the withdrawal or delivery of deposited securities and (B) such reasonable regulations and procedures as the depositary may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement and applicable laws, including presentation of transfer documents.

The depositary may refuse to issue and deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs generally when the register of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we determine that it is necessary or advisable to do so.

Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying Your ADSs

You have the right to cancel your ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares at any time except:

 

   

when temporary delays arise because: (1) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (2) the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (3) we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares;

 

   

when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges;

 

   

when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities, or

 

   

other circumstances specifically contemplated by Section I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended from time to time); or

 

   

for any other reason if the depositary or we determine, in good faith, that it is necessary or advisable to prohibit withdrawals.

The depositary shall not knowingly accept for deposit under the deposit agreement any ordinary shares or other deposited securities required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act, unless a registration statement is in effect as to such ordinary shares.

This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

Direct Registration System

In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the DRS and Profile Modification System, or Profile, will apply to uncertificated ADSs upon acceptance thereof to DRS by DTC. DRS is the system administered by DTC pursuant to which the depositary may register the ownership of uncertificated ADSs, which ownership shall be evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the ADS holders entitled thereto. Profile is a required feature of DRS which allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of an ADS holder, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register such transfer.

 

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALES

Upon completion of this offering, we will have             outstanding ADSs, representing approximately        % of our Class A ordinary shares (assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs). All of the ADSs sold in this offering and the Class A ordinary shares they represent will be freely transferable by persons other than our “affiliates” (as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act) in the United States 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 Class A ordinary shares or the ADSs. We have applied to list the ADSs on NASDAQ, but 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

We have agreed, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale, lend or otherwise dispose of, except in this offering, any of our ordinary shares or ADSs or securities that are substantially similar to our ordinary shares or ADSs, including but not limited to any options or warrants to purchase our ordinary shares, ADSs or any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, our ordinary shares, ADSs or any such substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date such lock-up agreement was executed), without the prior written consent of the representatives of the underwriters. [In connection with this offering, the representatives of the underwriters have waived those lock-up provisions with respect to the shares being sold by us in this offering.] The remaining shares and ADSs will continue to be subject to those lock-up provisions during the 180-day period.

Furthermore, each of [our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and option holders] has also entered into a similar lock-up agreement for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, subject to certain exceptions, with respect to our ordinary shares, ADSs and securities that are substantially similar to our ordinary shares or ADSs. These parties collectively own all of our outstanding ordinary shares, without giving effect to this offering.

Rule 144

All of our ordinary shares that will be outstanding upon the completion of this offering, other than those ordinary shares sold in this offering, are “restricted securities” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold publicly in the United States only if they are subject to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirement such as those provided by Rule 144 and Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act.

In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus, a person who is not deemed to have been our affiliate at any time during the three months preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for more than six months would be entitled to sell an unlimited number of those shares, subject only to the availability of current public information about us. A non-affiliate who has beneficially owned restricted securities for at least one year from the later of the date these shares were acquired from us or from our affiliate would be entitled to freely sell those shares.

 

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A person who is deemed to be an affiliate of ours and who has beneficially owned “restricted securities” for at least six months would be entitled to sell, within any three-month period, a number of restricted shares that is not more than the greater of:

 

   

1% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, represented by ADSs or otherwise, which will equal approximately              Class A ordinary shares immediately after this offering; or

 

   

the average weekly trading volume of our ordinary shares of the same class, 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 SEC.

Sales under Rule 144 by our affiliates or persons on behalf of our affiliates are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. In addition, in each case, these shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.

Rule 701

In general, under Rule 701 of the Securities Act as currently in effect, each of our employees, consultants or advisors who purchases our ordinary shares from us in connection with a compensatory stock or option plan or other written agreement relating to compensation is eligible to resell such ordinary shares 90 days after we become a reporting company under the Exchange Act in reliance on Rule 144 without complying with some of the restrictions, including the holding period, contained in Rule 144. However, the Rule 701 shares would remain subject to lock-up arrangements and would only become eligible for sale when the lock-up period expires.

Form S-8

We intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act covering ordinary shares which are subject to outstanding options or may be issued upon exercise of any options or other equity awards which may be granted or issued in the future pursuant to our share incentive plans. We expect to file this registration statement as soon as practicable after the date of this prospectus. Shares registered under any registration statements will be available for sale in the open market, except to the extent that the shares are subject to vesting restrictions with us or the contractual restrictions described in this prospectus.

 

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TAXATION

The following summary of the material Cayman Islands, PRC 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. The following summary does not constitute legal or tax advice. The discussion does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in ADSs. In particular, the discussion does not address U.S. state or local tax laws, or tax laws of jurisdictions other than the Cayman Islands, the People’s Republic of China and the federal tax law of the United States. Accordingly, you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs. To the extent that the discussion relates to matters of Cayman Islands tax law, it represents the opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our Cayman Islands counsel. To the extent that the discussion relates to matters of PRC tax law, it represents the opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our PRC legal 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 after execution brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties applicable to payments to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

Pursuant to Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, we have obtained an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands that:

 

   

no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits or income or gains or appreciation shall apply to us or our operations; and

 

   

the aforesaid tax or any tax in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall not be payable on our shares, debentures or other obligations.

The undertaking is for a period of 20 years from November 19, 2019.

PRC Taxation

Under the EIT Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its global income. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In April 2009, SAT issued SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although SAT Circular 82 only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in SAT Circular 82 may reflect the general position of SAT on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China only if all of the following conditions are met: (1) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (2) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (3) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (4) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

 

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We do not believe that our Cayman Islands holding company meets all of the conditions above. Our Cayman Islands holding company is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. As a holding company, its key assets are its ownership interests in its subsidiaries, and its key assets are located, and its records (including the resolutions of its board of directors and the resolutions of its shareholders) are maintained, outside the PRC. For the same reasons, we believe our other entities outside of China are not PRC resident enterprises either. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” However, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with ours.

Commerce & Finance Law Offices, our legal counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that if the PRC tax authorities determine that our Cayman Islands holding company is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including our ADS holders) may be subject to a 10% PRC tax on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. It is unclear whether our non-PRC individual shareholders (including our ADS holders) would be subject to any PRC tax on dividends or gains obtained by such non-PRC individual shareholders in the event we are determined to be a PRC resident enterprise. If any PRC tax were to apply to such dividends or gains, it would generally apply at a rate of 20% unless a reduced rate is available under an applicable tax treaty. However, it is also unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our Cayman Islands holding company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that our Cayman Islands holding company is treated as a PRC resident enterprise.

Provided that our Cayman Islands holding company is not deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares who are not PRC residents will not be subject to PRC income tax on dividends distributed by us or gains realized from the sale or other disposition of our shares or ADSs. However, under SAT Circular 7, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, or the transferee or the PRC entity which directly owned such taxable assets may report to the relevant tax authority such indirect transfer. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. We and our non-PRC resident investors may be at risk of being required to file a return and being taxed under SAT Circular 7, and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Circular 7, or to establish that we should not be taxed thereunder. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or the ADSs holders.”

United States Federal Income Taxation

The following discussion is a summary of material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership and disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares by a U.S. Holder, as defined below, that acquires the ADSs in this offering and holds the ADSs or ordinary shares as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. This discussion is based upon existing United States federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to differing interpretations or change, possibly with retroactive effect. No ruling has been sought from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, with respect to any United States federal income tax consequences described below, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position. This discussion does not address all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light

 

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of their individual circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (such as, for example, financial institutions, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, broker-dealers, traders in securities that elect mark-to-market treatment, partnerships or other pass-through entities and their partners or investors, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations)), investors who are not U.S. Holders, investors that own (directly, indirectly, or constructively) ADSs or ordinary shares representing 10% or more of our stock (by vote or by value), investors that hold their ADSs or ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale or other integrated transaction, investors that are subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to ADSs or ordinary shares being taken into account in an applicable financial statement or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar, all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those summarized below. In addition, this discussion does not address any state, local, or non-United States tax considerations, the alternative minimum tax, or the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. Each potential investor is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the United States federal, state, local and non-United States income and other tax considerations of an investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

General

For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares that is, for United States federal income tax purposes, (1) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) created in, or organized under the laws of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (3) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes regardless of its source, or (4) a trust (a) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a United States court and which has one or more United States persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (b) that has otherwise elected to be treated as a United States person under the Code.

If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships and partners of a partnership holding our ADSs or ordinary shares are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding an investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares.

The discussion below assumes the deposit agreement and any related agreement will be complied with in accordance with its terms.

For United States federal income tax purposes, a U.S. Holder of ADSs will generally be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by the ADSs. Accordingly, deposits or withdrawals of ordinary shares for ADSs will generally not be subject to United States federal income tax.

Passive foreign investment company status

A non-United States corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes, if, in the case of any particular taxable year, either (1) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (2) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of its assets during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. For this purpose, cash is categorized as a passive asset and the company’s unbooked intangibles associated with active business activities may generally be classified as active assets. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, and gains from the disposition of passive assets. 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.

 

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The determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC will depend upon the composition of our income (which may differ from our historical results and current projections) and assets and the value of our assets from time to time, including, in particular the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles (which may depend upon the market value of the ADSs or ordinary shares from time-to-time and may be volatile). In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account our anticipated market capitalization following the close of this offering, which may fluctuate. In addition, although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat our VIE (and its subsidiaries) as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits, and, as a result, we combine and consolidate their operating results in our consolidated financial statements. Assuming that we are the owner of our VIE (and its subsidiaries) for United States federal income tax purposes, based upon the current and anticipated value of our assets and the composition of our income and assets (taking into account the expected proceeds from this offering) and projections as to the value of the ADSs and ordinary shares following the offering, we do not presently expect to be classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year ending December 31, 2020 or the foreseeable future. Among other matters, if our market capitalization is less than anticipated or subsequently declines, we may be classified as a PFIC for the current or future taxable years. It is also possible that the IRS, may challenge our classification or valuation of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, which may result in our company being, or becoming classified as, a PFIC for the current or one or more future taxable years.

The determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC may also depend, in part, on how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in this offering. Under circumstances where we retain significant amounts of liquid assets including cash raised in this offering, or if our affiliated entities were not treated as owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, our risk of being classified as a PFIC may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and PFIC status is a factual determination made annually after the close of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year ending December 31, 2020 or any future taxable year or that the IRS will not take a contrary position. If we were classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder held the ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. holder held the ADSs or ordinary shares.

The discussion below under “Dividends” and “Sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares” is written on the basis that we will not be classified as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes. The United States federal income tax rules that apply if we are classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year are discussed below under “Passive foreign investment company rules.”

Dividends

Subject to the PFIC rules described below, any cash distributions (including the amount of any PRC tax withheld) paid on the ADSs or ordinary shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder, in the case of ordinary shares, or by the depositary bank, in the case of ADSs. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of United States federal income tax principles, any distribution will generally be treated as a “dividend” for United States federal income tax purposes. Under current law, a non-corporate recipient of dividend income will generally be subject to tax on dividend income from a “qualified foreign corporation” at the lower rates applicable to “qualified dividend income” rather than the marginal tax rates generally applicable to ordinary income, provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met.

A non-United States corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) will generally be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation (1) if it is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States which the

 

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Secretary of the Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of this provision and which includes an exchange of information program, or (2) with respect to any dividend it pays on stock (or ADSs in respect of such stock) which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. We have applied to list the ADSs on NASDAQ. We believe, but cannot assure you, that the ADSs will be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States and that we will be a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends paid on the ADSs. Since we do not expect that our ordinary shares will be listed on established securities markets, it is unclear whether dividends that we pay on our ordinary shares that are not backed by ADSs currently meet the conditions required for the reduced tax rate. There can be no assurance that the ADSs will continue to be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in later years. In the event we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law (see “—PRC Taxation”), we may be eligible for the benefits of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the People’s Republic of China for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Tax Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income, or the United States-PRC income tax treaty (which the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States has determined is satisfactory for this purpose), in which case we would be treated as a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends paid on our ordinary shares (regardless of whether such shares are backed by ADSs) or ADSs. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate on dividends in their particular circumstances. Dividends received on the ADSs or ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction allowed to qualifying corporations under the Code.

For United States foreign tax credit purposes, dividends paid on the ADSs or ordinary shares will generally be treated as income from foreign sources and will generally constitute passive category income. In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC withholding taxes on dividends paid, if any, on the ADSs or ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder may be eligible, subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on the ADSs or ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder who does not elect to claim a foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld may instead claim a deduction for United States federal income tax purposes in respect of such withholding, but only for a year in which such holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.

Sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss, if any, upon the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition and the holder’s adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or ordinary shares. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the ADSs or ordinary shares have been held for more than one year and will generally be United States source gain or loss for United States foreign tax credit purposes. Long-term capital gains of non-corporate U.S. Holders are currently eligible for reduced rates of taxation. In the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, and gain from the disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares is subject to tax in the PRC (see “—PRC Taxation”), such gain may be treated as PRC source gain for foreign tax credit purposes under the United States-PRC income tax treaty. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares, including the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.

Passive foreign investment company rules

If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, unless the U.S. Holder makes one of certain elections (as described below), the U.S. Holder will, except as discussed below, be subject to special tax rules that have a penalizing effect, regardless of whether we remain a PFIC, on (1) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution

 

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paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125% of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares), and (2) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition, including, under certain circumstances, a pledge, of ADSs or ordinary shares. Under the PFIC rules:

 

   

the excess distribution and/or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or ordinary shares;

 

   

the amount of the excess distribution or gain allocated to the taxable year of such excess distribution or gain and to any taxable years in the U.S. Holder’s holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (each such taxable year, a pre-PFIC year) will be taxable as ordinary income; and

 

   

the amount of the excess distribution or gain allocated to each prior taxable year, other than the current taxable year of such excess distribution or gain or a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect applicable to the individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that other taxable year, and will be increased by an additional tax equal to interest on the resulting tax deemed deferred with respect to each such other taxable year.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds the ADSs or ordinary shares and any of our non-United States subsidiaries or other corporate entities in which we own equity interests is also a PFIC, such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC for purposes of the application of these rules. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our lower-tier PFICs.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder for all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, unless we were to cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder makes a “deemed sale” election with respect to the ADSs or ordinary shares. If such election is made, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold the ADSs or ordinary shares it holds at their fair market value and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described in the preceding two paragraphs. After the deemed sale election, so long as we do not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, the ADSs or ordinary shares with respect to which such election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC and, as a result, the U.S. Holder will not be subject to the rules described above with respect to any “excess distribution” the U.S. Holder receives from us or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares. Each U.S. Holder is strongly urged to consult its tax advisors as to the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if we are and then cease to be a PFIC and such an election becomes available to the U.S. Holder.

As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of  “marketable stock” in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election with respect to the ADSs, provided that the ADSs are “regularly traded” (as specially defined) on NASDAQ, which is a qualified exchange or other market for these purposes. No assurances may be given regarding whether the ADSs will qualify, or will continue to be qualified, as being regularly traded in this regard. If a mark-to-market election is made, the U.S. Holder will generally (1) include as ordinary income for each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held at the end of the taxable year over the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such ADSs and (2) deduct as an ordinary loss the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the mark-to-market election. If a U.S. Holder makes an effective mark-to-market election, in each year that we are a PFIC any gain recognized upon the sale or other disposition of the ADSs will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. Because our ordinary shares are not listed on a stock exchange, U.S. Holders will not be able to make a mark-to-market election with respect to our ordinary shares.

 

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If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of a corporation classified as a PFIC and such corporation ceases to be classified as a PFIC, the U.S. Holder will not be required to take into account the mark-to-market gain or loss described above during any period that such corporation is not classified as a PFIC.

Because a mark-to-market election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that a PFIC may own, a U.S. Holder who makes a mark-to-market election with respect to the ADSs may continue to be subject to the general PFIC rules with respect to such U.S. Holder’s indirect interest in any of our non-United States subsidiaries or other corporate entities in which we own equity interests that are classified as PFICs.

We do not intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections, which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.

As discussed above under “Dividends,” dividends that we pay on the ADSs or ordinary shares will not be eligible for the reduced tax rate that applies to qualified dividend income if we are classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year. In addition, if a U.S. Holder owns the ADSs or ordinary shares during any taxable year that we are a PFIC, the holder must file an annual information return with the IRS. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor concerning the United States federal income tax consequences of purchasing, holding, and disposing ADSs or ordinary shares if we are or become a PFIC, including the possibility of making a mark-to-market election and the unavailability of the qualified electing fund election.

Information reporting

Certain U.S. Holders are required to report information to the IRS relating to an interest in “specified foreign financial assets” (as defined in the Code), including shares issued by a non-United States corporation, for any year in which the aggregate value of all specified foreign financial assets exceeds $50,000 (or a higher dollar amount prescribed by the IRS), subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for shares held in custodial accounts maintained with a United States financial institution). These rules also impose penalties if a U.S. Holder is required to submit such information to the IRS and fails to do so.

In addition, U.S. Holders may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and backup withholding with respect to dividends on, and proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, the ADSs or ordinary shares. Information reporting will apply to payments of dividends on, and to proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, ordinary shares or ADSs by a paying agent within the United States to a U.S. Holder, other than U.S. Holders that are exempt from information reporting and properly certify their exemption. A paying agent within the United States will be required to withhold at the applicable statutory rate, currently 24%, in respect of any payments of dividends on, and the proceeds from the disposition of, ordinary shares or ADSs within the United States to a U.S. Holder (other than U.S. Holders that are exempt from backup withholding and properly certify their exemption) if the holder fails to furnish its correct taxpayer identification number or otherwise fails to comply with applicable backup withholding requirements. U.S. Holders who are required to establish their exempt status generally must provide a properly completed IRS Form W-9.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a U.S. Holder’s United States federal income tax liability. A U.S. Holder generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS in a timely manner and furnishing any required information. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult with its tax advisor regarding the application of the United States information reporting rules to their particular circumstances.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms and subject to the conditions in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below, for whom Roth Capital Partners, LLC and Valuable Capital Limited are acting as representatives, have severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to them, severally, the number of ADSs indicated in the following table.

 

Name

   Number of ADSs
Roth Capital Partners, LLC   
Valuable Capital Limited                            
Tiger Brokers (NZ) Limited   
Total   
  

 

The underwriters and the representatives are collectively referred to as the “underwriters” and the “representatives,” respectively. The underwriters are offering the ADSs subject to their acceptance of the ADSs from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters to pay for and accept delivery of the ADSs offered by this prospectus are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and to certain other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the ADSs offered by this prospectus if any such ADSs are taken. However, the underwriters are not required to take or pay for the ADSs covered by the underwriters’ over-allotment option described below.

The underwriters initially propose to offer part of the ADSs directly to the public at the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus and part to certain dealers at a price that represents a concession not in excess of US$                 per ADS under the initial public offering price. After the initial offering of the ADSs, the offering price and other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the representatives.

The address of Roth Capital Partners, LLC is 888 San Clemente Drive Suite 400, Newport Beach, California 92660, United States of America. The address of Valuable Capital Limited is Room 2808, 28th Floor, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168-200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong. The address of Tiger Brokers (NZ) Limited is Level 16, 191 Queen Street, Auckland Central, New Zealand, 1010.

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to an additional                  ADSs at the public offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the offering of the ADSs offered by this prospectus. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter will become obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase about the same percentage of the additional ADSs as the number listed next to the underwriter’s name in the preceding table bears to the total number of ADSs listed next to the names of all underwriters in the preceding table.

The following table shows the per ADS and total public offering price, underwriting discounts and commissions, and proceeds before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional                  ADSs.

 

            Total  
     Per ADS      No
Exercise
     Full
Exercise
 

Public offering price

     US$                    US$                    US$              

Underwriting discounts and commissions to be paid by us

     US$                    US$                    US$              

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

     US$                    US$                    US$              

Total

        

 

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The estimated offering expenses payable by us, exclusive of the underwriting discounts and commissions, are approximately US$                .

The underwriters have informed us that they do not intend sales to discretionary accounts to exceed 5% of the total number of ADSs offered by them.

Certain of the underwriters are expected to make offers and sales both inside and outside the United States through their respective selling agents. Any offers or sales in the United States will be conducted by broker-dealers registered with the SEC. Valuable Capital Limited is not a broker-dealer registered with the SEC, and it does not intend to make any offers or sales of the ADSs within the United States or to any U.S. persons. Tiger Brokers (NZ) Limited, or TBNZ is not a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. To the extent that its conduct may involve the offer or sale of ADSs to investors in the United States, those offers or sales will be made through US Tiger Securities, Inc., TBNZ’s SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate in the United States.

We have applied to list our ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “QH.”

We [and our directors, executive officers, existing shareholders and options holders] have agreed that, without the prior written consent of the representatives on behalf of the underwriters, we and they will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date of this prospectus (the “restricted period”):

 

   

offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ordinary shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ordinary shares or ADSs;

 

   

file any registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the offering of any ordinary shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ordinary shares or ADSs; or

 

   

enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of ordinary shares or ADSs,

whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of ordinary shares, ADSs or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. In addition, we and each such person agrees that, without the prior written consent of the representatives on behalf of the underwriters, we or such other person will not, during the restricted period, make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any ordinary shares, ADSs or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ordinary shares or ADSs.

The restrictions described in the preceding paragraph are subject to certain exceptions.

The representatives, in their sole discretion, may release the ordinary shares, ADSs and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time.

In order to facilitate the offering of the ADSs, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the ADSs. Specifically, the underwriters may sell more ADSs than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a short position. A short sale is covered if the short position is no greater than the number of ADSs available for purchase by the underwriters under the over-allotment option. The underwriters can close out a covered short sale by exercising the over-allotment option or purchasing ADSs in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out a covered short sale, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the open market price of shares compared to the price available under the over-allotment option. The underwriters may also sell ADSs in excess of the over-allotment option, creating a naked short position. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing ADSs in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned

 

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that there may be downward pressure on the price of the ADSs in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. As an additional means of facilitating this offering, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, ADSs in the open market to stabilize the price of the ADSs. Finally, the underwriters may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the ADSs in this offering, if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed ADSs to cover syndicate short positions or to stabilize the price of the ADSs. These activities may raise or maintain the market price of the ADSs above independent market levels or prevent or retard a decline in the market price of the ADSs. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

We have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on websites maintained by one or more underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering. The representatives may agree to allocate a number of ADSs to the underwriters for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the representatives to underwriters that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.

The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investment and securities activities may involve our securities and instruments. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make investment recommendations or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Pricing of the Offering

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares or ADSs. The initial public offering price was determined by negotiations between us and the representatives. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were our future prospects and those of our industry in general, our sales, earnings and certain other financial and operating information in recent periods, the price-earnings ratios, price-sales ratios, market prices of securities and certain financial and operating information of companies engaged in activities similar to ours.

Selling Restrictions

No action may be taken in any jurisdiction other than the United States that would permit a public offering of the ADSs or the possession, circulation or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, the ADSs may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, and neither the prospectus nor any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the ADSs may be distributed or published in or from any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with any applicable laws, rules and regulations of any such country or jurisdiction.

 

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Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering.

This document:

(a) does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”);

(b) has not been, and will not be, lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, as a disclosure document for the purposes of Corporations Act and does not purport to include the information required of a prospectus, product disclosure document or other disclosure document for the purposes of the Corporations Act; and

(c) may only be provided in Australia to select investors, or the Exempt Investor, who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the ADSs without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The ADSs may not be directly or indirectly offered for subscription or purchased or sold, and no invitations to subscribe for or buy the ADSs may be issued, and no draft or definitive offering memorandum, advertisement or other offering material relating to any ADSs may be distributed in Australia, except where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act or is otherwise in compliance with all applicable Australian laws and regulations. By submitting an application for the ADSs, you represent and warrant to us that you are an Exempt Investor.

As any offer of ADSs under this document will be made without disclosure in Australia under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act, the offer of those securities for resale in Australia within 12 months may, under section 707 of the Corporations Act, require disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D.2 if none of the exemptions in section 708 applies to that resale. By applying for the ADSs you undertake to us that you will not, for a period of 12 months from the date of issue of the ADSs, offer, transfer, assign or otherwise alienate those ADSs to investors in Australia except in circumstances where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act or where a compliant disclosure document is prepared and lodged with ASIC.

Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This document contains general information only and does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this document is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Canada

The ADSs may be sold in Canada only to purchasers in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the ADSs must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a

 

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transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the ADSs.

By purchasing the ADSs in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to the underwriters and the dealers from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

(a) the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the ADSs without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106—Prospectus Exemptions,

(b) the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103—Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

(c) where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and

(d) the purchaser has reviewed the resale restriction above.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor. Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (“NI 33-105”), the Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

Cayman Islands

This prospectus does not constitute an invitation or offer to the public in the Cayman Islands of the ADSs, whether by way of sale or subscription. The underwriters have not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any ADSs in the Cayman Islands.

Dubai International Finance Center (“DIFC”)

This document relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Markets Rules 2012 of the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This document is intended for distribution only to Persons, as defined in the Markets Rules 2012 of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, of a type specified in those rules. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other Person. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The Dubai Financial Services Authority has not approved this document nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for this document. The ADSs to which this document relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the ADSs offered should conduct their own due diligence on the ADSs. If you do not understand the contents of this document, you should consult an authorized financial adviser.

In relation to its use in the DIFC, this document is strictly private and confidential and is being distributed to a limited number of investors and must not be provided to any person other than the original recipient, and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. The interests in the ADSs may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly to the public in the DIFC.

 

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European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “Relevant Member State”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State, no offer of ADSs may be made to the public in that Relevant Member State other than at any time:

(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters; or

(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of ADSs shall require the Company or any underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

In the case of any ADSs being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the ADSs acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of any ADSs to the public other than their offer or resale in a Relevant Member State to qualified investors as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the representatives has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of ADSs to the public” in relation to any ADSs in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase ADSs, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended, including by Directive 2010/73/EU), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State.

Hong Kong

The ADSs have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap.32, Laws of Hong Kong). No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the ADSs has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to ADSs which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Japan

The ADSs have not been and will not be registered pursuant to Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan. Accordingly, none of the ADSs nor any interests therein may be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as

 

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used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of a resident of Japan, except pursuant to any exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan in effect at the relevant time.

Korea

The ADSs may not be offered, sold and delivered directly or indirectly, or offered or sold to any person for reoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Korea or to any resident of Korea except pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of Korea, including the Korea Securities and Exchange Act and the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and the decrees and regulations thereunder. The ADSs have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act of Korea and the decrees and regulations thereunder, and the ADSs have been and will be offered in Korea as a private placement under the FSCMA. Furthermore, the purchaser of the ADSs shall comply with all applicable regulatory requirements (including but not limited to government approval requirements under the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and its subordinate decrees and regulations) in connection with the purchase of the ADSs. By the purchase of the ADSs, the relevant holder thereof will be deemed to represent and warrant that if it is in Korea or is a resident of Korea, it purchased the ADSs pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of Korea.

Kuwait

Unless all necessary approvals from the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry required by Law No. 31/1990 “Regulating the Negotiation of Securities and Establishment of Investment Funds,” its Executive Regulations and the various Ministerial Orders issued pursuant thereto or in connection therewith, have been given in relation to the marketing and sale of the ADSs, these may not be marketed, offered for sale, nor sold in the State of Kuwait. Neither this prospectus (including any related document), nor any of the information contained therein is intended to lead to the conclusion of any contract of whatsoever nature within Kuwait.

Malaysia

No prospectus or other offering material or document in connection with the offer and sale of the securities has been or will be registered with the Securities Commission of Malaysia, or Commission, for the Commission’s approval pursuant to the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the securities may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the ADSs be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Malaysia other than to persons falling within the categories specified under Schedule 6 or Section 229(l)(b), Schedule 7 or Section 230(l)(b) and Schedule 8 or Section 257(3) of the Capital Market and Services Act, 2007 of Malaysia: (i) a closed end fund approved by the Commission; (ii) a holder of a Capital Markets Services License; (iii) a person who acquires the ADSs as principal, if the offer is on terms that the ADSs may only be acquired at a consideration of not less than RM250,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) for each transaction; (iv) an individual whose total net personal assets or total net joint assets with his or her spouse exceeds RM3 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies), excluding the value of the primary residence of the individual; (v) an individual who has a gross annual income exceeding RM300,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) per annum in the preceding twelve months; (vi) an individual who, jointly with his or her spouse, has a gross annual income of RM400,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies), per annum in the preceding twelve months; (vii) a corporation with total net assets exceeding RM10 million (or its equivalent in a foreign currencies) based on the last audited accounts; (viii) a partnership with total net assets exceeding RM10 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies); (ix) a bank licensee or insurance licensee as defined in the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010; (x) an Islamic bank licensee or takaful licensee as defined in the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010; and (xi) any other person as may be specified by the Commission; provided that, in the

 

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each of the preceding categories (i) to (xi), the distribution of the ADSs is made by a holder of a Capital Markets Services License who carries on the business of dealing in securities. The distribution in Malaysia of this prospectus is subject to Malaysian laws. This prospectus does not constitute and may not be used for the purpose of public offering or an issue, offer for subscription or purchase, invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities requiring the registration of a prospectus with the Commission under the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007. The Securities Commission of Malaysia shall not be liable for any non-disclosure on the part of the Company and assumes no responsibility for the correctness of any statements made or opinions or reports expressed in this prospectus.

People’s Republic of China

This prospectus has not been and will not be circulated or distributed in the PRC, and the ADSs may not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, to any resident of the PRC or for the benefit of, legal or natural persons of the PRC except pursuant to any applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. Neither this prospectus nor any advertisement or other offering material may be distributed or published in the PRC, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Further, no legal or natural persons of the PRC may directly or indirectly purchase any of the ADSs or any beneficial interest therein without obtaining all prior PRC’s governmental approvals that are required, whether statutorily or otherwise. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus are required by the issuer and its representatives to observe these restrictions. For the purpose of this paragraph, PRC does not include Taiwan and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Qatar

The ADSs described in this prospectus have not been, and will not be, offered, sold or delivered, at any time, directly or indirectly in the State of Qatar in a manner that would constitute a public offering. This prospectus has not been, and will not be, registered with or approved by the Qatar Financial Markets Authority or Qatar Central Bank and may not be publicly distributed. This prospectus is intended for the original recipient only and must not be provided to any other person. It is not for general circulation in the State of Qatar and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose.

Saudi Arabia

This document may not be distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia except to such persons as are permitted under the Offers of Securities Regulations issued by the board of the Capital Market Authority (“CMA”) pursuant to resolution number 2-11-2004 dated 4 October 2004 as amended by resolution number 1-28-2008, as amended (the “CMA Regulations”). The CMA does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this document and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from, or incurred in reliance upon, any part of this prospectus. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered hereby should conduct their own due diligence on the accuracy of the information relating to the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus, you should consult an authorized financial adviser. By accepting this prospectus and other information relating to the offering of the securities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, each recipient represents that he is a “sophisticated investor”, as set out in the prospectus.

Singapore

This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our ADSs has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of our ADSs may not be circulated or distributed, nor may our ADSs be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to

 

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time including by any subsidiary legislation as may be applicable at the relevant time (together, the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where our ADSs are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is:

(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor as defined in Section 4A of the SFA) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor; securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the ADSs pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA, except:

(1) to an institutional investor (for corporations under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; (3) where the transfer is by operation of law; or (4) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.

Notification under Section 309B(1)(c) of the SFA: We have determined that the ADSs shall be (A) prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018) and (B) Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).

Switzerland

This document is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the ADSs described herein. The ADSs may not be publicly offered, sold or advertised, directly or indirectly, in, into or from Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document, any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of, and has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, nor the Company or the ADSs have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority or be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of the ADSs will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, and the offer of the ADSs has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (the “CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of the ADSs.

Taiwan

The ADSs have not been and will not be registered or filed with, or approved by, the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be offered or sold in Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitute an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan or relevant laws and regulations that requires a registration, filing or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorized to offer, sell, give advice regarding or otherwise intermediate the offering and sale of the ADSs in Taiwan.

 

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United Arab Emirates

The ADSs have not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates other than in compliance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates governing the issue, offering and sale of securities. Further, this prospectus does not constitute a public offer of securities in the United Arab Emirates and is not intended to be a public offer. This prospectus has not been approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Securities and Commodities Authority or the Dubai Financial Services Authority. Prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre should have regard to the specific notice to prospective investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre set out above.

United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Directive) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the ADSs in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.

 

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EXPENSES RELATED TO THIS OFFERING

Set forth below is an itemization of the total expenses, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, that we expect to incur in connection with this offering. With the exception of the SEC registration fee, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA filing fee, and NASDAQ market entry and listing fee, all amounts are estimates.

 

SEC Registration Fee

   US$                

FINRA Filing Fee

  

NASDAQ Market Entry and Listing Fee

  

Printing and Engraving Expenses

  

Legal Fees and Expenses

  

Accounting Fees and Expenses

  

Miscellaneous

  
  

 

 

 

Total

   US$    
  

 

 

 

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

We are being represented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation with respect to U.S. federal securities law and New York State law in connection with this offering. The underwriters are being represented by Latham & Watkins LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to U.S. federal securities and New York State law. The validity of Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering and other certain legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by Commerce & Finance Law Offices and for the underwriters by Tian Yuan Law Firm. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation may rely upon Maples and Caldar (Hong Kong) LLP with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law and Commerce & Finance Law Offices with respect to matters governed by PRC law. Latham & Watkins LLP may rely upon Tian Yuan Law Firm with respect to matters governed by PRC law.

 

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EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Quhuo Limited at December 31, 2018 and 2019, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, appearing in this prospectus and registration statement have been audited by Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon appearing elsewhere herein, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The office of Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP is located at 50/F, Shanghai World Financial Center, 100 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed a registration statement, including relevant exhibits, with the SEC on Form F-1 under the Securities Act with respect to underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs to be sold in this offering. A related registration statement on Form F-6 will be filed with the SEC to register the ADSs. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement on Form F-1, does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should read our registration statements and their exhibits and schedules for further information with respect to us and our ADSs.

Immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form F-1 of which this prospectus forms a part, 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. All information filed with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of documents, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will not be required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders’ meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, if we so request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders’ meeting received by the depositary from us.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

     Pages  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2  

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2019

     F-3  

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019

     F-6  

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Deficit for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019

     F-8  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December  31, 2017, 2018 and 2019

     F-9  

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-11  

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Quhuo Limited

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Quhuo Limited (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2018 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/  Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019

Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China

April 17, 2020, except for Note 25, as to which the date is June 4, 2020

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

            As of December 31,  
     Notes      2018      2019      2019  
            RMB      RMB      US$  

ASSETS:

           

Current assets:

           

Cash

        17,343        126,779        18,211  

Short-term investments

        74,165        56,275        8,083  

Accounts receivable, net of allowance of RMB 378 and RMB 25 (US$ 4) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively

     6        156,368        276,966        39,784  

Prepayments and other current assets

     7        17,487        43,058        6,185  

Amounts due from related parties

     23        25,748        18,392        2,642  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

        291,111        521,470        74,905  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-current assets:

           

Property and equipment, net

     8        11,358        25,632        3,682  

Intangible assets, net

     10        57,896        66,818        9,598  

Long-term investments

     9        10,501        1,715        246  

Goodwill

     5, 11        16,412        26,231        3,768  

Deferred tax assets

     17        1,724        3,893        559  

Amounts due from related parties

     23        4,065        —          —    

Other non-current assets

     12        76,549        98,137        14,096  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-current assets

        178,505        222,426        31,949  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

        469,616        743,896        106,854  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT:

           

Current liabilities (including current liabilities of the consolidated VIE without recourse to the primary beneficiary of RMB 240,449 and RMB 452,012 (US$ 64,928) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively):

           

Accounts payable

        144,100        232,276        33,364  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     13        27,719        75,825        10,894  

Short-term debt

     14        68,630        143,979        20,681  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

        240,449        452,080        64,939  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-current liabilities (including non-current liabilities of the consolidated VIE without recourse to the primary beneficiary of RMB 24,734 and RMB 37,264 (US$ 5,352) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively):

           

Deferred tax liabilities

     17        4,559        2,556        367  

Long-term debt

     14        5,682        11,942        1,715  

Other non-current liabilities

     15        14,493        22,766        3,270  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-current liabilities

        24,734        37,264        5,352  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities

        265,183        489,344        70,291  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

     22           

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

          As of December 31      Proforma
shareholders’
equity (unaudited)
 
     Notes    2018      2019      2019      2019      2019  
          RMB      RMB      US$      RMB      US$  

Mezzanine equity:

                 

Series A redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 1,335,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

   18      46,130        46,130        6,626        —          —    

Series B redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 9,500,030 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

   18      332,251        332,251        47,725        —          —    

Series C-1 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,107,720 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

   18      193,609        193,609        27,810        —          —    

Series C-2 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 2,377,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

   18      96,569        96,569        13,871        —          —    

Series D redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,810,610 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

   18      362,442        362,442        52,062        —          —    
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total mezzanine equity

        1,031,001        1,031,001        148,094        —          —    
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Shareholders’ deficit:

                 

Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 475,868,900 shares authorized, 24,475,310 shares issued and 14,972,760 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

        17        17        2        —          —    

Class A ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; none authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019; 300,000,000 shares authorized, 42,309,780 shares issued, and 32,807,230 shares outstanding on a pro forma basis)

        —          —          —          30        4  

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

          As of December 31     Proforma
shareholders’
equity (unaudited)
 
     Notes    2018     2019     2019     2019     2019  
          RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     US$  

Class B ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; none authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019; 6,296,630 shares authorized, issued and outstanding on a pro forma basis)

        —         —         —         4       1  

Additional paid-in capital

        369,352       434,151       62,362       1,487,467       213,661  

Accumulated deficit

        (1,200,492     (1,212,257     (174,130     (1,234,589     (177,338

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

        —         (1,231     (177     (1,231     (177
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Quhuo Limited shareholders’ deficit

        (831,123     (779,320     (111,943     251,681       36,151  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-controlling interests

        4,555       2,871       412       2,871       412  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ deficit

        (826,568     (776,449     (111,531     254,552       36,563  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity, non-controlling interests and shareholders’ deficit

        469,616       743,896       106,854       743,896       106,854  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

            For the year ended December 31,  
     Notes      2017     2018     2019     2019  
            RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  

Revenues:

           

From third parties

     4        540,040       1,474,475       2,055,789       295,296  

From related parties

     23        114,762       —         —         —    
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

        654,802       1,474,475       2,055,789       295,296  

Cost of revenues

        (626,193     (1,357,837     (1,893,513     (271,986
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross profit

        28,609       116,638       162,276       23,310  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating expenses:

           

General and administrative

        (46,816     (161,839     (161,160     (23,149

Research and development

        (3,222     (6,702     (9,730     (1,398

Loss on disposal of intangible assets, net

        —         —         (3,840     (552
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

        (50,038     (168,541     (174,730     (25,099
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating loss

        (21,429     (51,903     (12,454     (1,789
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest income

        104       44       275       40  

Interest expense

        (1,364     (3,913     (6,093     (875

Other income, net (including other income from a related party of nil, RMB 7,844 and nil for the year of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively)

        10,377       16,274       27,730       3,983  

Share of net (loss) income from equity method investees

        —         (1,449     162       23  

Foreign exchange (loss) gain

        (1,252     631       (1,489     (214
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(Loss) income before income tax

        (13,564     (40,316     8,131       1,168  

Income tax expense

     17        (405     (3,979     (21,580     (3,100
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

        (13,969     (44,295     (13,449 )       (1,932
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

        —         1,681       1,684       242  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of Quhuo Limited

        (13,969     (42,614     (11,765     (1,690
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss per share:

           

Basic and diluted

     19        (0.93     (2.85     (0.79     (0.11

Shares used in loss per share computation:

           

Basic and diluted

     19        14,972,760       14,972,760       14,972,760       14,972,760  

Pro forma loss per share:

           

Basic and diluted

     20            (0.30     (0.04

Shares used in pro forma loss per share computation:

           

Basic and diluted

     20            39,103,860       39,103,860  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

            For the year ended December 31,  
     Notes      2017     2018     2019     2019  
            RMB     RMB     RMB     US$  

Other comprehensive loss:

           

Foreign currency translation adjustment:

        —         —         (1,231     (177
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Comprehensive loss

        (13,969     (44,295     (14,680     (2,109

Comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interests

        —         1,681       1,684       242  

Comprehensive loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of Quhuo Limited

        (13,969     (42,614     (12,996     (1,867
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

    Number of
outstanding
ordinary
shares
    Ordinary
shares
    Additional
paid-in
capital
    Accumulated
deficit
    Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss *
    Quhuo Limited
shareholders’
deficit
    Non-controlling
interests
    Total
shareholders’
deficit
 
          RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB  

Balance as of January 1, 2017

    14,972,760       17       144,421       (1,143,909     —         (999,471     —         (999,471

Net loss

    —         —         —         (13,969     —         (13,969     —         (13,969

Capital contributions by shareholders

    —         —         94,450       —         —         94,450       —         94,450  

Purchase consideration for a business acquisition (note 5)

    —         —         8,865       —         —         8,865       —         8,865  

Share-based compensation (note 16)

    —         —         3,299       —         —         3,299       —         3,299  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2017

    14,972,760       17       251,035       (1,157,878     —         (906,826     —         (906,826
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

    —         —         —         (42,614     —         (42,614     (1,681     (44,295

Business acquisitions (note 5)

    —         —         —         —         —         —         1,336       1,336  

Capital contributions from non-controlling interests of a subsidiary

    —         —         —         —         —         —         4,900       4,900  

Capital contributions by shareholders

    —         —         28,695       —         —         28,695       —         28,695  

Share-based compensation (note 16)

    —         —         89,622       —         —         89,622       —         89,622  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

    14,972,760       17       369,352       (1,200,492     —         (831,123     4,555       (826,568
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

    —         —         —         (11,765     —         (11,765 )     (1,684     (13,449

Other comprehensive loss

    —         —         —         —         (1,231     (1,231     —         (1,231

Share-based compensation (note 16)

    —         —         64,799       —         —         64,799       —         64,799  

Balance as of December 31, 2019

    14,972,760       17       434,151       (1,212,257     (1,231     (779,320     2,871       (776,449
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019 in US$

    —         2       62,362       (174,130  

 

(177

    (111,943     412       (111,531

 

*

Accumulative other comprehensive loss includes only foreign currency translation adjustment for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

            For the year ended December 31,  
     Notes      2017     2018     2019     2019  
            RMB     RMB    

RMB

    US$  

Cash flows from operating activities

           

Net loss

        (13,969     (44,295     (13,449     (1,932

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

           

Depreciation

        232       1,111       3,479       499  

Amortization

        2,237       9,021       10,632       1,527  

Deferred income taxes

        (94     (2,447     (9,322     (1,339

Impairment of intangible assets

        3,635       804       923       133  

Provision for accounts receivable

        413       394       65       10  

Provision for other receivables

        1,887       838       629       90  

Share-based compensation

     16        3,299       89,622       64,799       9,308  

Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain)

        80       (179     (10     (1

(Gain) loss on disposals of intangible assets

        (121     (930     3,840       552  

Net loss on disposals of property and equipment

        —         38       —       —  

Gain on disposal of long-term investment

        —       —       (1,037     (149

Share of net loss (income) from equity method investees

        —         1,449       (162     (23

Changes in fair value of contingent considerations

     24        —       —       1,000       144  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

           

Amounts due from related parties

        5,074       (25,922     11,422       1,641  

Accounts receivable

        (50,859     (15,729     (112,386     (16,143

Prepayments and other current assets

        (26,415     23,672       (11,343     (1,629

Other non-current assets

        (16,470     (28,160     (51,803     (7,441

Accounts payable

        64,343       4,544       78,797       11,318  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

        (2,384     (649     12,682       1,821  

Income taxes payable

        —         29       15,142       2,175  

Other non-current liabilities

        497       6,596       13,726       1,972  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

        (28,615     19,807       17,624       2,533  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

           

Purchase of short-term investments

        (50,403     (2,578,512     (2,691,570     (386,620

Proceeds from sales of short-term investments

        25,000       2,554,750       2,715,000       389,985  

Purchase of long-term investments

        (700     (2,250     (1,015     (146

Prepayment for long-term investments

        (9,000     (30,215     —         —    

Proceeds from disposal of long-term investment

        —       —       11,000       1,580  

Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired

     5        (8,476     (7,008     (2,478     (356

Purchase of property and equipment

        (1,211     (3,864     (17,753     (2,550

Proceeds from disposals of property and equipment

        —         854       —       —    

Acquisitions of intangible assets

        (20,433     (32,484     (21,868     (3,141

Proceeds from disposals of intangible assets

        121       4,448       21,167       3,040  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

        (65,102     (94,281     12,483       1,792  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

          For the year ended December 31,  
     Notes    2017     2018     2019     2019  
          RMB     RMB    

RMB

    US$  

Cash flows from financing activities

           

Proceeds from short-term debt

   14      63,300       85,800       116,000       16,662  

Repayments of short-term debt

   14      (86,400     (36,900     (45,800     (6,579

Proceeds from long-term debt

   14      —         —         15,177       2,180  

Repayments of long-term debt

   14      —         —         (3,768     (541

Capital contributions by shareholders

   18      94,450       28,695       —         —    

Payments of deferred IPO costs

        —         —         (1,059     (152

Capital contributions from non-controlling interests of a subsidiary

        —         4,900       —         —    
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

        71,350       82,495       80,550       11,570  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

        (80     179       (1,221     (175

Net (decrease) increase in cash

        (22,447     8,200       109,436       15,720  

Cash, at the beginning of year

        31,590       9,143       17,343       2,491  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash, at the end of year

        9,143       17,343       126,779       18,211  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

           

Interest paid

        1,300       3,777       5,935       853  

Income tax paid

        2       77       835       120  

Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing activities:

           

Purchase of property and equipment included in short-term and long-term debt

   14      —         8,512       —         —    

Non-cash consideration for business acquisition

   5      8,865       —         —         —    

Contingent consideration for business acquisition included in other non-current liabilities

   5      —         7,400       —         —    

Extinguishment of pre-existing receivables included in non-current assets as a result of business acquisition

   5      —         —         11,165       1,604  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

F-10


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities

Quhuo Limited (the “Company”, and where appropriate, the term “Company” also refers to its subsidiaries, variable interest entity, and subsidiaries of the variable interest entity as a whole) is an exempt company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands on June 13, 2019. The Company, through its subsidiaries, variable interest entity, and subsidiaries of the variable interest entity, are principally engaged in providing end-to-end operational solutions to on-demand consumer service businesses in industries, including food delivery, bike-sharing and ride-hailing in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”). The Company does not conduct any substantive operations of its own.

The Company commenced operations through Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. in 2012. In preparation of its initial public offering (“IPO”) in the United States, the Company underwent a series of restructuring in 2019 (the “Restructuring”) in order to establish the Company as the parent company and Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Quhuo” or the “VIE”) as the variable interest entity of the Company. On June 14, 2019, the Company incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary, Quhuo Investment Limited (“Quhuo BVI”) in the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”). On June 17, 2019, the Company incorporated another wholly-owned subsidiary, Quhuo Technology Investment (Hong Kong) Limited (“Quhuo HK”) in Hong Kong. On July 31, 2019, the Company incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary, Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“WFOE”) in the PRC.

On August 23, 2019 (the “Restructuring Date”), the Company obtained control of Beijing Quhuo through a series of contractual agreements among WFOE, the VIE, and the VIE’s registered shareholders (the “VIE Agreements”). Accordingly, the business operations of the VIE were transferred to the Company, and the Company issued a total of 24,475,310 ordinary shares (including 9,502,550 ordinary shares issued but deemed not outstanding and held by the Company’s share-based payment trust) as well as 1,335,370 of Series A preferred shares, 9,500,030 of Series B preferred shares, 5,107,720 of Series C-1 preferred shares, 2,377,370 of Series C-2 preferred shares, and 5,810,610 of Series D preferred shares as consideration.

As the shareholding in Beijing Quhuo immediately before the Restructuring was identical to the shareholding in the Company immediately after the Restructuring, the Restructuring was accounted for a transaction between entities under common ownership, in a manner similar to a pooling of interests. The accompanying consolidated financial statements were prepared as if the corporate structure of the Company had been in existence since the beginning of the periods presented. Furthermore, the Series A, Series B, Series C-1, Series C-2 and Series D preferred shares were recorded at fair value on the Restructuring Date and presented on a retroactive basis.

 

F-11


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s principal subsidiaries, VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE are as follows:

 

Entity

   Date of
incorporation/
acquisition
     Place of
incorporation
     Percentage of
direct or indirect
ownership by the
Company
    Principal activities  

Subsidiaries of the Company

          

Quhuo Investment Limited (“Quhuo BVI”)

  

 

June 14, 2019

 

  

 

BVI

 

  

 

100

 

 

Investment holding

 

Quhuo Technology Investment (Hong Kong) Limited (“Quhuo HK”)

  

 

June 17, 2019

 

  

 

Hong Kong

 

  

 

100

 

 

Investment holding

 

Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“WFOE”)

  

 

July 31, 2019

 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

100

 

 

Development of
computer software
and applications

 
 
 

Variable interest entity

          

Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Quhuo” or the “VIE”)

  

 

March 3, 2012

 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 


Development of
computer software
and applications;
Investment holding

 
 
 
 

Subsidiaries of the VIE

          

Shanghai Quhuo Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Quhuo”)

  

 

April 4, 2014

 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Ningbo Xinying Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Xinying”)

  

 

December 15,
2016

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Nantong Runda Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. (“Nantong Runda”)

  

 

February 28,
2018

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Shanghai Yijida Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Yijida”)

  

 

September 7,
2015

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Ningbo Desheng Wanchun Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Desheng Wanchun”)

  

 

December 21,
2016

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

Labor services

 

Huadian Tianze Enterprise Management Service Co., Ltd. (“Huadian Tianze”)

  

 

September 30,
2017

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Ningbo Quhuo Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Quhuo”)

  

 

December 14,
2016

 
 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

On-demand food
delivery

 
 

Ningbo Dagong Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Dagong”)

  

 

January 5, 2018

 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

Bike-sharing
maintenance

 
 

Jiangxi Youke Automobile Rental Service Co., Ltd. (“Jiangxi Youke”)

  

 

April 8, 2018

 

  

 

PRC

 

  

 

Nil

 

 

 

Ride-hailing

 

Shanghai Xianqiao Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Xianqiao”)

     March 31, 2019        PRC        Nil      
On-demand food
delivery
 
 

 

F-12


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

 

As PRC laws and regulations prohibit and restrict foreign ownership of internet value-added businesses, the Company operates its business primarily through the VIE and the subsidiaries of the VIE. The Company, through the WFOE, entered into power of attorney agreements and an exclusive call option agreement with the nominee shareholders of the VIE, that gave the WFOE the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and to acquire the equity interests in the VIE when permitted by the PRC laws, respectively. Certain exclusive agreements were entered into with the VIE through the WFOE, which obligate the WFOE to absorb a majority of the risk of loss from the VIE’s activities and entitle the WFOE to receive a majority of its residual returns. In addition, the WFOE entered into an equity interest pledge agreement for equity interests in the VIE held by the nominee shareholders of the VIE. The Company also agreed to provide unlimited financial support to the VIE for its operations.

Despite the lack of technical majority ownership, the Company has effective control of the VIE through the VIE Agreements and a parent-subsidiary relationship exists between the Company and the VIE. Through the VIE Agreements, the shareholders of the VIE effectively assigned all of their voting rights underlying their equity interest in the VIE to the Company. In addition, through the other exclusive agreements, which consist of exclusive call option agreement, exclusive business cooperation agreement, and equity interest pledge agreement, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries in the PRC, have the right to receive economic benefits from the VIE that could be potentially significant to the VIE. Lastly, through the financial support undertaking letter, the Company has the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Therefore, the Company is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE and consolidates the VIE and its consolidated subsidiaries as required by SEC Regulation S-X Rule 3A-02 and Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) topic 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”).

The following is a summary of the VIE Agreements:

Power of Attorney Agreements

Pursuant to the power of attorney agreements signed between Beijing Quhuo’s nominee shareholders and the WFOE, each nominee shareholder irrevocably appointed the WFOE as its attorney-in-fact to exercise on each nominee shareholder’s behalf any and all rights that each nominee shareholder has in respect of its equity interest in Beijing Quhuo, including, but not limited to executing the exclusive right to exclusive call option agreement, the voting rights and the right to appoint directors and executive officers of Beijing Quhuo. This agreement is effective and irrevocable as long as the nominee shareholder remains a shareholder of Beijing Quhuo.

Exclusive Call Option Agreement

Pursuant to the exclusive call option agreement entered into between Beijing Quhuo’s nominee shareholders and the WFOE, the nominee shareholders irrevocably granted the WFOE a call option to request the nominee shareholders to transfer or sell any part or all of its equity interests in the, or any or all of the assets of the VIE, to the WFOE, or their designees. The purchase price of the equity interests in the VIE is equal to the minimum price required by PRC law. Without the WFOE’s prior written consent, the VIE and its nominee shareholders cannot amend its articles of association, increase or decrease the registered capital, sell or otherwise dispose of its assets or beneficial interests, create or allow any encumbrance on its assets or other beneficial interests and provide any loans or guarantees, or enter into any

 

F-13


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

Exclusive Call Option Agreement (continued)

 

material contracts except those in the ordinary course of business. The nominee shareholders cannot request any dividends or other form of assets. If dividends or other form of assets were distributed, the nominee shareholders are required to transfer all received distribution to the WFOE or its designees. This agreement is not terminated until all of the equity interests of the VIE are transferred to the WFOE or the person(s) designated by the WFOE. None of the nominee shareholders have the right to terminate or revoke the agreement under any circumstance unless otherwise regulated by law.

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

Pursuant to the exclusive business cooperation agreement entered into by the WFOE and Beijing Quhuo, the WFOE provides exclusive technical support and consulting services in return for fees based on 100% of Beijing Quhuo’s net profit, which is adjustable at the sole discretion of the WFOE. Without the WFOE’s consent, the VIE and its subsidiaries cannot procure services from any third party or enter into similar service arrangements with any other third party, other than the WFOE. In addition, the VIE granted the WFOE an exclusive right to purchase any or all of the business or assets of each of the profitable VIE and its subsidiaries at the lowest price permitted under PRC law. This agreement is irrevocable or can only be unilaterally revoked/amended by the WFOE.

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, Beijing Quhuo’s nominee shareholders represent all of the VIE’s equity interests have been pledged to the WFOE as continuing first priority security interest to guarantee the nominee shareholders’ and the VIE’s obligations under the power of attorney agreements, the exclusive call option agreement and the exclusive business cooperation agreement. The WFOE is entitled to collect dividends during the effective period of the share pledge unless it agrees otherwise in writing. If Beijing Quhuo or any of the nominee shareholders breach its contractual obligations, the WFOE will be entitled to certain rights regarding the pledged equity interests, including receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of all or part of the pledged equity interests of Beijing Quhuo in accordance with PRC law. None of the nominee shareholders may assign or transfer to any third party, distribute dividends and create or cause any security interest and any liability in whatsoever form to be created on, all or any part of the equity interests it holds in the VIE without the written consent of the WFOE. This agreement is not terminated until all of the technical support and consulting and service fees are fully paid under the exclusive business cooperation agreement and all of Beijing Quhuo’s obligations have been terminated under the other controlling agreements. The Company has registered the equity interest pledge with the relevant office of the administration for industry and commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

Financial support undertaking letter

Pursuant to the financial support undertaking letter, the Company is obligated to provide unlimited financial support to the VIE, to the extent permissible under the applicable PRC laws and regulations. The Company will not request repayment of the loans or borrowings if the VIE or its nominee shareholders do not have sufficient funds or are unable to repay.

 

F-14


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

 

Resolutions of directors of Quhuo Limited (the “Resolutions”)

The Board of Directors resolved that the Board of Directors or any person authorized by it shall cause the WFOE to exercise its rights under the power of attorney agreements and the exclusive call option agreement when the authorized officer designated by the Board of Directors determines that such exercise is in the best interests of the Company and the WFOE to do so.

In the opinion of the Company’s legal counsel, (i) the ownership structure of the PRC subsidiaries and the VIE, both currently and immediately after giving effect to the IPO, does not and will not violate applicable PRC laws and regulations; (ii) each of the VIE Agreements is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms and applicable PRC laws or regulations and will not violate applicable PRC laws or regulations; (iii) the financial support letter issued by the Company to the VIE, dated on August 23, 2019, and the resolutions contained in the Resolutions are valid in accordance with the articles of association of the Company.

However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from the opinion of the Company’s legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If the Company is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures.

 

F-15


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2019, RMB227,110 of accounts receivable and RMB23,602 of property and equipment of the VIE were pledged or collateralized. Creditors of the VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the Company, who is the primary beneficiary of the VIE, through its 100% controlled subsidiary WFOE. The Company did not provide any financial or other support to the VIE other than what is obligated by the agreements described above. The table sets forth the assets and liabilities of the VIE’s included in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

ASSETS:

        

Current assets:

        

Cash

     17,343        126,677        18,196  

Short-term investments

     74,165        56,275        8,083  

Accounts receivable

     156,368        276,966        39,784  

Prepayments and other current assets

     17,487        43,058        6,185  

Amounts due from related parties

     25,748        18,392        2,642  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     291,111        521,368        74,890  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-current assets:

        

Property and equipment, net

     11,358        25,632        3,682  

Intangible assets, net

     57,896        66,818        9,598  

Long-term investments

     10,501        1,715        246  

Goodwill

     16,412        26,231        3,768  

Deferred tax assets

     1,724        3,893        559  

Amounts due from related parties

     4,065        —          —    

Other non-current assets

     76,549        98,137        14,096  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-current assets

     178,505        222,426        31,949  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

     469,616        743,794        106,839  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

LIABILITIES:

        

Current liabilities:

        

Accounts payable

     144,100        232,276        33,364  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     27,719        75,757        10,883  

Short-term debt

     68,630        143,979        20,681  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     240,449        452,012        64,928  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-current liabilities:

        

Deferred tax liabilities

     4,559        2,556        367  

Long-term debt

     5,682        11,942        1,715  

Other non-current liabilities

     14,493        22,766        3,270  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-current liabilities

     24,734        37,264        5,352  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     265,183        489,276        70,280  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The VIE’s net asset balance was RMB204,433 and RMB254,518 (US$36,559) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

F-16


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

1.

Organization, Consolidation and Principal Activities (continued)

 

The table sets forth the results of operations of the VIE included in the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively:

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB     

RMB

     US$  

Revenue

     654,802        1,474,475        2,055,789        295,296  

Net loss

     (13,969      (44,295      (11,992      (1,723

The table sets forth the cash flows of the VIE included in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively:

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

     (28,615      19,807        17,521        2,517  

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (65,102      (94,281      12,484        1,793  

Net cash provided by financing activities

     71,350        82,495        80,550        11,570  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     (80      179        (1,221      (175 )  

Net (decrease) increase in cash

     (22,447      8,200        109,334        15,705  

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”).

Principles of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, the VIE and the subsidiaries of the VIE. All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Use of estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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 revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, allowance for doubtful accounts for accounts receivable, useful lives of property, equipment and intangible assets, impairment of long-lived assets, goodwill and long-term investments, purchase price allocation with respect to business combinations, the fair value of redeemable convertible preferred shares, valuation allowance for deferred tax assets and share-based compensation. Management bases the estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making

 

F-17


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Use of estimates (continued)

 

judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Foreign currency

The functional currency of the Company, Quhuo BVI and Quhuo HK is the United States Dollars (“US$”). The functional currency of WFOE, the VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE located in the PRC is Renminbi (“RMB”). The Company uses the RMB as its reporting currency.

Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are re-measured into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction dates. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are re-measured at the exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date. Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical cost in foreign currency are re-measured using the exchange rates at the dates of the initial transactions. Exchange gains and losses are included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.

The Company uses the average exchange rate for the year and the exchange rate at the balance sheet date to translate the operating results and financial position, respectively. Translation differences are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss, a component of shareholders’ deficit.

Convenience translation

Amounts in US$ are presented for the convenience of the reader and are translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 to RMB6.9618 on December 31, 2019 in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted into US$ at such rate.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of cash on hand, demand deposits and time deposits which are highly liquid. The Company considers highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash and with original maturities from the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. All cash and cash equivalents are unrestricted as to withdrawal and use. There are no restricted cash for the periods presented.

Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts

Accounts receivable are carried at net realizable value. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded when collection of the full amount is no longer probable. In evaluating the collectability of receivable balances, the Company considers specific evidence including the aging of the receivable, the customer’s payment history, its current credit-worthiness and current economic trends. Accounts receivable are written off after all collection efforts have ceased.

 

F-18


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Short-term investments

Short-term investments consist of investments in commercial bank deposits with original maturities of greater than three months, but less than twelve months.

Long-term investments

Prior to January 1, 2019, the Company accounted for equity investments over which the Company does not have significant influence using the cost method in accordance with ASC 325-20, Investments-Other: Cost Method Investments. Under cost method, the Company carries the investment at cost and only adjusts for other-than-temporary declines in fair value and distributions of earnings.

Beginning on January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments—Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”), pursuant to which, equity investments with readily determinable fair value, except for those accounted for under the equity method, those that result in consolidation of the investee and certain other investments, are measured at fair value, and any changes in fair value are recognized in earnings. For equity securities without readily determinable fair value and do not qualify for the existing practical expedient in ASC 820 to estimate fair value using the net asset value per share (or its equivalent) of the investment, the Company elected to use the measurement alternative to measure those investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer, if any. There was no material impact to the Company’s consolidated financial statements from the adoption of ASU 2016-01.

Fair value measurements

Financial instruments of the Company primarily include cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, other receivables, amounts due from and due to related parties, long-term investments, deposits, contingent consideration payable, short-term debt, long-term debt and redeemable convertible preferred shares. The Company applies ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (‘‘ASC 820’’), in measuring fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value and requires disclosures to be provided on fair value measurement. The short-term investments are measured at fair value. The redeemable convertible preferred shares were initially recorded at fair value as of the issuance date. Equity method investments have no quoted market prices and it is not practicable to estimate their fair value without incurring excessive costs. For investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair value, the Company elected to use the measurement alternative to measure those investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer, if any. The Company reviews the investments for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may no longer be recoverable. The carrying amounts of the remaining financial instruments, except for long-term debt and deposits, approximate their fair values because of their short-term maturities.

ASC 820 establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

Level 1—Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Fair value measurements (continued)

 

Level 2—Include other inputs that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.

Level 3—Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity.

ASC 820 describes three main approaches to measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities: (1) market approach; (2) income approach and (3) cost approach. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present value amount. The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that would currently be required to replace an asset.

Property and equipment, net

Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the following estimated useful lives:

 

Category

  

Estimated Useful Lives

Furniture

   5 years

Electronic equipment

   3 years

Vehicles

   5 years

Leasehold improvement

   Over the shorter of the terms or the estimated useful lives

Repair and maintenance costs are charged to expense as incurred. Retirements, sales and disposals of assets are recorded by removing the cost and accumulated depreciation from the asset and accumulated depreciation accounts with any resulting gain or loss reflected in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.

Intangible assets

Intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization and any recorded impairment. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized using a straight-line method of amortization that reflects the estimated pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible asset are to be consumed. The estimated useful life for the intangible assets is as follows:

 

Category

  

Estimated Economic Lives

Customer relationships

   5-8 years

Purchased software

   3 years

Impairment of long-lived assets other than goodwill

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets with finite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances, such as a significant adverse change to market conditions that will impact the future use of the assets, indicate that the carrying amount of

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Impairment of long-lived assets other than goodwill (continued)

 

an asset may not be fully recoverable. When these events occur, the Company evaluates the recoverability of long-lived assets by comparing the carrying amount of the assets to the future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the assets over their fair value. Fair value is generally determined by discounting the cash flows expected to be generated by the assets, when the market prices are not readily available.

Business combination

The Company accounts for its business combinations using the purchase method of accounting in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”). The purchase method of accounting requires that the consideration transferred to be allocated to the assets, including separately identifiable assets and liabilities the Company acquired, based on their estimated fair values. The consideration transferred in an acquisition is measured as the aggregate of the fair values at the date of exchange of the assets given, liabilities incurred, and equity instruments issued as well as the contingent considerations and all contractual contingencies as of the acquisition date. The excess of the total of cost of acquisition, over the fair value of the identifiable net assets of the acquiree, is recorded as goodwill. If the cost of acquisition is less than the fair value of the net assets of the businesses acquired, the difference is recognized directly in earnings. Transaction costs directly attributable to the acquisitions are expensed as incurred.

The determination and allocation of fair values to the identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and non-controlling interests is based on various assumptions and valuation methodologies requiring considerable judgment from management. The most significant variables in these valuations are discount rates, terminal values, the number of years on which the cash flow projections are based, as well as the assumptions and estimates used to determine the cash inflows and outflows. The Company determines discount rates to be used based on the risk inherent in the related activity’s current business model and industry comparisons. Terminal values are based on the expected life of assets, forecasted life cycle and forecasted cash flows over that period.

Goodwill

In accordance with ASC 350, IntangiblesGoodwill and Others (‘‘ASC 350’’), the Company assigns and assesses goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below the operating segment. Goodwill was allocated to the reporting units that are expected to benefit from the business combinations (Note 11).

Under ASC 350, goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired. The Company early adopted ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (‘‘ASU 2017-04’’), pursuant to which the Company will apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a goodwill allocated to the reporting unit’s carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The Company performed a quantitative test to assess whether the fair value of its reporting units was in excess of their carrying amounts. The impairment test utilized an income method based on a discounted

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Goodwill (continued)

 

future cash flow approach. No impairment of goodwill was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Revenue recognition

Effective January 1, 2017, the Company elected to early adopt the requirements of ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) using the full retrospective method. The Company applies the five-step model outlined in ASC 606. The Company accounts for a contract when it has approval and commitment from the customer, the rights of the parties are identified, payment terms are identified, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration is probable. The adoption of ASC 606 did not have a material impact on the Company’s accumulated deficit balance as of January 1, 2017.

The Company generates its revenue from its on-demand consumer service business, primarily from on-demand food delivery solution services provided to online food ordering platforms operated by industry customers in the PRC and some other third parties. The Company also generates revenue from its bike-sharing maintenance solution services provided to bike-sharing companies and from ride-hailing solution services.

On-demand food delivery solutions

The Company enters into delivery service agreements to provide an integrated on-demand food delivery solution services to industry customers. Industry customers generally divide their intracity food delivery network into a number of delivery areas, while, the Company is responsible for providing delivery solution service to fulfill all on-demand food delivery orders on a daily and an if-needed basis within specified delivery areas that are managed by the Company.

The Company manages its delivery rider groups to make sure there are sufficient delivery riders to fulfill all the orders within the delivery areas and assures that the quality of delivery solution services is in compliance with service standards.

The Company has determined its obligation is to stand ready to fulfill all the delivery orders and considered the series of services as a single performance obligation. The customers receive the benefit of the services and the Company has the right to payment as the services are performed over the term of month-to-month contracts or the one-year contract. The Company charges delivery service fees to industry customers based on the number of orders completed at a fixed rate per order, subject to adjustments based on the monthly performance of the services. Revenues are variable based on volume of delivery orders and monthly performance results. The variable consideration becomes fixed at the end of the month when the uncertainty on monthly performance evaluation is resolved. The Company recognizes on-demand food delivery solution service revenue as it provides the services.

Consideration payable to the customer that is not in exchange for a distinct good or service is recognized as a reduction of revenue. When the Company makes an upfront payment to a customer for entering into a new contract, the substance of the payment is generally made to secure an relationship with the customer to generate future revenues. The upfront payment is initially recognized as a non-current asset and reduces revenues on a straight-line basis over anticipated relationship period. The anticipated relationship period is generally 8 years and will be reassessed on an annual basis.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Revenue recognition (continued)

 

Principal versus agent considerations

In accordance with ASC 606, the Company evaluates whether it is appropriate to record the revenue on gross or net basis based on whether it controls the service provided to its customers and acts as a principal (i.e. “gross”), or the Company arranges for outsourced riders to provide the service to the customers and acts as an agent in each of its revenue streams (i.e. “net”). Judgment is required in determining whether the Company is principal or agent for on-demand food delivery solutions.

The Company concludes it controls the service provided by delivery riders to customers as (i) the Company is primarily responsible for the fulfillment of the contract and assure services are acceptable by the customer; (ii) the Company needs maintains sufficient delivery riders in order to deliver all on-demand food delivery orders within delivery areas on a daily and an if-needed basis; (iii) the Company can direct the right to use delivery riders’ services as it chooses (e.g. to fulfill one customer’s contract or to fulfill another customer’s contract), and (iv) the Company has the ultimate discretion to set up the price of the service with customers.

Bike-sharing maintenance solutions

The Company derives revenue from service fees paid by a bike-sharing company for daily maintenance services provided. The Company’s bike-sharing maintenance solutions include maintaining of orderliness of bikes, redistribution and transportation of idled bikes based on end users’ usage patterns within a designated area, and identification and transportation of malfunctioning bikes.

The Company has determined its obligation is to perform maintenance services on the term of a month-to-month contract and considered the series of services as a single performance obligation. The customer receives the benefit of the services and the Company has the right to payment as the service are performed. The Company charges maintenance service fees to the bike-sharing company based on the number of service hours and the number of bikes transported. Revenues are variable based on volume of service performed and the Company recognizes maintenance services revenue as the services are rendered. The Company believes that this method provides a faithful depiction of the transfer of service over the term of performance obligation.

Pursuant to ASC 606-10-32-2A, the Company has elected to exclude from revenue sales taxes and other similar taxes that are both imposed on and are concurrent with revenue producing transactions. Therefore, revenues are recognized net of value added taxes (“VAT”).

Practical Expedients

The Company has utilized the practical expedient available under ASC 606-10-50-14 to not to disclose information about its remaining performance obligations because the Company’s contracts with customers generally have an expected duration less than one year.

Payment term

Payment terms and conditions vary by contract type, although the Company’s terms generally include a requirement of payment within 30 to 90 days since billing is issued. In instances where the timing of revenue recognition differs from the timing of payment, the Company has determined that its contracts do not include a significant financing component.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Revenue recognition (continued)

 

Ride-hailing solutions

Beginning in October 2018, the Company generated revenue from ride-hailing solution services primarily from car rental fees paid by ride-hailing drivers. The Company primarily derives revenues from rental fees under its car leasing agreements with ride-hailing drivers. These arrangements are classified as operating leases as defined within ASC 840, Leases (“ASC 840”). The Company recognizes revenue from these arrangements on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

In addition, the Company also provided ride-hailing management services to certain ride-hailing platform as an agent by connecting ride-hailing drivers and the ride-hailing platform. Accordingly, the Company recognizes revenue on a net basis in accordance with ASC 606. Revenue generated from this arrangement was not material for the period presented.

Cost of revenue

Cost of revenue consists primarily of labor costs related to the outsourced workforce, rental expenses, amortization of customer relationships, on-demand delivery supplies, workforce insurance costs, depreciation of property and equipment and other costs directly attributable to the Company’s revenue generating activities.

Research and development

Research and development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits for research and development personnel engaging in software or platform development. The Company expenses research and development costs as they are incurred.

Employee benefit expenses

All eligible employees of the Company are entitled to staff welfare benefits including medical care, welfare subsidies, unemployment insurance and pension benefits through a PRC government-mandated multi-employer defined contribution plan. The Company is required to make contributions to the plan and accrues for these benefits based on certain percentages of the qualified employees’ salaries. The PRC government is responsible for the medical benefits and the pension liability to be paid to these employees and the Company’s obligations are limited to the amounts contributed. The Company has no further payment obligations once the contributions have been paid. The Company recorded employee benefit expenses of RMB3,861, RMB4,417 and RMB5,531 (US$794) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

VAT

Pursuant to the PRC tax legislation, VAT is generally imposed in lieu of business tax in the modern service industries, on a nationwide basis. VAT of 6% applies to revenue derived from the provision of on-demand food delivery services and bike-sharing maintenance services. Prior to April 1, 2019, VAT of 16% applied to revenue derived from the rendering of car rental services. Subsequent to April 1, 2019, VAT of 13% applies to revenue derived from the rendering of car rental services. The Company is allowed to offset the qualified input VAT paid on taxable purchases against the output VAT chargeable on the modern services provided.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Leases

Leases are classified at the inception date as either a capital lease or an operating lease. A lease is a capital lease if any of the following conditions exists: a) ownership is transferred to the lessee by the end of the lease term, b) there is a bargain purchase option, c) the lease term is at least 75% of the property’s estimated remaining economic life or, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments at the beginning of the lease term is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased property to the lessor at the inception date. All other leases are accounted for as operating leases wherein rental payments are expensed on a straight-line basis over their respective lease term. The Company leases certain office space, service stations and vehicles under non-cancelable operating leases. Certain lease agreements contain rent holidays, which are considered in determining the straight-line rent expense to be recorded over the lease term.

Income taxes

The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes (‘‘ASC 740’’). Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Company records a valuation allowance to offset deferred tax assets if based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rate is recognized in tax expense in the period that includes the enactment date of the change in tax rate.

The Company accounted for uncertainties in income taxes in accordance with ASC 740. Interest and penalties arising from underpayment of income taxes shall be computed in accordance with the related PRC tax law. The amount of interest expense is computed by applying the applicable statutory rate of interest to the difference between the tax position recognized and the amount previously taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Interest and penalties recognized in accordance with ASC 740 are classified in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss as income tax expense.

In accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, the Company recognizes in its consolidated financial statements the impact of a tax position if a tax return position or future tax position is ‘‘more likely than not’’ to prevail based on the facts and technical merits of the position. Tax positions that meet the “more likely than not” recognition threshold are measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement. The Company’s estimated liability for unrecognized tax benefits, if any, will be recorded in the ‘‘other non-current liabilities’’ in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, and is periodically assessed for adequacy and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and/or developments with respect to tax audits, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from the Company’s estimates. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts, circumstances, and new information may require the Company to adjust the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period in which the changes occur.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Share-based compensation

Awards granted to employees

The Company applies ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (‘‘ASC 718’’), to account for its employee share-based payments. In accordance with ASC 718, the Company determines whether an award should be classified and accounted for as a liability award or equity award. All the Company’s share-based awards to employees were classified as equity awards and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on their grant date fair values.

Awards granted to non-employees

The Company early adopted ASU No. 2018-7, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Non-employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2018-7”) on January 1, 2017 and applies ASC 718 to account for share-based payments for acquiring goods and services from non-employees.

The Company has elected to recognize share-based compensation using the accelerated method, for all share-based awards granted with graded vesting based on service conditions and performance conditions. For share-based payment awards with market conditions, such market conditions are included in the determination of the estimated grant-date fair value. The Company has early adopted ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting on January 1, 2017 and elected to account for forfeitures as they occur. The Company, with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm determined the fair value of the stock options granted to employees and non-employees. The binomial option pricing model was applied in determining the estimated fair value of the options granted to employees and non-employees.

Modification of awards

A change in the terms or conditions of the awards is accounted for as a modification of the award. Incremental compensation cost is measured as the excess, if any, of the fair value of the modified award over the fair value of the original award immediately before its terms are modified, measured based on the fair value of the awards and other pertinent factors at the modification date. For vested awards, the Company recognizes incremental compensation cost in the period the modification occurs. For unvested awards, the Company recognizes over the remaining requisite service period, the sum of the incremental compensation cost and the remaining unrecognized compensation cost for the original award on the modification date. If the fair value of the modified award is lower than the fair value of the original award immediately before modification, the minimum compensation cost the Company recognizes is the cost of the original award.

Loss per share

In accordance with ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of unrestricted ordinary shares outstanding during the year using the two-class method. Under the two-class method, net loss is allocated between ordinary shares and other participating securities based on their participating rights. The Company’s redeemable convertible preferred shares are participating securities. For the periods presented herein, the computation of basic loss per share using the two-class method is not applicable as the Company

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Loss per share (continued)

 

is in a net loss position and the participating securities do not have contractual rights and obligations to share in the losses of the Company.

Diluted loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders as adjusted for the effect of dilutive ordinary equivalent shares, if any, 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 Company’s redeemable convertible preferred shares using the if-converted method; and ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of share options, using the treasury stock method. Ordinary share equivalents are excluded from the computation of diluted per share if their effects would be anti-dilutive.

Unaudited pro forma shareholders’ deficit and loss per share

Pursuant to the Company’s post-offering memorandum and articles of association that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of a public offering, upon the completion of a public offering pursuant to a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, the market capitalization of which is not less than US$250,000 (‘‘Qualified IPO’’), the outstanding redeemable convertible preferred shares will automatically be re-designated and converted into Class A ordinary shares. Unaudited pro forma shareholders’ deficit as of December 31, 2019, is adjusted for the assumed: (1) the re-designation and conversion of the redeemable convertible preferred shares on a one-to-one basis into 24,131,100 Class A ordinary shares and its corresponding reclassification from mezzanine equity to shareholders’ deficit; (2) the re-designation of all outstanding ordinary shares into 8,676,130 Class A ordinary shares and 6,296,630 Class B ordinary share on a one-for-one basis, respectively, upon the closing of the Company’s Qualified IPO; and (3) a one-time share based compensation expense upon the satisfaction of the performance condition of an IPO reflected in additional paid-in capital, is set forth on the consolidated balance sheets.

The unaudited pro forma net loss per share is computed using the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019, and the assumed conversion of all of the Company’s redeemable convertible preferred shares into ordinary shares upon the closing of the Company’s Qualified IPO, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2019.

Deferred IPO costs

Direct and incremental costs incurred by the Company attributable to its proposed IPO of ordinary shares in the U.S. have been deferred and recorded in prepayments and other current assets and will be charged against the gross proceeds received from such offering.

Segment reporting

In accordance with ASC 280-10, Segment Reporting: Overall, the Company’s chief operating decision maker (‘‘CODM’’) has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer who reviews the consolidated results of operations when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Company as a whole and hence, the Company has only one reportable segment. The Company does not distinguish between markets or segments for purposes of internal reporting. All of the Company’s revenues for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were generated from the PRC. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, all of the long-lived assets of the Company are located in the PRC, and therefore, no geographical segments are presented.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

 

Recent accounting pronouncements

The Company is an emerging growth company (“EGC”) as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”). The JOBS Act provides that an EGC can take advantage of extended transition periods for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an EGC to delay adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Company elected to take advantage of the extended transition periods. However, this election will not apply should the Company cease to be classified as an EGC.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (‘‘ASU 2016-02’’). ASU 2016-02 modifies existing guidance for off-balance sheet treatment of a lessees’ operating leases by requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. Under ASU 2016-02, lessor accounting is largely unchanged. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective method and will not restate comparable periods. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this guidance. The Company currently believes the most significant change will be related to the recognition of right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets upon adoption, which will increase total assets and liabilities.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (‘‘ASU 2016-13’’). The amendments in ASU 2016-13 update guidance on reporting credit losses for financial assets. These amendments affect loans, debt securities, trade receivables, net investments in leases, off balance sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables, and any other financial assets not excluded from the scope that have the contractual right to receive cash. For U.S. SEC filers that are not smaller reporting companies, ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The update eliminates, modifies, and adds certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. This update is effective in fiscal years, including interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The added disclosure requirements and the modified disclosure on the narrative description of measurement uncertainty should be applied prospectively for only the most recent interim or annual period presented. The Company will adopt ASU No. 2018-13 effective January 1, 2020 and is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this guidance.

In December 2019 the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. This update eliminates certain exceptions related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. It also clarifies and simplifies other aspects of the accounting for income taxes. This guidance is effective for PBEs for fiscal years beginning after 15 December 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. This guidance is effective for public business entities (PBEs) for fiscal years beginning after 15 December 2020, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For all other entities, it is effective for fiscal years beginning after 15 December 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after 15 December 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on its consolidated financial statements of adopting this guidance.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

3.

Concentration of Risks

 

(a)

Business, customer, political, social and economic risks

The Company participates in a dynamic and competitive industry and believes that changes in any of the following areas could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future financial position, results of operations or cash flows: changes in the overall demand for services; competitive pressures due to new entrants; advances and new trends in new technologies and industry standards; changes in certain strategic relationships; regulatory considerations and risk associated with the Company’s ability to attract employees or workforce necessary to support its growth. The Company’s operations could also be adversely affected by significant political, regulatory, economic and social uncertainties in the PRC.

Three customers accounted for 43%, 26% and 25% of total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2017, two customers accounted for 60% and 36% of total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2018, and three customers accounted for 41%, 40% and 15% of total revenues during the year ended December 31, 2019. Four suppliers, two suppliers and three suppliers accounted for more than 10% each of cost of revenues during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

(b)

Interest rate risk

The Company is exposed to interest rate risk related to its short-term loan. The interest rate of a short-term loan was mainly based on the one year People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) benchmark interest rates and a pre-determined margin. A hypothetical 1% increase or decrease in annual interest rates would increase or decrease interest expense by approximately RMB700 per year based on the outstanding short-term loan balance at December 31, 2019.

 

(c)

Foreign currency exchange rate risk

From July 21, 2005, the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. For RMB against U.S. dollar, there was appreciation of approximately 5.8%, depreciation of approximately 5.0% and appreciation of approximately 1.3% during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future. To the extent that the Company needs to convert U.S. dollar into RMB for capital expenditures and working capital and other business purposes, appreciation of RMB against U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount the Company would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if the Company decides to convert RMB into U.S. dollar for the purpose of making payments for dividends on ordinary shares, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of U.S. dollar against RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to the Company. In addition, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Company’s earnings or losses.

 

(d)

Currency convertibility risk

The Company transacts all of its business in RMB, which is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. On January 1, 1994, the PRC government abolished the dual rate system and introduced a single rate of exchange as quoted daily by the PBOC. However, the unification of the exchange rates does not imply that the RMB may be readily convertible into US$ or other foreign currencies. All foreign exchange

 

F-29


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

3.

Concentration of Risks (continued)

 

(d)

Currency convertibility risk (continued)

 

transactions continue to take place either through the PBOC or other banks authorized to buy and sell foreign currencies at the exchange rates quoted by the PBOC. Approval of foreign currency payments by the PBOC or other institutions requires submitting a payment application form together with suppliers’ invoices, shipping documents and signed contracts. Additionally, the value of the RMB is subject to changes in central government policies and international economic and political developments affecting supply and demand in the PRC foreign exchange trading system market.

 

(e)

Concentration of credit risk

Financial assets that potentially expose the Company to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash, accounts receivable, short-term investments and deposits. All of the Company’s cash and short-term investments were held at reputable financial institutions with high-credit ratings. In the event of bankruptcy of one of these financial institutions, the Company may not be able to claim its cash and demand deposits back in full. The Company continues to monitor the financial strength of the financial institutions. There has been no recent history of default in relation to these financial institutions. Accounts receivable and deposits, unsecured and denominated in RMB, derived from or held by industry customers are exposed to credit risk. The Company manage credit risk of accounts receivable through ongoing monitoring of the outstanding balances.

 

4.

Revenues

The following table presents the Company’s revenues disaggregated by revenue category. All revenues were generated in the PRC.

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB     

RMB

     US$  

Revenue from contract with customers

           

On-demand food delivery solution services

     654,802        1,444,616        2,027,351        291,210  

Bike-sharing maintenance solution services

     —          27,823        21,244        3,052  

Ride-hailing solutions services

     —          —          1,383        199  

Housekeeping solutions and other services

     —          —          262        38  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Subtotal

     654,802        1,472,439        2,050,240        294,499  

Non-ASC 606 revenues

           

Ride-hailing solutions services

     —          2,036        5,549        797  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenues

     654,802        1,474,475        2,055,789        295,296  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-30


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

5.

Business Combination

During the three years ended December 31, 2019, the Company completed several business combinations to complement its existing business and achieve synergies. The following table summarizes the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed for the acquisitions on the acquisition dates:

 

     2017 Acquisition      2018 Acquisitions      2019 Acquisition  
     RMB      RMB      RMB  

Purchase consideration(i)

     17,926        14,575        33,698  

Less:

        

Cash

     73        655        1,005  

Short-term investments

     —          —          5,540  

Accounts receivable

     13,199        6,261        8,278  

Prepayments and other current assets

     5,005        1,926        3,273  

Customer relationships

     12,000        9,500        20,600  

Accounts payable

     (7,519      (6,664      (9,380

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     (9,077      (2,581      (287

Deferred tax liabilities

     (3,000      (2,353      (5,150

Non-controlling interests

     —          (1,336      —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Goodwill

     7,245        9,167        9,819  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (i)

Purchase consideration included the fair value for contingent consideration of RMB379, RMB7,400 and RMB nil for the acquisitions in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

2017 Acquisition

On September 30, 2017, the Company acquired 100% of the equity interest in Huadian Tianze and Jilin Taisen Co., Ltd. (“Jilin Taisen”) to expand the Company’s market share in the on-demand food delivery services in the PRC. The Company used the acquisition method of accounting, which requires, among other things, the assets acquired and liabilities assumed be recognized at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. The acquisition date fair value of the total purchase consideration was RMB17,926 which consisted of an initial cash payment of RMB8,682, the fair value of contingent consideration payable of RMB379 (US$55) based on operating result subsequent to the acquisition date with the amount finalized based the actual operating result, and the fair value of equity interests issued of RMB8,865 at the acquisition date. Goodwill recognized represents the expected synergies with the Company’s existing on-demand food delivery operations and was allocated to the “on-demand food delivery-Meituan” reporting unit, and is not tax deductible.

2018 Acquisitions

The acquired entities individually were insignificant, and the acquisitions were accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting which requires, among other things, the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed be recognized at their respective fair values as of the acquisition date. These acquisitions are expected to strengthen the Company’s current market. Goodwill of RMB3,949 recognized represents the expected synergies with the Company’s existing on-demand food delivery operations, which was allocated to the “on-demand food delivery-Meituan” reporting unit and is not tax deductible. Goodwill of RMB5,218

 

F-31


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

5.

Business Combination (continued)

2018 Acquisitions (continued)

 

recognized represents the expected synergies and was allocated to the “bike-sharing” reporting unit and is not tax deductible.

2019 Acquisition

On March 31, 2019, the Company acquired Shanghai Xian Qiao with total consideration of RMB33,698, including cash consideration of RMB22,533, of which RMB19,050 was paid in 2018, and extinguishment of pre-existing loan from Shanghai Xian Qiao of RMB11,165. Shanghai Xian Qiao was engaged in on-demand delivery services. Goodwill of RMB9,819 recognized represents the expected synergies with the Company’s existing on-demand food delivery operations, which was allocated to the “on-demand food delivery-Eleme” reporting unit and is not tax deductible.

The purchase price allocation for the acquisitions is based on a valuation determined by the Company with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm. The significant inputs used in the purchase price allocations were revenue growth rates, gross margin rates, weighted-average cost of capital, discount rate, and terminal values. Identifiable intangible assets acquired primarily consist of customer relationships which provide the Company with rights to expand its on-demand delivery services with online food ordering platforms or the bike-sharing maintenance services with the bike-sharing company in specified regions in the PRC. Non-controlling interests related to the acquisition was measured at fair value at the acquisition date by applying the equity percentage held by non-controlling shareholders and a discount for lack of control premium to the fair value of the acquired business, which was determined using an income approach.

The operating results of the acquired company was included in the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss from the acquisition date. Pro forma results of operations were not presented because the effect of the acquisition was not material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

6.

Accounts Receivable

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Accounts receivable

     156,746        276,991        39,788  

Less: allowance for doubtful accounts

     (378      (25      (4
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

     156,368        276,966        39,784  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following table presents the movement in the allowance for doubtful accounts:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Balance at beginning of year

     (105      (378      (54

Additions

     (394      (65      (10

Write-offs

     121        418        60  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at end of year

     (378      (25      (4
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-32


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

6.

Accounts Receivable (continued)

 

Substantially all the Company’s accounts receivable as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 are aged within 30 and 90 days, respectively.

 

7.

Prepayments and Other Current Assets

Prepayments and other current assets consisted of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Other receivables

     5,040        17,571        2,523  

Employee advances

     4,452        3,806        547  

Prepaid rents

     4,714        6,298        905  

Deferred IPO costs

     —          6,341        911  

Others

     3,281        9,042        1,299  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total prepayments and other current assets

     17,487        43,058        6,185  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

8.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, net consisted of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Vehicles

     10,940        28,325        4,069  

Electronic equipment

     1,064        1,419        204  

Leasehold improvements

     417        417        60  

Furnitures

     280        293        42  

Less: Accumulated depreciation

     (1,343      (4,822      (693
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total property and equipment, net

     11,358        25,632        3,682  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Company recorded depreciation expenses of RMB232, RMB1,111 and RMB3,479 (US$499) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

9.

Long-term Investments

The Company’s long-term investments comprised of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Investment without readily determinable fair value

     700        1,715        246  

Equity method investments

     9,801        -      -
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total long-term investments

     10,501        1,715        246  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-33


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

9.

Long-term Investments (continued)

 

Equity investment without readily determinable fair value

Prior to January 1, 2019, equity investment without readily determinable fair value was accounted as cost method investment. As of December 31, 2018, the carrying amount of the cost method investment was RMB700 (US$101). There was no impairment in the Company’s investment for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2016-01 and elected to use the measurement alternative to measure such investments at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar investments of the same issuer, if any. As of December 31, 2019, the carrying amount of the Company’s equity investment accounted for at fair value using the alternative measurement was as RMB1,715 (US$246), net of accumulated impairment of nil. There were also no unrealized gains (upward adjustments) or losses (downward adjustments) resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment of the same issuer for the year ended December 31, 2019. No equity securities were sold for all periods presented.

Equity method investments

In 2018, the Company acquired 30% of the equity interests in Jinzhou Xinda Technology Co., Ltd (“Jinzhou Xinda”) and Ningbo Xinda Zhisong Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ninbo Xinda”) for RMB11,250 (US$1,616). As the Company had significant influence, Jinzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda were accounted for as equity method investments. The strategic investment in Xingda was to jointly operate the on-demand delivery business and to expand the Company’s service coverage. The Company disposed its entire equity interests in Jinzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda on February 2, 2019 in exchange for a total cash consideration of RMB11,000, and recognized a gain from disposal of RMB1,037 (US$149) in other income, net.

The Company’s share of (loss) income from its equity method investments was RMB (1,449) and RMB162 (US$23) for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively, and were recognized in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income loss.

 

10.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets, net consisted of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Customer relationships

     69,100        83,901        12,052  

Purchased software

     56        140        20  

Less: Accumulated amortization

     (10,456      (16,910      (2,429

Less: Accumulated impairment

     (804      (313      (45
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total intangible assets, net

     57,896        66,818        9,598  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Company recorded amortization expenses of RMB2,237, RMB9,021 and RMB10,632 (US$1,527) primarily as cost of revenues, and RMB3,635, RMB804 and RMB923 (US$133) of impairment charges as general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

F-34


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

10.

Intangible Assets (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2019, estimated amortization expenses of the existing intangible assets for each of the next five years are RMB10,690, RMB10,673, RMB10,646, RMB10,124 and RMB10,124, respectively.

The Company recorded gain/(loss) on disposal of customer relationships of RMB121, RMB930 and (RMB3,840) (US$552) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively, primarily due to transfer of customer relationships in certain delivery areas for the on-demand food delivery solutions to third parties.

 

11.

Goodwill

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by the reporting units as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:

 

     Meituan
on-demand food
delivery
     Bike-sharing
maintenance
     Eleme on-
demand food
delivery
     Total  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      RMB  

Balance as of December 31, 2017

     7,245        —        —        7,245  

Acquisitions

     3,949        5,218        —        9,167  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

     11,194        5,218        —        16,412  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Acquisitions

     —          —          9,819        9,819  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

     11,194        5,218        9,819        26,231  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019, in US$

     1,608        750        1,410        3,768  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

No impairment charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

12.

Other Non-current Assets

Other non-current assets consisted of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Rental and industry customer deposits

     46,334        77,610        11,147  

Prepayments

     —          20,527        2,949  

Prepayments for long-term investments

     19,050        -        -  

Other receivables

     11,165        -        -  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other non-current assets

     76,549        98,137        14,096  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-35


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

13.

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Amounts due to third-parties

     6,177        17,037        2,451  

Income taxes payable

     —          15,171        2,179  

Accrued professional service fee

     —          7,848        1,127  

Salary and welfare payables

     9,781        12,221        1,755  

Deposits received from ride-hailing drivers

     2,904        8,153        1,171  

Contingent consideration, current portion

     —          6,453        927  

Others

     8,857        8,942        1,284  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     27,719        75,825        10,894  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

14.

Debt

Short-term Debt

The following table presents the Company’s outstanding short-term debt as of December 31, 2018 and 2019:

 

Name

   Annual
interest rates
     Term      As of
December 31, 2018
     As of
December 31, 2019
 
                   RMB      RMB      US$  

Short-term loans

              
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

East West Bank

     5.50%        1 year        30,000        50,000        7,182  

East West Bank

     4.75%        1 year        15,800        —        —  

East West Bank

     5.00%        1 year        —          16,000        2,298  

SPD Silicon Valley Bank

    

6.00%

(Floating

 

     1 year        20,000        70,000        10,055  

Long-term debt, current portion

     8.45% – 14.86%        3 years        2,830        7,979        1,146  
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           68,630        143,979        20,681  
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

In January 2017, the Company entered into a banking facility agreement with East West Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of RMB38,300 with an interest rate of 4.00%. As of January 1, 2018, the Company had RMB16,900 of borrowing outstanding from this banking facility agreement. The Company repaid RMB16,900 in April 2018. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes.

In January 2018, the Company entered into a banking facility agreement with East West Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of RMB20,000 with an interest rate of 4.50%. The Company drew down RMB20,000 in January 2018, and repaid RMB20,000 in September 2018. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

14.

Debt (continued)

Short-term Debt (continued)

 

In February 2018 and April 2019, the Company entered into banking facility agreements with East West Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of RMB30,000 and RMB50,000, respectively, with an interest rate of 5.50%. In June 2018, the Company drew down RMB30,000, and repaid RMB10,000 and RMB20,000 in March 2019 and June 2019, respectively. In May and June 2019, the Company drew down RMB20,000, and RMB30,000, respectively. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes; and is guaranteed by the Company and secured by certain accounts receivables of the Company.

In April 2018, the Company entered into a banking facility agreement with East West Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of RMB16,000 with an interest rate of 4.75%. The Company drew down RMB15,800 in April 2018, and repaid RMB15,800 in March 2019. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes and is secured by standby letter of credits issued by East West Bank.

In May 2018, the Company entered into a banking facility with SPD Silicon Valley Bank, as extended in May 2019, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow a RMB denominated loan of RMB40,000 with a floating interest rate benchmarked to one-year lending rate of PBOC. The Company drew down RMB20,000 in June 2018. In August 2019, the banking facility was extended and changed the entitled amount from RMB40,000 to RMB20,000. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes and is secured by certain accounts receivable of the Company.

In June 2019, the Company entered into a banking facility agreement with East West Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow RMB16,000 with an interest rate of 4.75%. The Company drew down RMB16,000 in June 2019. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes and is secured by standby letter of credits issued by East West Bank.

In August 2019, the Company entered into a banking facility agreement with SPD Silicon Valley Bank, pursuant to which the Company is entitled to borrow up to RMB50,000 with a floating interest rate benchmarked to one-year lending rate of PBOC. The Company drew down RMB10,000 and RMB40,000 in August and September 2019. The loan is intended for general working capital purposes and is secured by standby letter of credits issued by SPD Silicon Valley Bank

Long-term debt

The following table presents the Company’s long-term debt as of December 31, 2018 and 2019:

 

     Annual
interest rates
     Term      As of
December 31, 2018
     As of
December 31, 2019
 
                   RMB      RMB      US$  

Long-term debt, current portion

     8.45% –14.86%        3 years        2,830        7,979        1,146  

Long-term debt, non-current portion

     8.45% –14.86%        3 years        5,682        11,942        1,715  
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           8,512        19,921        2,861  
        

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

14.

Debt (continued)

Long-term debt (continued)

 

In August 2018, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party pursuant to which the Company borrowed RMB9,440 to purchase 100 vehicles for a total consideration of RMB11,800 for the Company’s ride-hailing solution business. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will repay in fixed monthly installments over 36 months. The effective interest rate was 14.86% per annum. The Company obtained the ownership of the vehicles at inception of the arrangement and the borrowings are secured by the related vehicles.

In July 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with a third party pursuant to which the Company borrowed a total of RMB15,177 as of December 31, 2019. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will repay in fixed monthly installments over 36 months. The effective interest rate for the various borrowings was 8.45% - 8.98% per annum. The borrowing is secured by the Company’s property and equipment with a net book value of RMB16,454.

The weighted average interest rate for all the outstanding borrowings was approximately 4.00%, 5.86% and 6.29% as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, maturities of the debt are as follows:

 

     RMB      US$  

2020

     143,979        20,681  

2021

     7,562        1,086  

2022

     4,380        629  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     155,921        22,396  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

15.

Other non-current liabilities

Other non-current liabilities consisted of the following:

 

            As of December 31,  
            2018      2019      2019  
     Note      RMB      RMB      US$  

Unrecognized tax benefit

     17        6,793        20,519        2,947  

Contingent consideration, non-current portion

        7,700        2,247        323  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

        14,493        22,766        3,270  
     

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

16.

Share-Based Compensation

On June 1, 2017, the Board of Directors of Beijing Quhuo approved it’s 2017 Share Plan (the “2017 Plan”) for the purpose of providing incentives and rewards to the Company’s senior management, employees and consultants. Under the 2017 Plan, the Company reserved 19.55% of its equity interests.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

16.

Share-Based Compensation (continued)

 

On August 23, 2019, the Company’s shareholders and Board of Directors approved the 2019 Share Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan”) which replaced the Company’s 2017 Plan. Under the 2019 Plan, the Company reserved in aggregate 9,502,550 ordinary shares, representing 19.55% equity interest of the Company, to its share-based payment trust to hold options to be awarded to the Company for the purposes of providing incentives and rewards to the Company’s senior management, employees, and other individuals. On August 23, 2019, the Company granted 3,396,372 options, 2,382,344 options and 583,277 options under the 2019 Plan to employees, non-employees and the former shareholders of Huadian Tianze and Jilin Taisen as part of the purchase consideration for the acquisition of Huadian Tianze and Jilin Taisen (Note 5), respectively. Upon adoption of the 2019 Plan, the vesting terms are modified such that substantially all of the outstanding options will not be exercisable until the completion of the Company’s IPO. The modification is considered to be a probable-to-improbable modification as IPO constitutes a performance condition that is not considered probable until the IPO completion date. As such, no incremental fair value would be recognized unless and until the modified condition becomes probable. If the original service condition is satisfied, the award’s original grant-date fair value is recognized as an expense, over the requisite service period, regardless of whether the modified conditions are satisfied.

Employees

The options granted to employees under the 2017 Plan are accounted for as equity awards and contain service vesting conditions. The options generally will become vested either: (i) 100% on the grant date; (ii) 100% on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date; (iii) over three years, which 25%, 35% and 40% of the options vesting on the first, second and third anniversary of the vesting commencement date; or (iv) over four years, which 40%, 20%, 20% and 20% of the options vesting on the first, second, third and fourth anniversary of the vesting commencement date, respectively. Upon adoption of the 2019 Plan, terms are modified such that all options granted to the employees will not be exercisable until the completion of the Company’s IPO.

On September 1, 2019. the Company granted an additional 2,187,287 options under the 2019 Plan to certain executives. These options will not vest until the completion of an IPO and are subject to market conditions based on the Company’s market capitalization for a specified period subsequent to the IPO while the executives remain employed by the Company.

 

F-39


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

16.

Share-Based Compensation (continued)

Employees (continued)

 

A summary of the option activities for employees under the 2017 Plan is as follows:

 

    Number of options     Weighted
average
exercise
price
    Weighted
average
grant date
fair value
    Aggregate
intrinsic
value
    Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
          RMB     RMB     RMB        

Outstanding as of January 1, 2017

    —         —         —         —         —    

Granted

    1,145,297       1.50       15.07      

Forfeited

    —         —         —        
 

 

 

         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017

    1,145,297       1.50       15.07       17,135       9.8  
 

 

 

         

Granted

    454,470       1.39       30.71      

Forfeited

    —         —         —        
 

 

 

         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018

    1,599,767       1.47       19.52       49,138       9.1  
 

 

 

         

Granted

    1,944,256       0.38       31.84      

Forfeited

    (224,348     1.50       15.07      

Replaced

    (3,319,675     0.83       27.03      
 

 

 

         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2019

    —         —         —         —         —    
 

 

 

         

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2019

    —            
 

 

 

         

Exercisable at December 31, 2019

    —            
 

 

 

         

A summary of the option activities for employees under the 2019 Plan is as follows:

 

     Number of options      Weighted
average
exercise
price
     Weighted
average
grant date
fair value
     Aggregate
intrinsic
value
     Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
            USD      USD      USD         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018

     —          —          —          —          —    
  

 

 

             

Granted

     5,583,659        0.07        5.18        

Forfeited

     —          —          —          
  

 

 

             

Outstanding as of December 31, 2019

     5,583,659        0.07        5.18        28,302        9.0  
  

 

 

             

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2019

     5,583,659              
  

 

 

             

Exercisable at December 31, 2019

     —                
  

 

 

             

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the difference between the fair value of the Company’s ordinary share as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the option’s respective exercise price. The total intrinsic value of options exercised was RMB nil (US$ nil) for the years presented as no options were exercised. As of December 31, 2019, there was RMB 95,284 (USD13,354) of total unrecognized employee share-based compensation expenses related to unvested share-based awards.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

16.

Share-Based Compensation (continued)

 

Non-employees

The Company granted options to certain non-employees under the 2017 Plan which are accounted for as equity awards. These options were fully vested on the grant date, and the Company recognized the share compensation expenses in full on the grant date. Upon adoption of the 2019 Plan, terms are modified such that substantially all of the options granted to non-employees will not be exercisable until the completion of the Company’s IPO.

A summary of the option activities for non-employees under the 2017 Plan is as follows:

 

     Number of
options
    Weighted average
exercise price
     Weighted
average
grant date
fair value
     Aggregate
intrinsic
value
     Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
           RMB      RMB      RMB         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2017

     —         —          —          —          —    

Granted

     2,139,312       1.40        31.31        

Forfeited

     —         —          —          
  

 

 

            

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018

     2,139,312       1.40        31.31        65,963        9.97  
  

 

 

            

Granted

     224,348       1.50        30.73        

Replaced

     (2,363,660     1.41        31.25        
  

 

 

            

Outstanding as of December 31, 2019

     —         —          —          —          —    
  

 

 

            

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2019

     —               
  

 

 

            

Exercisable at December 31, 2019

     —               
  

 

 

            

A summary of the option activities for non-employees under the 2019 Plan is as follows:

 

     Number of
options
     Weighted average
exercise price
     Weighted
average
grant date
fair value
     Aggregate
intrinsic
value
     Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
 
            USD      USD      USD         

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018

     —          —          —          —          —    
  

 

 

             

Granted

     2,382,344        0.20        5.19        

Forfeited

     —          —          —          
  

 

 

             

Outstanding as of December 31, 2019

     2,382,344        0.20        5.19        11,762        9.0  
  

 

 

             

Vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2019

     2,382,344              
  

 

 

             

Exercisable at December 31, 2019

     —                
  

 

 

             

 

F-41


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

16.

Share-Based Compensation (continued)

Non-employees (continued)

 

The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the difference between the fair value of the Company’s ordinary share as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and the option’s respective exercise price. Total intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended December 2017, 2018 and 2019 was RMB nil (US$ nil) as no options were exercised. As of December 31, 2019, there was RMB 2,681 (US$ 378) of total unrecognized non-employee share-based compensation expenses related to unvested share-based awards.

Fair value of options

The fair value of options was determined using the binomial-lattice option model, with the assistance from an independent third-party appraiser. The binomial-lattice option model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the expected share price volatility and the exercise multiple. For expected volatilities, the Company has made reference to historical volatilities of several comparable companies. The suboptimal exercise factor was estimated based on the Company’s expectation of exercise behavior of the grantees. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the options is based on the market yield of U.S. Treasury Bonds in effect at the time of grant. The estimated fair value of the ordinary shares, at the option grant dates, was determined with the assistance from an independent third-party appraiser. The Company’s management is ultimately responsible for the determination of the estimated fair value of its ordinary shares.

The assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the options granted are as follow:

 

     For the year ended
December 31, 2017
     For the year ended
December 31, 2018
     For the year ended
December 31, 2019
 

Risk-free interest rate

     3.62% or nil        3.37% or nil        1.52%-3.62% or nil  

Expected volatility

     30.39% or nil        30.67% or nil        29.53%-32.67% or nil  

Suboptimal exercise factor

     2.2 or nil        2.2 or nil        2.2-2.5 or nil  

Fair value per ordinary share

     RMB 16.47        RMB 32.10        USD 5.14  

Expected dividend yield

     0%        0%        0%  

Post-vesting forfeiture rate

     0%        0%        0%  

The binomial-lattice option valuation model considered the contract lives of the options of 10 years.

The Company recognized RMB3,299, RMB89,622 and RMB64,799 (US$9,308) of share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

 

17.

Income Taxes

Cayman Islands

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, the Company is not subject to tax on income or capital gain arising in Cayman Islands. Additionally, upon payments of dividends by the Company to its shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed.

BVI

Under the current laws of the BVI, Quhuo BVI is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. In addition, upon payments of dividends by Quhuo BVI to its shareholder, no BVI withholding tax will be imposed.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

17.

Income Taxes (continued)

 

Hong Kong

Quhuo HK is incorporated in Hong Kong and is subject to Hong Kong profits tax of 16.5% on its activities conducted in Hong Kong. No provision for Hong Kong profits tax was made in the consolidated financial statements as Quhuo HK had no assessable income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

PRC

The Company’s subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries in the PRC are subject to the statutory rate of 25%, in accordance with the Enterprise Income Tax law (the “EIT Law”), which was effective since January 1, 2008 except for the following entities eligible for preferential tax rates. Huadian Tianze was qualified for small and micro-sized enterprise (“SME”) since 2017. Jilin Taiseng was qualified for SME and eligible for both the 50% reduction of taxable income and the reduced enterprise income tax (“EIT”) EIT rate of 20% in 2018, which was cancelled in 2019. Before January 1, 2019, SME is eligible for both the 50% reduction of taxable income and the reduced EIT rate of 20%. Effective January 1, 2019, SME would be eligible for 75% reduction for the first RMB1 million annual taxable income and 50% of reduction for the annual taxable income between RMB1 million and RMB3 million, while the applicable EIT rate is 20%.

Dividends, interests, rent or royalties payable by the Company’s PRC subsidiaries, to non-PRC resident enterprises, and proceeds from any such non-resident enterprise investor’s disposition of assets (after deducting the net value of such assets) shall be subject to 10% withholding tax, unless the respective non-PRC resident enterprise’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty or arrangements with China that provides for a reduced withholding tax rate or an exemption from withholding tax.

Composition of income tax expense

The current and deferred portions of income tax expense included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss were as follows:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB     

RMB

     US$  

Current income tax expense

     499        6,402        30,902        4,439  

Deferred income tax benefit

     (94      (2,423      (9,322      (1,339
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total income tax expense

     405        3,979        21,580        3,100  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

17.

Income Taxes (continued)

 

Reconciliation between expenses of income taxes

The reconciliations of the income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB     

RMB

     US$  

Net (loss) income before income tax expense

     (13,564      (40,316      8,131        1,168  

Income tax at statutory tax rate

     (3,391      (10,079      2,033        292  

International tax rate difference

     —          —          363        52  

Effect of different tax rates

     78        (8      (229      (33

Non-deductible expense

     2,206        24,993        20,615        2,961  

Changes in the valuation allowance

     1,512        (10,927      (1,798      (258

Interest expense

     —          —          596        86  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income tax expense

     405        3,979        21,580        3,100  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

Deferred taxes were measured using the enacted tax rates for the periods in which the temporary differences are expected to be reversed. The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to the deferred tax balances as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Deferred tax assets:

        

Tax losses carried forward

     10,106        9,321        1,339  

Accrued expense and other current liabilities

     1,601        2,250        323  

Amortization and depreciation difference

     156        1,025        147  

Share of net loss from equity method investees

     362        —          —    

Less: valuation allowance

     (10,501      (8,703      (1,250
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred tax assets, net

     1,724        3,893        559  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

        

Intangible assets

     4,559        2,556        367  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Company operates through VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE and valuation allowance is considered for each of the entities on an individual basis. The Company recorded valuation allowance against deferred tax assets of those entities that were in a three-year cumulative financial loss and are not forecasting profits in the near future as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In making such determination, the Company also evaluated a variety of factors including the Company’s operating history, accumulated deficit, existence of taxable temporary differences and reversal periods.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

17.

Income Taxes (continued)

Deferred tax assets and liabilities (continued)

 

As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Company had taxable losses of RMB81,572, RMB40,424 and RMB37,284 (US$5,356) derived from entities in the PRC, which can be carried forward per tax regulation to offset future net profit for income tax purposes. The PRC taxable loss will expire from December 31, 2020 to 2024 if not utilized.

Unrecognized Tax Benefit

As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Company had unrecognized tax benefit of RMB3,510, RMB19,150 and RMB25,491 (US$3,661), of which RMB497, RMB6,793 and RMB19,923 (US$2,861), respectively, are presented on a net basis against the deferred tax assets related to tax loss carry forwards on the consolidated balance sheets. This primarily represents the estimated income tax expense the Company would pay should its income tax returns have been prepared in accordance with the current PRC tax laws and regulations. It is possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefit will further change in the next 12 months; however, an estimate of the range of the possible change cannot be made at this moment. As of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, unrecognized tax benefits of RMB2,786, RMB12,201 and RMB5,468 (US$785), respectively, if ultimately recognized, will impact the effective tax rate. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefit was as follows:

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Balance at January 1

     3,510        19,150        2,751  

Increase

     15,782        8,162        1,172  

Decrease

     (142      (1,821      (262
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at December 31

     19,150        25,491        3,661  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

In the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the Company recorded interest expense accrued in relation to the unrecognized tax benefit of nil, nil and RMB596 (US$86) in income tax expense, respectively. Accumulated interest expense recorded in unrecognized tax benefit was nil, nil and RMB596 (US$86) as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, the tax years ended December 31, 2014 through period ended as of the reporting date for the WFOE, the VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries remain open to examination by the PRC tax authorities.

 

18.

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares

The Company received capital contributions of RMB94,450 and RMB28,695 from the Series C-2 and Series D preferred shareholders in 2017 and 2018, respectively. On the Restructuring Date, the Company issued Series A, Series B, Series C-1, Series C-2 and Series D preferred shares (collectively, the “Preferred Shares”) to the same group of third-party shareholders of the VIE. The Preferred Shares are recorded at fair value on the issuance date and is presented on a retroactive basis.

 

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Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

18.

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares (continued)

 

The key features of the Preferred Shares are summarized as follows:

Conversion rights

Each holder of the Preferred Shares has the right, at each holder’s sole discretion, to convert at any time and from time to time, all or any portion of the Preferred Shares into ordinary shares as determined by the applicable conversion price, which is initially equal to the original issue price. As of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the conversion ratio was one preferred share convertible into one ordinary share.

The Preferred Shares are automatically converted into ordinary shares at the then applicable conversion price immediately upon the closing of a firm commitment underwritten public offering in which the total market capitalization of the Company is no less than US$250,000 immediately after the IPO, i.e. Qualified IPO.

Dividends

The Preferred Shares holders are entitled to receive dividends when and if declared by the Board of Directors, pro rata on an as-converted basis, without preference on the ordinary shares or any other classes of shares of the Company.

Voting Rights

Each Preferred Shareholder is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number of ordinary shares into which such holder’s Preferred Shares could be converted. Preferred Shareholders vote together with ordinary shareholders, with respect to any matter upon which ordinary shareholders have the right to vote.

Redemption

The Preferred Shares are redeemable by the holders upon the occurrence of any of the following events (the “Redemption Events”): (i) the Company fails to complete a Qualified IPO before December 31, 2020; (ii) the founders’ designated board of directors vote against the Qualified IPO while the Company has satisfied the IPO requirements and the preferred shareholders’ designated board of directors vote to proceed with the IPO; (iii) any change in control of the Company without obtaining the approval of the holders of the Preferred Shares; (iv) the Company and the founders violate the laws and result in the non-occurrence of the IPO or significant damages to the preferred shareholders’ interests, and (v) the Company and the founders materially breach the agreements entered into with preferred shareholders or the article of association. When the Company fails to complete a Qualified IPO before December 31, 2020 and therefore triggers the redemption, the total redemption amount for all preferred shareholders is capped to the higher of (i) the fair market value of equity interests held by the founders or (ii) the value of net assets of the Company held by the founders with redemption preference illustrated as below under liquidation preference. The redemption amount for preferred shareholders is calculated at an amount equal to the sum of the investment price, plus an amount accruing daily at 10% per annum and all declared but unpaid dividends.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

18.

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares (continued)

 

Liquidation Preference

In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, either voluntary or involuntary, or any deemed liquidation event as defined in the Company’s shareholders agreement (the “Liquidation Transactions”), the assets of the Company available for distribution will be made as follows:

Each holder of the Series D Preferred Shares is entitled to receive, on a pari passu basis, an amount equal to the investment price plus all declared but unpaid dividends in preference to any distribution to the holders of Series C-2 Preferred Shares, Series C-1 Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and the ordinary shareholders of the Company.

After the payment to the holders of Series D Preferred Shares, the remaining assets of Company available for distribution shall be distributed the holders of the Series C-2 Preferred Shares, on a pari passu basis, with an amount equal to the investment price plus all declared but unpaid dividends in preference to Series C-1 Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and the ordinary shareholders of the Company.

After the payment to the holders of Series C-2 Preferred Shares, the remaining assets of Company available for distribution will be distributed to the holders of the Series C-1 Preferred Shares, on a pari passu basis, with an amount equal to the investment price plus all declared but unpaid dividends in preference to Series B Preferred Shares, Series A Preferred Shares and the ordinary shareholders of the Company.

After the payment to the holders of Series C-1 Preferred Shares, the remaining assets of Company available for distribution will be distributed to the holders of the Series B Preferred Shares, on a pari passu basis, with an amount equal to the investment price plus all declared but unpaid dividends in preference to Series A Preferred Shares and the ordinary shareholders of the Company.

After the payment to the holders of Series B Preferred Shares, the remaining assets of Company available for distribution will be distributed to the holders of the Series A Preferred Shares, on a pari passu basis, with an amount equal to the investment price plus all declared but unpaid dividends in preference to the ordinary shareholders of the Company.

After payments made to the Preferred Shareholders in accordance with the above, all of the remaining assets of the Company available for distribution to shareholders will be distributed ratably on an if converted basis among all shareholders including the holders of Preferred Shares on a pari passu basis.

Accounting for Preferred Shares

The Preferred Shares are classified as mezzanine equity as they may be redeemed at the option of the holders on or after an agreed upon date which is outside the sole control of the Company. The Preferred Shares were initially measured at fair value. The Company uses the whole instrument approach to determine whether the nature of the host contract in a hybrid instrument is more akin to debt or to equity. The Company evaluated the embedded conversion option in the Preferred Shares to determine if there were any embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and to determine if there were any beneficial conversion features (“BCF”). The conversion option of the Preferred Shares does not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the conversion option is clearly and closely related to the host instrument and the underlying ordinary shares are not publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. On the commitment date, there is no beneficial conversion feature to be recognized

 

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Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

18.

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares (continued)

Accounting for Preferred Shares (continued)

 

because the most favorable conversion price used to measure the beneficial conversion feature of the Preferred Shares was higher than the fair value per ordinary share. The Company determined the fair value of ordinary shares with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm.

In addition, the contingent redemption options of all the Preferred Shares do not qualify for bifurcation accounting because the underlying ordinary shares are not publicly traded nor readily convertible into cash. There are no other embedded derivatives that are required to be bifurcated.

The Preferred Shares are not currently redeemable, but it is probable that the Preferred Shares will become redeemable. The Company concluded that there is no accretion to be recognized because the carrying amount of the Preferred Shares is greater than the redemption value. Therefore, no adjustment will be made to the initial carrying amount of the Preferred Shares until the redemption amount exceeds the carrying amount of the Preferred Shares. The liquidation preference amount was US$ 50,524 as of December 31, 2019.

 

19.

Loss Per Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share for the following periods:

 

     December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

Numerator:

           

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders—basic and diluted

     (13,969      (42,614      (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Denominator:

           

Weighted average number of shares outstanding—basic and diluted

     14,972,760        14,972,760        14,972,760        14,972,760  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss per share—basic and diluted

     (0.93      (2.85      (0.79      (0.11
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

For the periods presented herein, the computation of basic loss per share using the two-class method is not applicable as the Company is in a net loss position and the participating securities do not have contractual rights and obligations to share in the losses of the Company. The effects of all outstanding options and Preferred Shares were also excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share as their effects would be anti-dilutive during the periods.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

20.

Unaudited Pro Forma Net Loss Per Share

The unaudited pro forma net loss per share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares outstanding and assumes the automatic conversion of all of the Company’s Preferred Shares as of December 31, 2019, into 24,131,100 ordinary shares upon the closing of the Company’s Qualified IPO, as if it had occurred on January 1, 2019. The Company believes the unaudited pro forma net loss per share provides material information to investors, as the automatic conversion of the Preferred Shares and the disclosure of pro forma net loss per share provides an indication of net loss per share that is comparable to what will be reported by the Company as a public company following the closing of the Qualified IPO.

 

     December 31,  
     2019      2019  
     RMB      US$  

Numerator:

     

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders for computing net loss per ordinary share—basic and diluted

     (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Numerator for pro forma net loss per share—basic and diluted (unaudited)

     (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Denominator:

     

Weighted average number of shares used in calculating net loss per ordinary share—basic and diluted

     14,972,760        14,972,760  

Conversion of Preferred Shares to Ordinary Shares (unaudited)

     24,131,100        24,131,100  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted average number of shares outstanding—basic and diluted (unaudited)

     39,103,860        39,103,860  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Pro forma loss per share—basic and diluted (unaudited)

     (0.30      (0.04
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

21.

Restricted Net Assets

The Company’s ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on the Company receiving distributions of funds from its subsidiaries. Relevant PRC statutory laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the Company’s PRC subsidiaries only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. The results of operations reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP differ from those reflected in the statutory financial statements of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries.

In accordance with the Regulations on Enterprises with Foreign Investment of China and its Articles of Association, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries, being a foreign-invested enterprise established in the PRC, are required to provide certain statutory reserves, namely the general reserve fund, enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund, all of which are appropriated from net profit as reported in its PRC statutory accounts. The Company’s PRC subsidiaries are required to allocate at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit to the general reserve fund until such fund has reached 50% of its registered capital based on the enterprise’s PRC statutory accounts. Appropriations to the enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund are at the discretion of the Board of Directors of the PRC subsidiaries. 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.

Under PRC laws and regulations, there are restrictions on the Company’s PRC subsidiaries and VIE with respect to transferring certain of their net assets to the Company either in the form of dividends, loans, or

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

21.

Restricted Net Assets (continued)

 

advances. Amounts restricted include paid-in capital and statutory reserve of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries and the VIE, totaling approximately RMB249,192 (US$36,336) as of December 31, 2019; therefore in accordance with Rules 504 and 4.08(e)(3) of Regulation S-X, the condensed parent company only financial statements as of December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019 are disclosed in Note 26.

Furthermore, cash transfers from the Company’s PRC subsidiaries to its subsidiaries outside of China are subject to PRC government control of currency conversion. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of the PRC subsidiaries and consolidated VIE to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to the Company, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations.

 

22.

Commitments and Contingencies

Operating lease commitments

The Company leases cars for ride hailing solution services, office premises and on-demand food delivery service stations in the PRC under non-cancellable operating leases expiring on different dates. Payments under operating leases are expensed on a straight-line basis over the periods of the respective leases.

Total operating lease expenses were RMB11,054, RMB22,168 and RMB30,889 for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, future minimum payments under non-cancellable operating leases were as follows:

 

     RMB  

2020

     19,288  

2021

     1,892  

2022

     958  
  

 

 

 

Total

     22,138  
  

 

 

 

The Company’s operating lease commitments have no renewal options, rent escalation clauses and restrictions or contingent rents.

Contingencies

In the ordinary course of business, the Company may from time to time be involved in legal proceedings and litigation relating to injuries caused by workforce and labor arbitration cases brought by disgruntled workforce, among others. The Company records a liability when the Company believes that it is both probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. With respect to the Company’s outstanding legal matters, based on its current knowledge, the Company believes that the amount or range of reasonably possible loss will not, either individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. However, the outcome of such legal matters is inherently unpredictable and subject to significant uncertainties.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

23.

Related Party Transactions

 

Names of the related parties

  

Relationship with the Company

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. (“SBCVC”)

   A shareholder of the Company

Jinzhou Xingda Technology Co., Ltd. (“Jingzhou Xingda”)

   Equity method investee

Ningbo Xingda Zhisong Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Xingda”)

   Equity method investee

Ningbo Nuanuan Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Ningbo Nuannuan”)

   Entity controlled by principle shareholders

Shanghai Xinying Network Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Xinying”)

   Entity controlled by principle shareholders

Beijing Xiaodu information technology management Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Xiaodu”)

   Entity controlled by a principle shareholder

Amounts due from related parties as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 were as follows:

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

SBCVC

     —          18,392        2,642  

Jinzhou Xingda

     25,150        —          —    

Ningbo Xingda

     598        —          —    

Shanghai Xinying

     3,831        —          —    

Ningbo Nuannuan

     234        —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total amounts due from the related parties

     29,813        18,392        2,642  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Amounts due from SBCVC represent subscription payment due from SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. (“SBCVC”) as part of the Restructuring, under which Beijing Quhuo repurchased the existing shareholders’ equity interest including SBCVC and in return the existing shareholders shall complete the purchase of the Company’s equity interests with the same amount of consideration. SBCVC completed the purchase of the Company’s equity interest in January 2020.

Amounts due from Jinzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda were unsecured and interest-free representing working capital advanced to Jingzhou Xingda and Ningbo Xingda. On February 1, 2019, the Company entered into a share disposal agreement to dispose 30% of equity interests in Ningbo Xingda and Jinzhou Xingda (Note 9).

Amounts due from Shanghai Xinying and Ningbo Nuannuan were unsecured, interest-free and have fixed terms of repayment. The amounts were repaid in August 2019.

Transactions with related parties for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019:

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

Revenue

           

Beijing Xiaodu

     114,762        —          —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

23.

Related Party Transactions (continued)

 

The Company provided on-demand food delivery services to Beijing Xiaodu, which was disposed by the Company’s principle shareholder in August 2017.

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

Labor consulting service provided to:

           

Jinzhou Xingda

     —          7,844        —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Company provided labor consulting services to Jinzhou Xingda and recorded labor service income in other income.

 

24.

Fair Value Measurement

In accordance with ASC 820, the Company measures short-term investments and payables for contingent consideration for business acquisitions at fair value on a recurring basis. Short-term investments include commercial bank deposits with a variable interest rate. The short-term investments are recorded at fair value based on quoted prices provided by banks at the end of each period. The Company classifies the valuation techniques that use these inputs as Level 2 of fair value measurements. The Company measures the fair value of contingent consideration for business combination using management’s estimate of the acquiree’s pre-tax operating profit for the year ended December 31, 2019 and for the year ending December 31, 2020, as well as the discount factor which considers the time value of money and credit risk.

The Company measures non-financial assets such as intangible assets on a nonrecurring basis when impairment charges are recognized. These nonrecurring fair value measurements use significant unobservable inputs, categorized as Level 3 inputs. The Company recognized intangible assets impairment charges of RMB3,635, RMB804 and RMB923 (US$133) for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. The Company measured the impairment charge using the income approach. Inputs used in this methodology primarily include future cash flows and discount rate. Specifically, when a discounted cash flow model is used to determine fair value, the significant input used in the valuation model is the discount rate applied to present value the projected cash flows. Increases in the discount rate can significantly lower the fair value of intangible assets, resulting in a higher impairment charge.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

24.

Fair Value Measurement (continued)

 

Assets and liabilities measured or disclosed at fair value are summarized below:

 

          Fair value measurement or disclosure
at December 31, 2018 using
       
    Total fair value at
December 31, 2018
    Quoted prices in
active market for
identical assets
(Level 1)
    Significant other
observable inputs

(Level 2)
    Significant
unobservable
inputs

(Level 3)
    Total gains
(losses)
 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB  

Fair value measurement

         

Short-term investments—recurring

    74,165       —         74,165       —         2,312  

Intangible assets, net—nonrecurring

    —         —         —         —         (804
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets measured at fair value

    74,165       —         74,165       —         1,508  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Fair value measurements

         

Payables for contingent consideration

    7,700       —         —         7,700       (300
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities measured at fair value

    7,700       —         —         7,700       (300
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

          Fair value measurement or disclosure
at December 31, 2019 using
       
    Total fair value at
December 31, 2019
    Quoted prices in
active market for
identical assets
(Level 1)
    Significant other
observable inputs

(Level 2)
    Significant
unobservable
inputs

(Level 3)
    Total gains
(losses)
 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB     RMB  

Fair value measurements

         

Short-term investments—recurring

    56,275       —         56,275       —         —    

Intangible assets, net—nonrecurring

    —         —         —         —         (313
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets measured at fair value

    56,275       —         56,275       —         (313
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Fair value measurements

         

Payables for contingent consideration

    8,700       —         —         8,700       (1,000
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities measured at fair value

    8,700       —         —         8,700       (1,000
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The Company measured the contingent consideration payable at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of the year ended December 31, 2019. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurement and the corresponding impacts to the fair values are presented below:

 

    Valuation techniques   Unobservable input   Estimation as of
December 31, 2019
    Change in
unobservable input
  Change in
fair value

Contingent consideration payable

  Discounted
cash flow
  Estimated
pre-tax
income
    1,612     Increase /
(decrease)
  Increase /
(decrease)
    Discount
rate
    2.96%-3.45   Increase /
(decrease)
  Increase /
(decrease)

The Company did not transfer any assets or liabilities in or out of Level 3 during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

25.

Subsequent Events

The subsequent events have been evaluated through June 4, 2020, the date the financial statements are issued.

Since January 2020, a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has spread across China and other countries. The World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The outbreak has adversely affected the Company’s operations, including the temporary closures of offices, quarantines of individuals, travel bans, and significant decrease in delivery orders. The Company’s first quarter results of operations have been negatively impacted. Given the uncertainty of the situation, the effects of the spread of COVID-19 and the duration of the business disruption and related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

On June 4, 2020, the Company’s shareholders and the Board of Directors approved to re-designate the Company’s share capital into 500,000,000 shares, comprising (i) 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with par value of US$ 0.0001 per share, (ii) 6,296,630 Class B ordinary shares with par value of US$ 0.0001 per share and (iii) 193,703,370 ordinary shares (to be designated) with par value of US$ 0.0001 per share, respectively, which will become effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s IPO. 24,131,100 issued and outstanding Preferred Shares will be automatically re-designated and converted into Class A ordinary shares, 18,178,680 issued ordinary shares (of which 8,676,130 ordinary shares are outstanding), and 6,296,630 issued and outstanding ordinary shares will be automatically re-designated into Class A and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, immediately prior to the completion of the IPO.

 

26.

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company

The following is the condensed financial information of the parent Company on a parent company only basis.

Condensed balance sheets

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      US$  

Assets:

        

Current assets

        

Cash

     —          101        15  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     —          101        15  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Non-current assets

        

Amounts due from SBCVC

     —          18,392        2,642  

Investments in subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries

     199,878        253,189        36,367  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total non-current assets

     199,878        271,581        39,009  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

TOTAL ASSETS

     199,878        271,682        39,024  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

F-54


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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

26.

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (continued)

 

     As of December 31,  
     2018     2019     2019  
     RMB     RMB     US$  

Liabilities, Mezzanine equity and Shareholders’ deficit:

      

Non-current liabilities:

      

Amounts due to subsidiaries

     —         20,001       2,873  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     —         20,001       2,873  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Mezzanine equity:

      

Series A redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 1,335,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     46,130       46,130       6,626  

Series B redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 9,500,030 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     332,251       332,251       47,725  

Series C-1 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,107,720 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     193,609       193,609       27,810  

Series C-2 redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 2,377,370 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     96,569       96,569       13,871  

Series D redeemable convertible preferred shares (US$0.0001 par value; 5,810,610 shares authorized, issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     362,442       362,442       52,062  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Mezzanine equity

     1,031,001       1,031,001       148,094  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Shareholders’ deficit:

      

Ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 475,868,900 shares authorized; 24,475,310 shares issued and 14,972,760 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2019)

     17       17       2  

Additional paid-in capital

     369,352       434,151       62,362  

Accumulated deficit

     (1,200,492     (1,212,257     (174,130

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     —         (1,231     (177
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (831,123     (779,320     (111,943
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and shareholders’ deficit

     199,878       271,682       39,024  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

26.

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (continued)

 

Condensed statements of comprehensive loss

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

General and administrative

     —          —          (5,693      (818

Foreign exchange loss

     —          —          (1,457      (209

Share of loss in subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’ subsidiaries

     (13,969      (42,614      (4,615      (663
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before income tax

     (13,969      (42,614      (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income tax expenses

     —          —          —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

     (13,969      (42,614      (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Comprehensive loss

     (13,969      (42,614      (11,765      (1,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Condensed statements of cash flows

 

     For the year ended December 31,  
     2017      2018      2019      2019  
     RMB      RMB      RMB      US$  

Net loss

     (13,969      (42,614      (11,765      (1,690

Share of loss in subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries

     13,969        42,614        4,615        663  

Share-based compensation

     —          —          5,698        819  

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     —          —          (1,452      (208

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     —          —          —          —    

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     —          —          —          —    

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

     —          —          1,553        223

Net increase in cash

     —          —          101        15  

Cash at beginning of the year

     —          —          —          —    

Cash at end of the year

     —          —          101        15  

Basis of presentation

The condensed financial information of the parent company has been prepared using the same accounting policies as set out in the Company’s consolidated financial statements except that the parent company used the equity method to account for investment in its subsidiaries and VIE.

The parent company records its investment in its subsidiaries, the VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE under the equity method of accounting as prescribed in ASC 323, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures. Such investments are presented on the condensed balance sheets as “Investment in subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries” and their respective loss as “Share of loss in subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries” on the condensed statements of loss. Equity method accounting ceases when the carrying amount of the investment, including any additional financial support, in a subsidiary, the VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE is reduced to zero unless the parent company has guaranteed obligations of the subsidiary, the VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE or is otherwise committed to provide further financial support. If the subsidiary, the VIE and subsidiaries of the VIE

 

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QUHUO LIMITED

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (“RMB”) and U.S. dollars (“US$”),

except for number of shares and per share data)

 

26.

Condensed Financial Information of the Parent Company (continued)

Basis of presentation (continued)

 

subsequently reports net income, the parent company shall resume applying the equity method only after its share of that net income equals the share of net losses not recognized during the period the equity method was suspended.

The parent company’s condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

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LOGO

 

 

 


Table of Contents

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 6.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime.

The post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we expect to adopt and to become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering provide that we shall indemnify our directors and officers (each an indemnified person) against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such indemnified person, other than by reason of such person’s own dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such indemnified person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

Pursuant to the indemnification agreements the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.22 to this registration statement, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive 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 underwriting agreement, the form of which will be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers and directors for certain liabilities.

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 SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

Item 7.

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 pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering or in reliance on Regulation S or Rule 701 under the Securities Act regarding sales by an issuer in offshore transactions. No underwriters were involved in these issuances of securities.

 

Purchaser

 

Date of Issuance

 

Class of Securities

  Number of
Securities
    Consideration  

Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited(1)

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares            1                   US$0.0001  

LESYU Investments Limited(1)

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     1       US$0.0001  

LESYU Investments Limited

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     629,662       US$62.97  

YGS Investment Limited

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     611,354       US$61.14  

BZB Investment Limited

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     236,303       US$23.63  

Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     950,255       US$95.03  

Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited

  June 13, 2019   Ordinary shares     19,956       US$2.00  

LESYU Investments Limited

  July 26, 2019   Ordinary shares         5,666,967       US$566.70  

YGS Investment Limited

  July 26, 2019   Ordinary shares         5,502,186       US$550.22  

BZB Investment Limited

  July 26, 2019   Ordinary shares     2,126,727       US$212.67  

 

II-1


Table of Contents

Purchaser

 

Date of Issuance

 

Class of Securities

  Number of
Securities
    Consideration  

Quhuo Holding (BVI) Limited

  July 26, 2019   Ordinary shares     8,552,295       US$855.23  

Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited

  July 26, 2019   Ordinary shares     179,604       US$17.96  

iStart Venture Limited

  August 23, 2019   Series A preferred shares     1,335,370       RMB1,758,776.94  

iStart Venture Limited

  August 23, 2019   Series B preferred shares     554,000       RMB1,266,000  

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P.

  August 23, 2019   Series B preferred shares     4,266,740       RMB10,606,500  

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

  August 23, 2019   Series B preferred shares     4,679,290       RMB20,500,000  

iStart Venture Limited

  August 23, 2019   Series C-1 preferred shares     488,000       RMB7,750,000  

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P.

  August 23, 2019   Series C-1 preferred shares     488,000       RMB7,750,000  

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

  August 23, 2019   Series C-1 preferred shares     1,271,000       RMB15,500,000  

ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd.

  August 23, 2019   Series C-1 preferred shares     2,860,720       US$6,705,263  

CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership)

  August 23, 2019   Series C-2 preferred shares     1,359,850       RMB30,408,185  

Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited

  August 23, 2019   Series C-2 preferred shares     1,017,520       RMB22,753,100  

ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd.

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     755,910       US$3,290,000  

CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership)

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     657,110       RMB19,591,815  

Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     491,690       RMB14,659,687  

FUSI Irvine L.P.

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     597,370       US$2,600,000  

Beijing ErQu Management Consultant LLP

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     1,943,760       RMB58,445,910  

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P.

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     919,040       US$4,000,000  

Delta Electronics Capital Company

  August 23, 2019   Series D preferred shares     445,730       US$1,940,000  

Certain directors, officers, employees and
non-employees(2)

  Between September 20, 2017 and January 1, 2020   Options to purchase ordinary shares    

8,792,312
outstanding
options
 
 
 
   



Past and /or future
services and other
consideration
provided by these
individuals to us
 
 
 
 
 

 

(1)

Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited transferred one share to LESYU Investments Limited.

(2)

See “Management—2019 Share Incentive Plan” and “Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statement—5. Business Combination—2017 Acquisition” for details.

 

II-2


Table of Contents
Item 8.

Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

(a)

Exhibits

See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-4.

The agreements included as exhibits to this registration statement contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (1) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (2) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement; (3) may apply contract standards of “materiality” that are different from “materiality” under the applicable securities laws; and (4) were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement.

We acknowledge that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the foregoing cautionary statements, we are responsible for considering whether additional specific disclosures of material information regarding material contractual provisions are required to make the statements in this registration statement not misleading.

 

(b)

Financial Statement Schedules.

Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in our consolidated financial statements or the note thereto.

 

Item 9.

Undertakings

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 SEC 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 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:

 

   

For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.

 

   

For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.

 

II-3


Table of Contents

QUHUO LIMITED

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

  1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement
  3.1    Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, adopted on August 23, 2019, as currently in effect
  3.2    Form of Second Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, as effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering
  4.1    Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Class A ordinary shares
  4.2**    Registrant’s Specimen American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 4.3)
  4.3**    Form of Deposit Agreement among the Registrant, the depositary, and holders of American Depositary Shares evidenced by American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder
  4.4    English translation of Shareholders Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among the Registrant and other parties thereto
  5.1    Opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP regarding the validity of the Class A ordinary shares being registered
  8.1    Opinion of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP regarding certain Cayman Islands tax matters (included in Exhibit 5.1)
  8.2    Opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices regarding certain PRC tax matters (included in Exhibit 99.2)
10.1    English translation of Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and other parties thereto
10.2    English translation of Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and Ms. Lili Sun
10.3    English translation of Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and Mr. Shuyi Yang
10.4    English translation of Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and Mr. Zhen Ba
10.5    English translation of Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and Mr. Tongtong Li
10.6    English translation of Equity Interest Pledge Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP
10.7    English translation of Exclusive Call Option Agreement dated August 23, 2019 among the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. and other parties thereto
10.8    English translation of Power of Attorney dated August 23, 2019 granted by shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.
10.9    English translation of Shareholder Undertaking Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by Mr. Leslie Yu and Ms. Lili Sun

 

II-4


Table of Contents

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

10.10    English translation of Shareholder Undertaking Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by Mr. Shuyi Yang
10.11    English translation of Shareholder Undertaking Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by Mr. Zhen Ba
10.12    English translation of Shareholder Undertaking Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by Mr. Tongtong Li
10.13    English translation of Confirmation Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by Mr. Leslie Yu
10.14    English translation of Spousal Consent Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by the spouse of Mr. Leslie Yu
10.15    English translation of Spousal Consent Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by the spouse of Mr. Shuyi Yang
10.16    English translation of Spousal Consent Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by the spouse of Mr. Zhen Ba
10.17    English translation of Spousal Consent Letter dated August 23, 2019 granted by the spouse of Mr. Tongtong Li
10.18    Financial Support Undertaking Letter issued by the Registrant to Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., dated August 23, 2019
10.19†    English translation of Form of Delivery Services Agreement between the Registrant and Meituan
10.20†    English translation of Form of Delivery Services Agreement between the Registrant and Ele.me
10.21    Form of Employment Agreement
10.22    Form of Indemnification Agreement
10.23    2019 Share Incentive Plan
21.1    List of Subsidiaries and Affiliated Entities of the Registrant
23.1    Consent of Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP
23.2    Consent of Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
23.3    Consent of Commerce & Finance Law Offices (included in Exhibit 99.2)
24.1    Powers of Attorney (contained on signature page to registration statement)
99.1    Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant
99.2    Opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices regarding certain matters under PRC law
99.3    Consent of Frost & Sullivan
99.4    Consent of Jingchuan Li
99.5    Consent of Jing Zhou
99.6    Consent of Jie Jiao

 

*

To be filed by amendment.

**

Incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement on Form F-6 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to American depositary shares representing our Class A ordinary shares.

Portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, because they both are not material and would likely cause competitive harm to the Registrant if publicly disclosed.

 

II-5


Table of Contents

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 Beijing, the PRC, on June 4, 2020.

 

QUHUO LIMITED
By:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

  Name: Leslie Yu
  Title: Chairman

 

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Table of Contents

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Mr. Leslie Yu and Ms. Wenting Ji as attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution, for him or her in any and all capacities, to do any and all acts and all things and to execute any and all instruments which said attorney and agent may deem necessary or desirable to enable the registrant to comply with the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and any rules, regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of ordinary shares of the registrant (the “Shares”), including, without limitation, the power and authority to sign the name of each of the undersigned in the capacities indicated below to the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with respect to such Shares, to any and all amendments or supplements to such Registration Statement, whether such amendments or supplements are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement, to any related Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, and to any and all instruments or documents filed as part of or in connection with such Registration Statement or any and all amendments thereto, whether such amendments are filed before or after the effective date of such Registration Statement; and each of the undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that such attorney and agent shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons on June 4, 2020 in the capacities indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

/s/ Leslie Yu

   Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer)

Leslie Yu

 

/s/ Wenting Ji

   Director and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer)

Wenting Ji

 

/s/ Shuyi Yang

   Director
Shuyi Yang

/s/ Zhen Ba

   Director
Zhen Ba

/s/ Gang Wang

   Director
Gang Wang

/s/ Yung-Hung Chang

   Director
Yung-Hung Chang

/s/ Harry Chi Hui

   Director
Harry Chi Hui

/s/ Chenxi Zhao

   Director
Chenxi Zhao

/s/ Fan Yang

   Director
Fan Yang

 

II-7


Table of Contents

SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED U.S. REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRANT

Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of QUHUO LIMITED, has signed this Registration Statement or amendment thereto in New York, New York, United States of America on June 4, 2020.

 

COGENCY GLOBAL INC.

Authorized U.S. Representative

By:   /s/ Colleen A. De Vries
  Name: Colleen A. De Vries
  Title: Senior Vice President

 

II-8

Exhibit 3.1

THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

QUHUO LIMITED

(Adopted by way of special resolutions passed and effective on August 23, 2019)


THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

AMENDED AND RESTATED MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

OF

QUHUO LIMITED

(Adopted by way of special resolutions passed and effective on August 23, 2019)

 

1

The name of the Company is QUHUO LIMITED.

 

2

The Registered Office of the Company shall be at Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited, 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands, or at such other place within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may 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 laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

4

The liability of each Member is limited to the amount unpaid on such Member’s shares.

 

5

The authorized share capital of the Company is US$50,000 consisting of 500,000,000 shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, of which: (i) 475,868,900 shares are designated as ordinary shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Ordinary Shares”), (ii) 1,335,370 shares are designated as series A preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Series A Preferred Shares”), (iii) 9,500,030 shares are designated as series B preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Series B Preferred Shares”), (iv) 5,107,720 shares are designated as series C-1 preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Series C-1 Preferred Shares”), (v) 2,377,370 shares are designated as series C-2 preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Series C-2 Preferred Shares”), and (vi) 5,810,6105 shares are designated as series D preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each (the “Series D Preferred Shares”), with power for the Company, insofar as is permitted by law, to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to increase or reduce the said capital subject to the provisions of the Companies Law 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 Preferred or otherwise shall be subject to the powers hereinbefore contained.

 

6

The Company has 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 Memorandum of Association bear the respective meanings given to them in the Articles of Association of the Company.


THE COMPANIES LAW (2018 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

QUHUO LIMITED

(Adopted by way of special resolutions passed and effective on August 23, 2019)

 

1

Interpretation

 

1.1

In the Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith:

 

“Articles”    means these articles of association of the Company.
“Auditor”    means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any).
“Company”    means the above named company.
“Directors”    means the directors for the time being of the Company.
“Dividend”    means any dividend (whether interim or final) resolved to be paid on Shares pursuant to the Articles.
“Electronic Record”    has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law.
“Electronic Transactions Law”    means the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands.
“Founders’ Shares”    means the Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Leslie Yu, Mr. Shuyi Yang and Mr. Zhen Ba
“Founders’ SPVs”    means LESYU INVESTMENTS LIMITED, a company wholly-owned by Mr. Leslie Yu, YGS INVESTMENT LIMITED, a company wholly-owned by Mr. Shuyi Yang and BZB INVESTMENT LIMITED, a company wholly-owned by Mr. Zhen Ba, all of which are shareholders of the Company.
“Investor Directors”    has the same meaning set forth in Article 26 of this Articles.
“Member”    has the same meaning as in the Statute.
“Memorandum”    means the memorandum of association of the Company.


“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.
“Ordinary Shares”    ordinary shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Preferred Shares”    the Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series C-1 Preferred Shares, Series C-2 Preferred Shares and Series D Preferred Shares.
“Register of Members”    means the register of Members maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any branch or 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.
“Series A Preferred Shares”    series A preferred shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Series B Preferred Shares”    series B preferred shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Series C-1 Preferred Shares”    series C-1 preferred shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Series C-2 Preferred Shares”    series C-2 preferred shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Series D Preferred Shares”    series D preferred shares with the par value of US$0.0001 each in the capital of the Company.
“Share”    means a share in the Company and includes a fraction of a share in the Company.


“Shareholders’ Agreement “    means the shareholders’ agreement (股东协议) dated as of August 23, 2019 entered into by and between, among others, the Company, the holders of Ordinary Shares and the holders of Preferred Shares.
“Special Resolution”    has the same meaning as in the Statute, and includes a unanimous written resolution.
“Statute”    means the Companies Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands.
“Treasury Share”    means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Statute.

 

1.2

In the Articles:

 

  (a)

words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice versa;

 

  (b)

words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender;

 

  (c)

words importing persons include corporations as well as any other legal or natural person;

 

  (d)

“written” and “in writing” include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record;

 

  (e)

“shall” shall be construed as imperative and “may” shall be construed as permissive;

 

  (f)

references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced;

 

  (g)

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;

 

  (h)

the term “and/or” is used herein to mean both “and” as well as “or.” The use of “and/or” in certain contexts in no respects qualifies or modifies the use of the terms “and” or “or” in others. The term “or” shall not be interpreted to be exclusive and the term “and” shall not be interpreted to require the conjunctive (in each case, unless the context otherwise requires);

 

  (i)

headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing the Articles;

 

  (j)

any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an Electronic Record;


  (k)

any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles including the execution of the Articles themselves can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transactions Law;

 

  (l)

sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Law shall not apply;

 

  (m)

the term “clear days” in relation to the period of a notice means that period excluding the day when the notice is received or deemed to be received and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect; and

 

  (n)

the term “holder” in relation to a Share means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of such Share.

 

2

Commencement of Business

 

2.1

The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation of the Company as the Directors shall see fit.

 

2.2

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.

 

3

Issue of Shares

 

3.1

Subject to the 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 rights attached to any existing Shares pursuant to these Articles and Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividend or other distribution, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper, and may also (subject to the Statute, the Articles and the Shareholders’ Agreement) vary such rights.

 

3.2

The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

 

4

Register of Members

 

4.1

The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute.

 

4.2

The Directors may determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Statute. The Directors may also determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time.

 

5

Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date

 

5.1

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 any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days.


5.2

In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose.

 

5.3

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 or other distribution, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors resolving to pay such Dividend or other distribution is passed, 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 Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

6

Certificates for Shares

 

6.1

A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and subject to the Articles no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled.

 

6.2

The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

6.3

If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate.

 

6.4

Every share certificate sent in accordance with the Articles will be sent at the risk of the Member or other person entitled to the certificate. The Company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery.

 

7

Transfer of Shares

 

7.1

Subject to Article 3.1 of this Articles and Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, Shares are transferable, and the Company will only register transfers of shares that are made in accordance with Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement and the relevant agreements (if any) and will not register transfers of shares that are not made in accordance with Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement and the relevant agreements (if any).


7.2

The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by or on behalf of the transferee). The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members.

 

8

Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares

 

8.1

Subject to the provisions of the Statute and Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company. The redemption of such Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such other terms as the Company may, by Special Resolution, determine before the issue of the Shares.

 

8.2

Subject to the provisions of the Statute and Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) in such manner and on such other terms as the Directors may agree with the relevant Member.

 

8.3

The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital.

 

8.4

The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share.

 

9

Treasury Shares

 

9.1

Subject to Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

9.2

The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

 

10

Voting Rights

 

10.1

Subject to Articles 3 and Article 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, each Preferred Share shall carry a number of votes equal to the number of Ordinary Shares then issuable upon its conversion into Ordinary Shares at the record date for determination of the shareholders entitled to vote on such matters, or, if no such record date is established, at the date such vote is taken or any written consent of shareholders is solicited. Subject to provisions to the contrary elsewhere in the Memorandum and/or these Articles and/or the Shareholders’ Agreement, or as required by the applicable laws, the holders of Preferred Shares and Ordinary Shares shall vote together as a single class.

 

11

Commission on Sale of Shares

The Company may, in so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid-up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.


12

Non Recognition of Trusts

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 the Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder.

 

13

Lien on Shares

 

13.1

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.

 

13.2

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 clear days after notice has been received or deemed to have been received by 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.

 

13.3

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 the Articles.

 

13.4

The net proceeds of such sale after payment of 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 balance 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.

 

14

Call on Shares

 

14.1

Subject to the terms of the allotment and issue of any Shares, the Directors may make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen clear 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, in whole or in part, as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

14.2

A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

14.3

The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.


14.4

If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at such rate as the Directors may determine (and in addition all expenses that have been incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment), but the Directors may waive payment of the interest or expenses wholly or in part.

 

14.5

An amount payable in respect of a Share on issue or allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of the Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

14.6

The Directors may issue Shares with different terms as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid.

 

14.7

The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Member willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and may (until the amount would otherwise become payable) pay interest at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such amount in advance.

 

14.8

No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such amount to any portion of a Dividend or other distribution payable in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable.

 

15

Forfeiture of Shares

 

15.1

If a call or instalment of a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any expenses incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

15.2

If the notice is not complied with, any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all Dividends, other distributions or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture.

 

15.3

A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person.

 

15.4

A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall 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 those Shares together with interest at such rate as the Directors may determine, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by him in respect of those Shares.


15.5

A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or officer of the Company that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is sold or otherwise disposed of 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.

 

15.6

The provisions of the 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 par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

16

Transmission of Shares

 

16.1

If a Member dies the survivor or survivors (where he was a joint holder) or his legal personal representatives (where he was a sole holder), shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his Shares. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share, for which he was a joint or sole holder.

 

16.2

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 be required by the Directors, elect, by a notice in writing sent by him to the Company, either to become the holder of such Share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the holder of such Share. If he elects to have another person registered as the holder of such Share he shall sign an instrument of transfer of that Share to that person. 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 the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution, as the case may be.

 

16.3

A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same Dividends, other distributions and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the holder of such Share. However, he shall not, before becoming a Member in respect of a Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings of the Company and the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to have some person nominated by him be registered as the holder of the Share (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 the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution or any other case than by transfer, as the case may be). If the notice is not complied with within ninety days of being received or deemed to be received (as determined pursuant to the Articles) the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, other distributions, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.


17

Amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association and Alteration of Capital

 

17.1

Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

  (a)

increase its share capital by such sum as the Ordinary Resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine;

 

  (b)

consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

  (c)

convert all or any of its paid-up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid-up Shares of any denomination;

 

  (d)

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 or into Shares without par value; and

 

  (e)

cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the Ordinary Resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.

 

17.2

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.

 

17.3

Subject to the provisions of the Statute and the provisions of the Articles and Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, the Company may by Special Resolution:

 

  (a)

change its name;

 

  (b)

alter or add to the Articles;

 

  (c)

alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and

 

  (d)

reduce its share capital or any capital redemption reserve fund.

 

17.4

Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, if at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, all or any of 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, be varied without the consent of the holders of the issued Shares of that class where such variation is considered by the Directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights; otherwise, any such variation shall be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two thirds of the issued Shares of that class, or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class. For the avoidance of doubt, the Directors reserve the right, notwithstanding that any such variation may not have a material adverse effect, to obtain consent from the holders of Shares of the relevant class. To any such meeting all the provisions of the Articles relating to general meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis, 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.


17.5

For the purposes of a separate class meeting, the Directors may treat two or more or all the classes of Shares as forming one class of Shares if the Directors consider that such class of Shares would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate classes of Shares.

 

17.6

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.

 

18

Offices and Places of Business

Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office. The Company may, in addition to its Registered Office, maintain such other offices or places of business as the Directors determine.

 

19

General Meetings

 

19.1

All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

19.2

The Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Statute) be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Any annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

19.3

The Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a Members’ requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

19.4

A Members’ requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than ten per cent. in par value of the issued Shares which as at that date carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

19.5

The Members’ 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.

 

19.6

The Directors shall within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one days. If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition or if the Directors do not within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the Members’ 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 the requisitionists, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall be held no later than the day which falls three months after the expiration of the said twenty-one day period.

 

19.7

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.


20

Notice of General Meetings

 

20.1

At least ten clear days’ notice shall be given of any general meeting. Every notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be conducted at the general meeting 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 Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of the 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 of the Members entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

  (b)

in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding not less than ninety five per cent. in par value of the Shares giving that right.

 

20.2

The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non receipt of notice of a general meeting by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that general meeting.

 

21

Proceedings at General Meetings

 

21.1

No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. The quorum shall be one or more Members holding Shares which carry in aggregate (or representing by proxy) not less than two-third (2/3) of all votes attaching to all Shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting, present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative, and shall include the holders of Founders’ Shares and the holders of Preferred Shares, unless the Company has only one Member entitled to vote at such general meeting in which case the quorum shall be that one Member present in person or by proxy or (in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person) by its duly authorised representative or proxy.

 

21.2

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.

 

21.3

A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by or on behalf of all of the Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations or other non-natural persons, 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.

 

21.4

If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon a Members’ requisition, 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/or place or to such other day, time and/or 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 to commence, the Members present shall be a quorum.


21.5

The Directors may, at any time prior to the time appointed for the meeting to commence, appoint any person to act as chairman of a general meeting of the Company or, if the Directors do not make any such appointment, the chairman, if any, of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman at such general meeting. If there is no such chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

21.6

If no Director is willing to act as chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

21.7

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.

 

21.8

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 of an adjourned meeting.

 

21.9

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 (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or 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.

 

21.10

Unless a poll is duly demanded and the demand is not withdrawn 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.

 

21.11

The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.

 

21.12

Except on a poll 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.

 

21.13

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 date, time and place 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.

 

21.14

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.

 

22

Votes of Members

 

22.1

Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any Shares, on a show of hands every Member who (being an individual) is present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person is present by its duly authorised representative or by proxy, shall have one vote and on a poll every Member present in any such manner shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder.


22.2

In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy), shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members.

 

22.3

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 on such Member’s behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy.

 

22.4

No person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other monies then payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid.

 

22.5

No objection shall be raised as 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 the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time in accordance with this Article shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

22.6

On a poll or on a show of hands votes may be cast either personally or by proxy (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy). A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. Where a Member appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall state which proxy is entitled to vote on a show of hands and shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which each proxy is entitled to exercise the related votes.

 

22.7

On a poll, a Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him, a proxy appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed.

 

23

Proxies

 

23.1

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 or other non natural person, under the hand of its duly authorised representative. A proxy need not be a Member.

 

23.2

The Directors may, in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, specify the manner by which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited and the place and the time (being not later than the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting to which the proxy relates) at which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited. In the absence of any such direction from the Directors in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited physically at the Registered Office not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or adjourned meeting to commence at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote.


23.3

The chairman may in any event at his discretion declare 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, or which has not been declared to have been duly deposited by the chairman, shall be invalid.

 

23.4

The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form (or such other form as the Directors may approve) 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.

 

23.5

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.

 

24

Corporate Members

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.

 

25

Shares that May Not be Voted

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.

 

26

Directors

 

26.1

The Company shall be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of nine (9) directors, which number of directors shall not be changed except pursuant to an amendment to these Articles. Whereby: (i) SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. and iStart Venture Limited shall jointly be entitled to appoint and remove one (1) director, (ii) Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.(百度在线网络技术(北京)有限公司) shall be entitled to appoint and remove one (1) director, (iii) ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd. shall be entitled to appoint and remove one (1) director, (iv) FUSI Irvine L.P. shall be entitled to appoint and remove one (1) director ((i) to (iv) collectively, the “Investor Directors”), and (v) Founders SPVs shall jointly be entitled to appoint and remove five (5) director. Chairman of the board of Directors shall be appointed by Founders’ SPVs jointly.


26.2

CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership) (华创(福建)股权投资企业(有限合伙)) and Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited (中南茂创投资(香港)有限公司) shall jointly be entitled to appoint one (1) observer to attend the meeting of directors, who shall have the access to all materials of meetings of directors, but have no voting powers.

 

26.3

Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors.

 

27

Powers of Directors

 

27.1

Subject to the provisions of the Statute, Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Memorandum and the Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors.

 

27.2

All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable or transferable 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 determine by resolution.

 

27.3

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.

 

27.4

Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

28

Appointment and Removal of Directors

 

28.1

Subject to the provisions of Article 26 of these Articles and Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director.

 

29

Vacation of Office of Director

The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

 

  (a)

the Director gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or

 

  (b)

the Director absents himself (for the avoidance of doubt, without being represented by proxy or an alternate Director appointed by him) from three consecutive meeting of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and the Directors pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or


  (c)

the Director dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

  (d)

the Director is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or

 

  (e)

all of the other Directors (being not less than two in number) determine that he should be removed as a Director, either by a resolution passed by all of the other Directors at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held in accordance with the Articles or by a resolution in writing signed by all of the other Directors.

 

30

Proceedings of Directors

 

30.1

The Company shall hold at least one meeting of the Directors each quarter to discuss and review the performance of the Company.

 

30.2

No business shall be transacted at any meeting of the board of directors of the Company unless a quorum is present. Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors shall be at least two-third of the total number of directors and shall include all the Investors’ Directors. A person who holds office as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, be counted in the quorum. A Director who also acts as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, count twice towards the quorum.

 

30.3

If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon a Director’s requisition, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the seventh day after the initial date of meeting at the same time and/or place or to such other day, time and/or 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 to commence, the Directors present shall be a quorum.

 

30.4

Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Subject to Article 3 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director who is also an alternate Director shall be entitled in the absence of his appointor to a separate vote on behalf of his appointor in addition to his own vote.

 

30.5

A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or any committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is located at the start of the meeting.

 

30.6

A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Directors or, in the case of a resolution in writing relating to the removal of any Director or the vacation of office by any Director, all of the Directors other than the Director who is the subject of such resolution (an alternate Director being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointor and if such alternate Director is also a Director, being entitled to sign such resolution both on behalf of his appointer and in his capacity as a Director) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held, provided that any Investor Director shall only be removed, replaced or re-elected by the corresponding shareholder with rights to appoint such Investor Director.


30.7

Chairman of the board of Directors, or in the vacancy of chairman, a Director or alternate Director may, or other officer of the Company on the direction of a Director or alternate Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least ten days’ notice in writing to every Director, alternate Director and the observer 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. To any such notice of a meeting of the Directors all the provisions of the Articles relating to the giving of notices by the Company to the Members shall apply mutatis mutandis.

 

30.8

The continuing Directors (or a sole continuing Director, as the case may be) 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 the Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to be equal to such fixed number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

30.9

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 the meeting to commence, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

30.10

All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors (including any person acting as an alternate Director) shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, and/or that they or any of them were disqualified, and/or had vacated their office and/or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and/or not disqualified to be a Director or alternate Director and/or had not vacated their office and/or had been entitled to vote, as the case may be.

 

30.11

A Director but not an alternate Director may be represented at any meetings of the board of Directors by a proxy appointed in writing by him. The proxy shall count towards the quorum and the vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the appointing Director.

 

31

Presumption of Assent

A Director or alternate Director 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 or alternate Director who voted in favour of such action.


32

Directors’ Interests

 

32.1

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.

 

32.2

A Director or alternate Director may act by himself or by, through or on behalf of 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.

 

32.3

A Director or alternate Director may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as a shareholder, a contracting party or otherwise, and no such Director or alternate Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company.

 

32.4

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 or arising in connection with any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director or alternate Director holding office or of the fiduciary relationship 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 interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director or alternate Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon.

 

32.5

A general notice that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee 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 for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

 

33

Minutes

The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of recording all appointments of officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of the Directors, including the names of the Directors or alternate Directors present at each meeting.

 

34

Delegation of Directors’ Powers

 

34.1

The Directors may delegate any of their powers, authorities and discretions, including the power to sub-delegate, to any committee consisting of one or more Directors. They may also delegate to any managing director or any Director holding any other executive office such of their powers, authorities and discretions as they consider desirable to be exercised by him provided that an alternate Director may not act as managing director and the appointment of a managing director shall be revoked forthwith if he ceases to be a Director. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such delegation may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.


34.2

The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees, local boards or agencies. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such appointment may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

34.3

The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person to be the agent of the Company on such conditions as the Directors may determine, provided that the delegation is not to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked by the Directors at any time.

 

34.4

The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under the Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

34.5

The Directors may appoint such officers of the Company (including, for the avoidance of doubt and without limitation, any secretary) as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an officer of the Company may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members. An officer of the Company may vacate his office at any time if he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns his office.

 

35

Alternate Directors

 

35.1

Any Director (but not an alternate Director) may by writing appoint any other Director, or any other person willing to act, to be an alternate Director and by writing may remove from office an alternate Director so appointed by him.

 

35.2

An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of Directors and of all meetings of committees of Directors of which his appointor is a member, to attend and vote at every such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present, to sign any written resolution of the Directors, and generally to perform all the functions of his appointor as a Director in his absence.

 

35.3

An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if his appointor ceases to be a Director.


35.4

Any appointment or removal of an alternate Director shall be by notice to the Company signed by the Director making or revoking the appointment or in any other manner approved by the Directors.

 

35.5

Subject to the provisions of the Articles, an alternate Director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him.

 

36

No Minimum Shareholding

The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares.

 

37

Remuneration of Directors

 

37.1

The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine. The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company or the discharge of their duties as a Director, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.

 

37.2

The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services which in the opinion of the Directors go beyond his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel, attorney or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director.

 

38

Seal

 

38.1

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 of the Company or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose.

 

38.2

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.

 

38.3

A Director or officer, representative or attorney of the Company 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.


39

Dividends, Distributions and Reserve

 

39.1

Subject to the Statute and this Article and except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares and Articles 3 and 8 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Directors may resolve to pay Dividends and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the Dividends or other distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. A Dividend shall be deemed to be an interim Dividend unless the terms of the resolution pursuant to which the Directors resolve to pay such Dividend specifically state that such Dividend shall be a final Dividend. No Dividend or other distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by law.

 

39.2

Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement, all Dividends and other distributions shall be paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Dividend accordingly.

 

39.3

The Directors may deduct from any Dividend or other distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise.

 

39.4

The Directors may resolve that any Dividend or other distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular (but without limitation) by the distribution of shares, debentures, or securities 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 Shares and may 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 basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees in such manner as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

39.5

Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement, Dividends and other distributions may be paid in any currency. The Directors may determine the basis of conversion for any currency conversions that may be required and how any costs involved are to be met.

 

39.6

The Directors may, before resolving to pay any Dividend or other distribution, 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 discretion of the Directors, be employed in the business of the Company.

 

39.7

Any Dividend, other distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by wire transfer to the holder or 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 registered address of 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, other distributions, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders.

 

39.8

No Dividend or other distribution shall bear interest against the Company.


39.9

Any Dividend or other distribution which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Dividend or other distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Dividend or other distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company.

 

40

Capitalisation

The Directors may at any time capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution; appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst such Members had the same been a distribution of profits by way of Dividend or other distribution; and 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 given to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit in 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 incidental or relating thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all such Members and the Company.

 

41

Books of Account

 

41.1

The Directors shall cause proper books of account (including, where applicable, material underlying documentation including contracts and invoices) to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Such books of account must be retained for a minimum period of five years from the date on which they are prepared. 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.

 

41.2

Subject to Article 6.3 and Article 6.4 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Directors shall 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 or an observer 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 Statute or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.

 

41.3

The Directors may 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.


42

Audit

 

42.1

The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office on such terms as the Directors determine and shall comply with Article 6 of the Shareholders’ Agreement.

 

42.2

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 Auditor.

 

42.3

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 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 other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

 

43

Notices

 

43.1

Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, 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 by airmail.

 

43.2

Where a notice is sent by courier, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier. 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 in the Cayman Islands) following the day on which the notice was posted. 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. 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.

 

43.3

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 the 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.

 

43.4

Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner authorised by the Articles to every holder of Shares carrying an entitlement to receive such notice 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 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 where the Member but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.


44

Winding Up

 

44.1

If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in satisfaction of creditors’ claims in such manner and order as such liquidator thinks fit. Subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and Article 11.2 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, in a winding up:

 

  (a)

if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them; or

 

  (b)

if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise.

 

44.2

Subject to Article 11.2 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, if the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and with the approval of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other approval required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether such assets 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 approval, 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 approval, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.

 

45

Indemnity and Insurance

 

45.1

Every Director and officer of the Company (which for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include auditors of the Company), together with every former Director and former officer of the Company (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by reason of their own actual fraud or wilful default. No Indemnified Person shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage incurred by the Company as a result (whether direct or indirect) of the carrying out of their functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud or wilful default of such Indemnified Person. No person shall be found to have committed actual fraud or wilful default under this Article unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect.


45.2

[Intentionally deleted].

 

45.3

The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of any Director or other officer of the Company against any liability which, by virtue of any rule of law, would otherwise attach to such person in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which such person may be guilty in relation to the Company.

 

46

Financial Year

Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year.

 

47

Transfer by Way of Continuation

If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute 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.

 

48

Shareholders’ Agreement

The Shareholders’ Agreement shall be incorporated as part of the Articles. If there is any discrepancy between the Shareholders’ Agreement and the Articles, the Shareholders’ Agreement shall prevail.

 

49

Mergers and Consolidations

Subject to Articles 3 and 9 of the Shareholders’ Agreement, the Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies (as defined in the Statute) upon such terms as the Directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Statute) with the approval of a Special Resolution.

Exhibit 3.2

THE COMPANIES LAW (2020 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

OF

QUHUO LIMITED

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on June 4, 2020 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Company’s American Depositary Shares representing its Class A Ordinary Shares)

 

1.

The name of the Company is QUHUO LIMITED.

 

2.

The Registered Office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other location within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

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 or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

4.

The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by the Companies Law.

 

5.

The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands.

 

6.

The liability of each Shareholder is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the Shares held by such Shareholder.

 

7.

The authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares comprising (i) 300,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, (ii) 6,296,630 Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each and (iii) 193,703,370 shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with Article 9 of the Articles. Subject to the Companies Law and the Articles, the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its Shares and to increase or reduce its authorised share capital and to sub-divide or consolidate the said Shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided.

 

8.

The Company has the power contained in the Companies Law to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in some other jurisdiction.

 

9.

Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meanings as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.


THE COMPANIES LAW (2020 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

QUHUO LIMITED

(adopted by a Special Resolution passed on June 4, 2020 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Company’s American Depositary Shares representing its Class A Ordinary Shares)

TABLE A

The regulations contained or incorporated in Table ‘A’ in the First Schedule of the Companies Law shall not apply to the Company and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.

INTERPRETATION

 

1.

In these Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context:

 

“ADS”    means an American Depositary Share representing Class A Ordinary Shares;
“Affiliate”    means in respect of a Person, any other Person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such Person, and (i) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such person’s spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, and a corporation, partnership or any other entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing, and (ii) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any other entity or any natural person which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity. The term “control” shall mean the ownership, directly or indirectly, of shares possessing more than fifty per cent (50%) of the voting power of the corporation, partnership or other entity (other than, in the case of a corporation, securities having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency), or having the power to control the management or elect a majority of members to the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body of such corporation, partnership or other entity;
“Articles”    means these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time;
“Board” and “Board of Directors” and “Directors”    means the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof;
“Chairman”    means the chairman of the Board of Directors;
“Class” or “Classes”    means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company;

 

2


“Class A Ordinary Share”    means an Ordinary Share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the capital of the Company, designated as a Class A Ordinary Shares and having the rights provided for in these Articles;
“Class B Ordinary Share”    means an Ordinary Share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the capital of the Company, designated as a Class B Ordinary Share and having the rights provided for in these Articles;
“Commission”    means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America or any other federal agency for the time being administering the Securities Act;
“Communication Facilities”    means video, video-conferencing, internet or online conferencing applications, telephone or tele-conferencing and/or any other video-communications, internet or online conferencing application or telecommunications facilities by means of which all Persons participating in a meeting are capable of hearing and being heard by each other;
“Company”    means QUHUO LIMITED, a Cayman Islands exempted company;
“Companies Law”    means the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof;
“Company’s Website”    means the main corporate/investor relations website of the Company, the address or domain name of which has been disclosed in any registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission in connection with its initial public offering of ADSs, or which has otherwise been notified to Shareholders;
“Designated Person”    means Mr. Leslie Yu, founder of the Company
“Designated Stock Exchange”    means the stock exchange in the United States on which any Shares and ADSs are listed for trading;
“Designated Stock Exchange Rules”    means the relevant code, rules and regulations, as amended, from time to time, applicable as a result of the original and continued listing of any Shares or ADSs on the Designated Stock Exchange;
“electronic”    has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor;
“electronic communication”    means electronic posting to the Company’s Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by not less than two-thirds of the vote of the Board;
“Electronic Transactions Law”    means the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and any statutory amendment or re-enactment thereof;
“electronic record”    has the meaning given to it in the Electronic Transactions Law and any amendment thereto or re-enactments thereof for the time being in force and includes every other law incorporated therewith or substituted therefor;
“Memorandum of Association”    means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time;

 

3


“Ordinary Resolution”    means a resolution:
  

(a)   passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company held in accordance with these Articles; or

  

(b)   approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;

“Ordinary Share”    means a Class A Ordinary Share or a Class B Ordinary Share;
“paid up”    means paid up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up;
“Person”    means any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires;
“Present”    means, in respect of any Person, such Person’s presence at a general meeting of Shareholders, which may be satisfied by means of such Person or, if a corporation or other non-natural Person, its duly authorized representative (or, in the case of any Shareholder, a proxy which has been validly appointed by such Shareholder in accordance with these Articles), being: (a) physically present at the meeting; or (b) in the case of any meeting at which Communications Facilities are permitted in accordance with these Articles, including any Virtual Meeting, connected by means of the use of such Communication Facilities;
“Register”    means the register of Members of the Company maintained in accordance with the Companies Law;
“Registered Office”    means the registered office of the Company as required by the Companies Law;
“Seal”    means the common seal of the Company (if adopted) including any facsimile thereof;
“Secretary”    means any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company;
“Securities Act”    means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States of America, as amended, or any similar federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time;
“Share”    means a share in the capital of the Company. All references to “Shares” herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression “Share” shall include a fraction of a Share;
“Shareholder” or “Member”    means a Person who is registered as the holder of one or more Shares in the Register;
“Share Premium Account”    means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Law;
“signed”    means bearing a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means or an electronic symbol or process attached to or logically associated with an electronic communication and executed or adopted by a Person with the intent to sign the electronic communication;

 

4


“Special Resolution”   

means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Companies Law, being a resolution:

 

(a)   passed by not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy or, in the case of corporations, by their duly authorised representatives, at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given; or

 

(b)   approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed;

“Treasury Share”    means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Companies Law;
“United States”    means the United States of America, its territories, its possessions and all areas subject to its jurisdiction; and.
“Virtual Meeting”    means any general meeting of the Shareholders at which the Shareholders (and any other permitted participants of such meeting, including without limitation the chairman of the meeting and any Directors) are permitted to attend and participate solely by means of Communications Facilities.

 

2.

In these Articles, save where the context requires otherwise:

 

  (a)

words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa;

 

  (b)

words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require;

 

  (c)

the word “may” shall be construed as permissive and the word “shall” shall be construed as imperative;

 

  (d)

reference to a dollar or dollars (or US$) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America;

 

  (e)

reference to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;

 

  (f)

reference to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case;

 

  (g)

reference to “in writing” shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print, lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing including in the form of an electronic record or partly one and partly another;

 

  (h)

any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an electronic record or an electronic communication;

 

5


  (i)

any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles, including the execution of the Articles themselves, can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transaction Law; and

 

  (j)

Sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Law shall not apply.

 

3.

Subject to the last two preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Law shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles.

PRELIMINARY

 

4.

The business of the Company may be conducted as the Directors see fit.

 

5.

The Registered Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

6.

The expenses incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company. Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine.

 

7.

The Directors shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place as the Directors may from time to time determine and, in the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Registered Office.

SHARES

 

8.

Subject to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion and without the approval of the Members, cause the Company to:

 

  (a)

issue, allot and dispose of Shares (including, without limitation, preferred shares) (whether in certificated form or non-certificated form) to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and having such rights and being subject to such restrictions as they may from time to time determine;

 

  (b)

grant rights over Shares or other securities to be issued in one or more classes or series as they deem necessary or appropriate and determine the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and other rights attaching to such Shares or securities, including dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the powers, preferences, privileges and rights associated with the then issued and outstanding Shares, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper; and

 

  (c)

grant options with respect to Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto.

 

9.

The Directors may authorise the division of Shares into any number of Classes and the different Classes shall be authorised, established and designated (or re-designated as the case may be) and the variations in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different Classes (if any) may be fixed and determined by the Directors or by an Ordinary Resolution. The Directors may issue Shares with such preferred or other rights, all or any of which may be greater than the rights of Ordinary Shares, at such time and on such terms as they may think appropriate. Notwithstanding Article 17, the Directors may issue from time to time, out of the authorised share capital of the Company (other than the authorised but unissued Ordinary Shares), series of preferred shares in their absolute discretion and without approval of the Members; provided, however, before any preferred shares of any such series are issued, the Directors shall by resolution of Directors determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:

 

  (a)

the designation of such series, the number of preferred shares to constitute such series and the subscription price thereof if different from the par value thereof;

 

6


  (b)

whether the preferred shares of such series shall have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights, which may be general or limited;

 

  (c)

the dividends, if any, payable on such series, whether any such dividends shall be cumulative, and, if so, from what dates, the conditions and dates upon which such dividends shall be payable, and the preference or relation which such dividends shall bear to the dividends payable on any shares of any other class or any other series of shares;

 

  (d)

whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to redemption by the Company, and, if so, the times, prices and other conditions of such redemption;

 

  (e)

whether the preferred shares of such series shall have any rights to receive any part of the assets available for distribution amongst the Members upon the liquidation of the Company, and, if so, the terms of such liquidation preference, and the relation which such liquidation preference shall bear to the entitlements of the holders of shares of any other class or any other series of shares;

 

  (f)

whether the preferred shares of such series shall be subject to the operation of a retirement or sinking fund and, if so, the extent to and manner in which any such retirement or sinking fund shall be applied to the purchase or redemption of the preferred shares of such series for retirement or other corporate purposes and the terms and provisions relative to the operation thereof;

 

  (g)

whether the preferred shares of such series shall be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or any other series of preferred shares or any other securities and, if so, the price or prices or the rate or rates of conversion or exchange and the method, if any, of adjusting the same, and any other terms and conditions of conversion or exchange;

 

  (h)

the limitations and restrictions, if any, to be effective while any preferred shares of such series are outstanding upon the payment of dividends or the making of other distributions on, and upon the purchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Company of, the existing shares or shares of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares;

 

  (i)

the conditions or restrictions, if any, upon the creation of indebtedness of the Company or upon the issue of any additional shares, including additional shares of such series or of any other class of shares or any other series of preferred shares; and

 

  (j)

any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof;

and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued. The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

 

10.

The Company may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. 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 partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of Shares.

 

11.

The Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason.

 

7


CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES AND CLASS B ORDINARY SHARES

 

12.

Holders of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the Members. Each Class A Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company, and each Class B Ordinary Share shall entitle the holder thereof to fifteen (15) votes on all matters subject to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

13.

Each Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one (1) Class A Ordinary Share at any time at the option of the holder thereof. The right to convert shall be exercisable by the holder of the Class B Ordinary Share delivering a written notice to the Company that such holder elects to convert a specified number of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares. In no event shall Class A Ordinary Shares be convertible into Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

14.

Any conversion of Class B Ordinary Shares into Class A Ordinary Shares pursuant to these Articles shall be effected by means of the re-designation of each relevant Class B Ordinary Share as a Class A Ordinary Share. Such conversion shall become effective (i) in the case of any conversion effected pursuant to Article 13, forthwith upon the receipt by the Company of the written notice delivered to the Company as described in Article 13 (or at such later date as may be specified in such notice), or (ii) in the case of any automatic conversion effected pursuant to Article 15, forthwith upon occurrence of the event specified in Article 15 which triggers such automatic conversion, and the Company shall make entries in the Register to record the re-designation of the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares as Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

15.

Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B Ordinary Share by a Shareholder to any person who is not the Designated Person or an Affiliate of the Designated Person, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B Ordinary Share to any Person who is not the Designated Person or an Affiliate of the Designated Person, such Class B Ordinary Share shall be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Share. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition shall be effective upon the Company’s registration of such sale, transfer, assignment or disposition in its Register; and (ii) the creation of any pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right of whatever description on any Class B Ordinary Shares to secure a holder’s contractual or legal obligations shall not be deemed as a sale, transfer, assignment or disposition unless and until any such pledge, charge, encumbrance or other third party right is enforced and results in the third party holding legal title to the relevant Class B Ordinary Shares, in which case all the related Class B Ordinary Shares shall be automatically converted into the same number of Class A Ordinary Shares. For purpose of this Article 15, beneficial ownership shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 13d-3 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

16.

Save and except for voting rights and conversion rights as set out in Articles 12 to 15 (inclusive), the Class A Ordinary Shares and the Class B Ordinary Shares shall rank pari passu with one another and shall have the same rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions.

MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS

 

17.

Whenever the capital of the Company is divided into different Classes the rights attached to any such Class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class, only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued Shares of that Class or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that Class. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons holding or representing by proxy at least one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, every Shareholder of the Class shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat all the Classes or any two or more Classes as forming one Class if they consider that all such Classes would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes.

 

8


18.

The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by, inter alia, the creation, allotment or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any Shares of any Class by the Company. The rights of the holders of Shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of Shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of Shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.

CERTIFICATES

 

19.

Every Person whose name is entered as a Member in the Register may, without payment and upon its written request, request a certificate within two calendar months after allotment or lodgement of transfer (or within such other period as the conditions of issue shall provide) in the form determined by the Directors. All certificates shall specify the Share or Shares held by that Person, 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 several joint holders shall be sufficient delivery to all. All certificates for Shares shall be delivered personally or sent through the post addressed to the Member entitled thereto at the Member’s registered address as appearing in the Register.

 

20.

Every share certificate of the Company shall bear legends required under the applicable laws, including the Securities Act.

 

21.

Any two or more certificates representing Shares of any one Class held by any Member may at the Member’s request be cancelled and a single new certificate for such Shares issued in lieu on payment (if the Directors shall so require) of one dollar (US$1.00) or such smaller sum as the Directors shall determine.

 

22.

If a share certificate shall be damaged or defaced or alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, a new certificate representing the same Shares may be issued to the relevant Member upon request, subject to delivery up of the old certificate or (if alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed) compliance with such conditions as to evidence and indemnity and the payment of out-of-pocket expenses of the Company in connection with the request as the Directors may think fit.

 

23.

In the event that Shares are held jointly by several Persons, any request may be made by any one of the joint holders and if so made shall be binding on all of the joint holders.

FRACTIONAL SHARES

 

24.

The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions shall be accumulated.

LIEN

 

25.

The Company has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company’s lien on a Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it, including but not limited to dividends.

 

26.

The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors in their absolute discretion think fit, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen calendar days after a notice in writing, demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy.

 

9


27.

For giving effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise a Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser 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 proceedings in reference to the sale.

 

28.

The proceeds of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commissions incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately prior to the sale.

CALLS ON SHARES

 

29.

Subject to the terms of the allotment, the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen calendar days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on such Shares. A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

30.

The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof.

 

31.

If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part.

 

32.

The provisions of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest 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 amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

33.

The Directors may make arrangements with respect to the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of payment.

 

34.

The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors. 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.

If a Shareholder fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of partly paid Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued.

 

36.

The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen calendar days from the date 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 the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

37.

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 notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect.

 

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38.

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 think fit.

 

39.

A Person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited.

 

40.

A certificate in writing under the hand of a Director that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the certificate shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share.

 

41.

The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person shall 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 Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale.

 

42.

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 due and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

43.

The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, approve and be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares.

 

44.

The Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares which is not fully paid up or on which the Company has a lien.

 

  (a)

The Directors may also decline to register any transfer of any Share unless:

 

  (i)

the instrument of transfer is lodged with the Company, accompanied by the certificate for the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

 

  (ii)

the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one Class of Shares;

 

  (iii)

the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

 

  (iv)

in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the Share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and

 

  (v)

a fee of such maximum sum as the Designated Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as the Board of Directors may from time to time require, is paid to the Company in respect thereof.

 

45.

The registration of transfers may, on ten calendar days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers, by electronic means or by any other means in accordance with the Designated Stock Exchange Rules, be suspended and the Register closed at such times and for such periods as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, from time to time determine, provided always that such registration of transfer shall not be suspended nor the Register closed for more than thirty calendar days in any calendar year.

 

11


46.

All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer of any Shares, they shall within three calendar months after the date on which the transfer was lodged with the Company send notice of the refusal to each of the transferor and the transferee.

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

47.

The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased survivor, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share.

 

48.

Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or bankrupt Person could have made; 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 the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy.

 

49.

A Person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder 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 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 calendar 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.

REGISTRATION OF EMPOWERING INSTRUMENTS

 

50.

The Company shall be entitled to charge a fee not exceeding one U.S. dollar (US$1.00) on the registration of every probate, letters of administration, certificate of death or marriage, power of attorney, notice in lieu of distringas, or other instrument.

ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL

 

51.

The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe.

 

52.

The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

  (a)

increase its share capital by new Shares of such amount as it thinks expedient;

 

  (b)

consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

  (c)

subdivide its Shares, or any of them, into Shares of an amount smaller than that fixed by the Memorandum, provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and

 

  (d)

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 and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.

 

12


53.

The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by the Companies Law.

REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES

 

54.

Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law and these Articles, the Company may:

 

  (a)

issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Shareholder or the Company. The redemption of Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such terms as may be determined, before the issue of such Shares, by either the Board or by the Shareholders by Special Resolution;

 

  (b)

purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner and terms as have been approved by the Board or by the Members by Ordinary Resolution, or are otherwise authorised by these Articles; and

 

  (c)

make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Companies Law, including out of capital.

 

55.

The purchase of any Share shall not oblige the Company to purchase any other Share other than as may be required pursuant to applicable law and any other contractual obligations of the Company.

 

56.

The holder of the Shares being purchased shall be bound to deliver up to the Company the certificate(s) (if any) thereof for cancellation and thereupon the Company shall pay to him the purchase or redemption monies or consideration in respect thereof.

 

57.

The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share.

TREASURY SHARES

 

58.

The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

59.

The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

GENERAL MEETINGS

 

60.

All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

61.

The Company may (but shall not be obliged to) in each calendar 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 may be determined by the Directors.

 

  (a)

At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

62.

The Chairman or a majority of the Directors (acting by a resolution of the Board) may call general meetings, and they shall on a Shareholders’ requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

  (a)

A Shareholders’ requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition Shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third (1/3) of all votes attaching to all issued and outstanding Shares of the Company that as at the date of the deposit carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

  (b)

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.

 

13


  (c)

If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Shareholders’ requisition, or if the Directors do not within twenty-one (21) calendar 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 (21) calendar 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 calendar months after the expiration of the said twenty-one (21) calendar days.

 

  (d)

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

 

63.

At least ten (10) calendar 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 Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of these 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 Shareholders (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

  (b)

in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by two-thirds (2/3rd) of the Shareholders having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, Present at the meeting.

 

64.

The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting.

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

 

65.

No business except for the appointment of a chairman for the meeting shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is Present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. One or more Shareholders holding Shares which carry in aggregate (or representing by proxy) not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all Shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting, Present at the meeting, shall be a quorum for all purposes.

 

66.

If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not Present, the meeting shall be dissolved.

 

67.

If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, attendance and participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of Communications Facilities. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may determine that any general meeting may be held as a Virtual Meeting. The notice of any general meeting at which Communications Facilities will be utilized (including any Virtual Meeting) must disclose the Communications Facilities that will be used, including the procedures to be followed by any Shareholder or other participant of the Meeting who wishes to utilize such Communications Facilities for the purposes of attending and participating in such meeting, including attending and casting any vote thereat.

 

68.

The Chairman, if any, of the Board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company. If there is no such Chairman of the Board of Directors, or if at any general meeting he is not Present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairman of the meeting, any Director or Person nominated by the Chairman (or, in the absence of such Chairman nomination, the Directors) shall preside as chairman of that meeting, failing which the Shareholders Present shall choose any Person Present to be chairman of that meeting.

 

14


69.

The chairman of any general meeting shall be entitled to attend and participate at any such general meeting by means of Communication Facilities, and to act as the chairman of such general meeting, in which event the following provisions shall apply:

 

  (a)

The chairman of the meeting shall be deemed to be Present at the meeting; and

 

  (b)

If the Communication Facilities are interrupted or fail for any reason to enable the chairman of the meeting to hear and be heard by all other Persons participating in the meeting, then the other Directors Present at the meeting shall choose another Director Present to act as chairman of the meeting for the remainder of the meeting; provided that (i) if no other Director is Present at the meeting, or if all the Directors Present decline to take the chair, then the meeting shall be automatically adjourned to the same day in the next week and at such time and place as shall be decided by the board of Directors.

 

70.

The chairman may with the consent of any general 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 meeting, or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen calendar days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Save as aforesaid it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.

 

71.

The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason, upon notice in writing to Shareholders. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine.

 

72.

At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman of the meeting or any Shareholder Present, and unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman of the meeting that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution.

 

73.

If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman of the meeting directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

74.

All questions submitted to a meeting shall be decided by an Ordinary Resolution except where a greater majority is required by these Articles or by the Companies Law. In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

75.

A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting 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 meeting directs.

VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS

 

76.

Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder Present at the meeting shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder Present at the meeting shall have one (1) vote for each Class A Ordinary Share and fifteen (15) votes for each Class B Ordinary Share of which he is the holder.

 

77.

In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy (or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or 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.

 

15


78.

Shares carrying the right to vote that are held by a Shareholder of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may be voted, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other Person may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy.

 

79.

No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid.

 

80.

On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy.

 

81.

Each Shareholder, other than a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)), may only appoint one proxy on a show of hand. The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder.

 

82.

An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve.

 

83.

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; or

 

  (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 at such other time (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.

 

84.

The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll.

 

85.

A resolution in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS

 

86.

Any corporation which is a Shareholder or a Director may 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 meeting of holders of a Class or of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director.

 

16


DEPOSITARY AND CLEARING HOUSES

 

87.

If a recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) 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(s) as it thinks fit to act as its representative(s) at any general meeting of the Company or of any Class of Shareholders 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 Article shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) which he represents as that recognised clearing house (or its nominee(s)) or depositary (or its nominee(s)) could exercise if it were an individual Member holding the number and Class of Shares specified in such authorisation, including the right to vote individually on a show of hands.

DIRECTORS

 

88.

Unless otherwise determined by the Company in general meeting, the number of Directors shall not be less than three (3) Directors, the exact number of Directors to be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

 

  (a)

The Board of Directors shall elect and appoint a Chairman by a majority of the Directors then in office. The period for which the Chairman will hold office will also be determined by a majority of all of the Directors then in office. The Chairman shall preside as chairman at every meeting of the Board of Directors. To the extent the Chairman is not present at a meeting of the Board of Directors within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the attending Directors may choose one of their number to be the chairman of the meeting.

 

  (b)

The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director.

 

  (c)

The Board may, by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting, appoint any person as a Director, to fill a casual vacancy on the Board or as an addition to the Board.

 

  (d)

An appointment of a Director may be on terms that the Director shall automatically retire from office (unless he has sooner vacated office) at the next or a subsequent annual general meeting or upon any specified event or after any specified period in a written agreement between the Company and the Director, if any; but no such term shall be implied in the absence of express provision. Each Director whose term of office expires shall be eligible for re-election at a meeting of the Shareholders or re-appointment by the Board.

 

89.

A Director may be removed from office by Ordinary Resolution of the Company, notwithstanding anything in these Articles or in any agreement between the Company and such Director (but without prejudice to any claim for damages under such agreement). A vacancy on the Board created by the removal of a Director under the previous sentence may be filled by Ordinary Resolution or by the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the remaining Directors present and voting at a Board meeting. The notice of any meeting at which a resolution to remove a Director shall be proposed or voted upon must contain a statement of the intention to remove that Director and such notice must be served on that Director not less than ten (10) calendar days before the meeting. Such Director is entitled to attend the meeting and be heard on the motion for his removal.

 

90.

The Board may, from time to time, and except as required by applicable law or Designated Stock Exchange Rules, adopt, institute, amend, modify or revoke the corporate governance policies or initiatives of the Company and determine on various corporate governance related matters of the Company as the Board shall determine by resolution of Directors from time to time.

 

91.

A Director shall not be required to hold any Shares in the Company by way of qualification. A Director who is not a Member of the Company shall nevertheless be entitled to attend and speak at general meetings.

 

92.

The remuneration of the Directors may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

17


93.

The Directors shall 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 such 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.

ALTERNATE DIRECTOR OR PROXY

 

94.

Any Director may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be required to sign such written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing director, and to act in such Director’s place at any meeting of the Directors at which the appointing Director is unable to be present. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as a Director when the Director appointing him is not personally present and where he is a Director to have a separate vote on behalf of the Director he is representing in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them.

 

95.

Any Director may appoint any Person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting.

POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS

 

96.

Subject to the Companies Law, these Articles and to any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company. No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that resolution had not been passed.

 

97.

Subject to these Articles, the Directors may from time to time appoint any natural person or corporation, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, chief executive officer, one or more other executive officers, president, one or more vice presidents, treasurer, assistant treasurer, manager or controller, and 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), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any natural person or corporation so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto terminate if any managing director ceases for any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated.

 

98.

The Directors may appoint any natural person or corporation to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution.

 

99.

The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body 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.

 

18


100.

The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory (any such Person being an “Attorney” or “Authorised Signatory”, respectively) of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (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 power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretion vested in him.

 

101.

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 Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article.

 

102.

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 natural person or corporation to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any such natural person or corporation.

 

103.

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 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 natural person or corporation 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.

 

104.

Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the time being vested in them.

BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS

 

105.

The Directors may from time to time at their discretion exercise all the powers of the Company to raise or borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof, to issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

THE SEAL

 

106.

The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixing of the Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal is so affixed in their presence.

 

107.

The Company may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixing of such facsimile Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose.

 

19


108.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company.

DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS

 

109.

The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director:

 

  (a)

becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors;

 

  (b)

dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind;

 

  (c)

resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company;

 

  (d)

without special leave of absence from the Board, is absent from meetings of the Board for three consecutive meetings and the Board resolves that his office be vacated; or

 

  (e)

is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of these Articles.

PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS

 

110.

The Directors may meet together (either within or outside the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. At any meeting of the Directors, each Director present in person or represented by his proxy or alternate shall be entitled to one vote. In case of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors.

 

111.

A Director may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

112.

The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Board may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, the quorum shall be a majority of Directors then in office. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present.

 

113.

A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or transaction which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made or transaction so consummated. Subject to the Designated Stock Exchange Rules and disqualification by the chairman of the relevant Board meeting, a Director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction shall come before the meeting for consideration.

 

114.

A 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 and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement.

 

20


115.

Any Director may act by himself or through 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; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company.

 

116.

The Directors shall cause minutes to be made for the purpose of recording:

 

  (a)

all appointments of officers made by the Directors;

 

  (b)

the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and

 

  (c)

all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors.

 

117.

When the chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings.

 

118.

A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate.

 

119.

The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

120.

Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

121.

A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

 

122.

All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director.

PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT

 

123.

A Director who is present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which an 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.

 

21


DIVIDENDS

 

124.

Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor.

 

125.

Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.

 

126.

The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the Directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied, and pending such application may in the absolute discretion of the Directors, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments (other than Shares of the Company) as the Directors may from time to time think fit.

 

127.

Any dividend payable in cash to the holder of Shares may be paid in any manner determined by the Directors. If paid by cheque it will be sent by mail addressed to the holder at his address in the Register, or addressed to such person and at such addresses as the holder may direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall, unless the holder or joint holders otherwise direct, be made payable to the order of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the order of the holder whose name stands first on the Register in respect of such Shares, and shall be sent at his or their risk and payment of the cheque or warrant by the bank on which it is drawn shall constitute a good discharge to the Company.

 

128.

The Directors may determine that a dividend shall be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets (which may consist of the shares or securities of any other company) and may settle all questions concerning such distribution. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Directors may fix the value of such specific assets, may determine that cash payment shall be made to some Shareholders in lieu of specific assets and may vest any such specific assets in trustees on such terms as the Directors think fit.

 

129.

Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. No amount paid on a Share in advance of calls shall, while carrying interest, be treated for the purposes of this Article as paid on the Share.

 

130.

If several Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effective receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the Share.

 

131.

No dividend shall bear interest against the Company.

 

132.

Any dividend unclaimed after a period of six calendar years from the date of declaration of such dividend may be forfeited by the Board of Directors and, if so forfeited, shall revert to the Company.

ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION

 

133.

The books of account relating to the Company’s affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors.

 

134.

The books of account shall be kept at the Registered Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors.

 

22


135.

The Directors may 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 Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right to inspect any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.

 

136.

The accounts relating to the Company’s affairs shall be audited in such manner and with such financial year end as may be determined from time to time by the Directors or failing any determination as aforesaid shall not be audited.

 

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.

The 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 appointment, and at any time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

 

140.

The Directors in each calendar year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies Law and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES

 

141.

Subject to the Companies Law, the Directors may:

 

  (a)

resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a Share Premium Account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), which is available for distribution;

 

  (b)

appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards:

 

  (i)

paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or

 

  (ii)

paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum,

and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;

 

  (c)

make any arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit;

 

  (d)

authorise a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either:

 

  (i)

the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or

 

23


  (ii)

the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares,

and any such agreement made under this authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and

 

  (e)

generally do all acts and things required to give effect to the resolution.

 

142.

Notwithstanding any provisions in these Articles, the Directors may resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including the share premium account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account) or otherwise available for distribution by applying such sum in paying up in full unissued Shares to be allotted and issued to:

 

  (a)

employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members;

 

  (b)

any trustee of any trust or administrator of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme to whom shares are to be allotted and issued by the Company in connection with the operation of any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or Members; or

 

  (c)

any depositary of the Company for the purposes of the issue, allotment and delivery by the depositary of ADSs to employees (including Directors) or service providers of the Company or its Affiliates upon exercise or vesting of any options or awards granted under any share incentive scheme or employee benefit scheme or other arrangement which relates to such persons that has been adopted or approved by the Directors or the Members.

SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT

 

143.

The Directors shall in accordance with the Companies Law establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share.

 

144.

There shall be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Companies Law, out of capital.

NOTICES

 

145.

Except as otherwise provided in these Articles, any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting it by airmail or a recognised courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by facsimile to any facsimile number such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by placing it on the Company’s Website should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders.

 

146.

Notices sent from one country to another shall be sent or forwarded by prepaid airmail or a recognised courier service.

 

24


147.

Any Shareholder Present at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened.

 

148.

Any notice or other document, if served by:

 

  (a)

post, shall be deemed to have been served five calendar days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted;

 

  (b)

facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient;

 

  (c)

recognised courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or

 

  (d)

electronic means, shall be deemed to have been served immediately (i) upon the time of the transmission to the electronic mail address supplied by the Shareholder to the Company or (ii) upon the time of its placement on the Company’s Website.

In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.

 

149.

Any notice or document delivered or sent by post to or left at the registered address of any Shareholder in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share.

 

150.

Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to:

 

  (a)

all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and

 

  (b)

every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting.

No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

INFORMATION

 

151.

Subject to the relevant laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company, no Member shall be entitled to require discovery of any information in respect of any detail of the Company’s trading or any information 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.

 

152.

Subject to due compliance with the relevant laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company, 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 and transfer books of the Company.

 

25


INDEMNITY

 

153.

Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other officer for the time being and from time to time of the Company (but not including the Company’s auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

 

154.

No Indemnified Person shall be liable:

 

  (a)

for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or officer or agent of the Company; or

 

  (b)

for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or

 

  (c)

on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or

 

  (d)

for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or

 

  (e)

for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Person’s part; or

 

  (f)

for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Person’s office or in relation thereto;

unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Person’s own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud.

FINANCIAL YEAR

 

155.

Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on December 31st in each calendar year and shall begin on January 1st in each calendar year.

NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS

 

156.

No Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Companies Law requires) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register.

WINDING UP

 

157.

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 Companies Law, divide amongst the Members in species or 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.

 

26


158.

If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

159.

Subject to the Companies Law, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part.

CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE

 

160.

For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not exceed in any case thirty calendar days in any calendar year.

 

161.

In lieu of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within ninety calendar days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination.

 

162.

If the Register is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted 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 Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION

 

163.

The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.

DISCLOSURE

 

164.

The Directors, or any service providers (including the officers, the Secretary and the registered office provider of the Company) specifically authorised by the Directors, shall be entitled to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority any information regarding the affairs of the Company including without limitation information contained in the Register and books of the Company.

 

27

Exhibit 4.1

QUHUO LIMITED

 

Number    Class A Ordinary Shares

Incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands

Share capital is US$50,000 divided into

500,000,000 shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, comprising of

(i) 300,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each,

(ii) 6,296,630 Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, and

(iii) 193,703,370 shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated)

 

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT    is the registered holder of

Class A Ordinary Shares in the above-named Company subject to the

Memorandum and Articles of Association thereof.

EXECUTED on behalf of the said Company on the                                                               day of                                  20         by:

DIRECTOR             ___________________________________

Exhibit 4.4

QUHUO LIMITED

SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT

Date: August 23, 2019


Shareholders Agreement

Preface

This Shareholders Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 by and among:

 

(1)

QUHUO LIMITED, a company duly established and validly existing in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”);

 

(2)

QUHUO INVESTMENT LIMITED, a company duly established and validly existing in the British Virgin Islands (the “BVI Company”);

 

(3)

QUHUO TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT (HONG KONG) LIMITED, a company duly established and validly existing in Hong Kong (the “HK Company”);

 

(4)

Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise duly established and validly existing in China (the “WFOE”);

 

(5)

Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company duly established and validly existing in China (the “VIE”);

 

(6)

YU Leslie, a citizen of [REDACTED], with passport number of [REDACTED] and contact address of [REDACTED];

 

(7)

YANG Shuyi, a citizen of [REDACTED], with ID card number of [REDACTED] and contact address of [REDACTED];

 

(8)

BA Zhen, a citizen of [REDACTED], with ID card number of [REDACTED] and contact address of [REDACTED] (together with YANG Shuyi and YU Leslie collectively referred to as the “Founding Individual Shareholders”);

 

(9)

QUHUO HOLDING (BVI) LIMITED, a company duly established and validly existing in the British Virgin Islands (the “ESOP SPV”);

 

(10)

Each entity as listed in Item 1 of Appendix A (collectively, the “Founding Entity Shareholders”; together with the Founding Individual Shareholders, collectively referred to as the “Founding Shareholders”)

 

(11)

Each entity as listed in Item 2 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series Angel Investor”);

 

2


(12)

Each entity as listed in Item 3 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series A Investors”);

 

(13)

Each entity as listed in Item 4 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series B Investors”);

 

(14)

Each entity as listed in Item 5 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series C-1 Investors”);

 

(15)

Each entity as listed in Item 6 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series C-2 Investors”);

 

(16)

Each entity as listed in Item 7 of Appendix A (collectively, “Series D Investors”).

In this Agreement, YU Leslie is hereinafter referred to the “Actual Controller”; the Founding Shareholders, ESOP SPV and Series Angel Investor are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Original Shareholders”; the Series A Investors, Series B Investors, Series C-1 Investors, Series C-2 Investors and Series D Investors are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Investors”; the Original Shareholders and the Investors are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Shareholder” and collectively as the “Shareholders”; the Company, BVI Company, HK Company, WFOE, VIE, the Original Shareholders and the Investors are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”.

The above Parties hereby reached the following Agreement through friendly negotiation on the principle of equality and mutual benefit.

Recital

 

(1)

The Company is an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing in the Cayman Islands. As at the date hereof, the authorized share capital of the Company is US$50,000, divided into 500 million shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, of which the number of issued shares is 48,606,410.

 

(2)

The Company intends to restructure (the “Restructure”) its Group Companies (as defined below) to complete the initial public offering of its shares (or the ADRs representing such shares) and listing on a stock exchange in the United States or any other stock exchanges approved by the Shareholders.

 

3


(3)

The Shareholders or their Affiliates are shareholders of VIE before restructuring. For the purpose of restructuring, the Shareholders and the Company entered into a Share Subscription Agreement (the “Share Subscription Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, under which the Shareholders agree to subscribe for the shares issued by the Company, and the Company agrees to issue the shares to the Shareholders, so that the ownership structure of the Company immediately upon the completion of the restructuring is the same as that of the VIE immediately prior to the restructuring (“Share Subscription”).

 

(4)

After the completion of the said Share Subscription, the Shareholders shall be the shareholders of the Company. The Parties hereby agree in this Agreement the rights and obligations of each Shareholder as a shareholder of the Company.

THEREFORE, the Parties hereto agree as follows:

Article 1     Basic Information

 

1.1

Establishment of the Company

The Company is an exempted company with limited liability duly established and validly existing in Cayman Island.

 

1.2

The name and the registered address of the Company

 

1.2.1

The name of the Company is: QUHUO LIMITED.

 

1.2.2

The registered address of the Company is: Harneys Fiduciary (Cayman) Limited, 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands.

 

1.3

The effective date of this Agreement:

This Agreement shall take effect after the legal date of signature by the Parties (the “Effective Date”).

 

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Article 2     Share Capital

 

2.1

Share Capital and Shareholding Ratio

 

2.1.1

Immediately following the completion of the Share Subscription, the authorized share capital of the Company shall be US$50,000, consisting of 500 million shares (“Shares”) with a par value of US$0.0001 per share, including: (i) 475,868,900 ordinary shares of the Company with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), including 24,475,310 issued Ordinary Shares of the Company (in which 9,502,550 shares are used in the employee incentive plan of the Group Companies); (ii) 1,335,370 issued series A preferred shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Series A Preferred Shares”); (iii) 9,500,030 issued series B preferred shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Series B Preferred Shares”); (iv) 5,107,720 issued series C-1 preferred shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Series C-1 Preferred Shares”); (v) 2,377,370 issued series C-2 preferred shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Series C-2 Preferred Shares”); and (vi) 5,810,610 issued series D preferred shares with a par value of US$0.0001 per share (“Series D Preferred Shares”).

 

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2.1.2

Immediately after the completion of the Share Subscription, the shareholding of each Shareholder in the share capital of the Company is as follows:

 

Name of the Shareholder

  

Description

  

Class of Shares

  

Number of Shares Held

  

Shareholding Ratio

LESYU INVESTMENTS LIMITED    Founding Entity Shareholders    Ordinary Shares    6,296,630    12.95%
YGS INVESTMENT LIMITED    Founding Entity Shareholders    Ordinary Shares    6,113,540    12.58%
BZB INVESTMENT LIMITED    Founding Entity Shareholders    Ordinary Shares    2,363,030    4.86%
QUHUO HOLDING (BVI) LIMITED    ESOP    Ordinary Shares    9,502,550    19.55%
Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited    Series Angel Investor    Ordinary Shares    199,560    0.41%
iStart Venture Limited    Series A Investors    Series A Preferred Shares    1,335,370    2.75%
   Series B Investors    Series B Preferred Shares    554,000    1.14%
   Series C-1Investors    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    488,000    1.00%
SBCVC Fund IV, L.P.    Series B Investors    Series B Preferred Shares    4,266,740    8.78%
   Series C-1Investors    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    488,000    1.00%
   Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    919,040    1.89%
Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.    Series B Investors    Series B Preferred Shares    4,679,290    9.63%
   Series C-1 Investors    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    1,271,000    2.61%
ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd.    Series C-1 Investors    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    2,860,720    5.89%
   Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    755,910    1.56%
CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership)    Series C-2 Investors    Series C-2 Preferred Shares    1,359,850    2.80%
   Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    657,110    1.35%
Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited    Series C-2 Investors    Series C-2 Preferred Shares    1,017,520    2.09%
   Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    491,690    1.01%
FUSI Irvine L.P.    Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    597,370    1.23%
Beijing ErQu Management Consultant LLP    Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    1,943,760    4.00%
Delta Electronics Capital Company    Series D Investors    Series D Preferred Shares    445,730    0.92%
Total    48,606,410    100.00%

 

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2.2

Share Certificate and Share Registration

The Company shall provide each Shareholder with a Share Certificate and an updated Register of Members to prove the shareholding ratio of each Shareholder.

Article 3 Board of Directors

 

3.1

Authorities of the Company

 

3.1.1

The Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) is the highest authority of the Company and shall determine all major matters of the Company. The Shareholders agree that, any resolution of the shareholders’ meeting shall first be deliberated by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article 3 (including the special resolution of the Board of Directors in Article 3.5). If such matter has been approved by the Board of Directors in accordance with this Article and still needs the consent of the board of shareholders of the Company as required by Applicable Laws, the Shareholders shall vote in favor of the matter at the shareholders’ meeting.

 

3.1.2

For the avoidance of doubt, the functions and powers of the Board of Directors include but are not limited to:

 

  (1)

decide on the business policy and the investment plan of the Group Companies;

 

  (2)

examine and approve the annual financial budget plan and final accounts of the Group Companies;

 

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  (3)

examine and approve the profit distribution plan and the loss recovery plan of the Group Companies;

 

  (4)

make resolutions on the share capital increase or decrease of the Group Companies;

 

  (5)

make resolutions on merger, division, dissolution, liquidation or form change of the Group Companies;

 

  (6)

modify constitutional documents such as the Articles of Association of the Group Companies (and any amendments thereto);

 

  (7)

decide on the internal management structure of the Group Companies;

 

  (8)

examine and approve the basic management system of the Group Companies;

 

  (9)

decide on the scope of senior management of the Group Companies and their appointment and dismissal as well as their remuneration and welfare;

 

  (10)

other functions and powers set forth herein and the Articles of Association (and any amendments thereto), including but not limited to the resolution matters set forth in Article 3.5 hereof.

 

3.2

Headcount, Authority and Directors’ Term of the Board of Directors

 

3.2.1

The Board of Directors should be composed of nine (9) directors (the “Headcount of the Board of Directors”), in which SBCVC SPV and iStart SPV shall be entitled to appoint one (1) director together, Baidu SPV shall be entitled to appoint one (1) director, ClearVue SPV shall be entitled to appoint one (1) director, and Fusi SPV shall be entitled to appoint one (1) director (the said four (4) directors are collectively referred to as the “Investor Shareholders”); the remaining five (5) directors shall be appointed jointly by the Founding Shareholders. CDIB SPV and Zhongnan Capital SPV shall appoint one (1) observer jointly, who shall be entitled to receive notice of the Board of Directors, to attend the Board of Directors and to have access to all information on meetings of Board of Directors without the voting right.

 

3.2.2

Each director shall serve a term of office of three (3) years and may be re-elected by the Shareholders with the right to appoint such directors. Prior to the expiration of the term, the appointing party shall be entitled to request the removal or replacement of any of its appointed directors at the board meeting.

 

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3.3

Chairman of the Board

 

3.3.1

The Chairman of the Board of the Company (the “Chairman”) shall be one (1) director appointed by the Founding Shareholders.

 

3.3.2

The Chairman shall exercise its powers within the limits prescribed by the Board of Directors. If the Chairman is unable to perform its duties for any reason, one of the directors elected by more than half of the directors shall perform such duties on its behalf.

 

3.4

Rules of Procedure of the Board of the Directors

 

3.4.1

The meetings of Board of Directors shall be convened and presided over by the Chairman.

 

3.4.2

The Company shall hold the meetings of Board of Directors at least once (1) each quarter to review the performance of previous fiscal quarters.

 

3.4.3

The quorum of the meetings of Board of Directors shall be more than two-thirds of the directors and include all four (4) Investor Directors. The directors may attend meetings in person, by proxy or by telephone. A resolution made at the meetings of Board of Directors that the quorum referred to herein fails to be formed shall be invalid. Notwithstanding of the foregoing, if the number of directors attending the meetings of Board of Directors is less than the number of the quorum as provided in this Article, such meetings of Board of Directors shall be postponed and reconvened seven (7) days later at the same time and place. If the number of directors present at the postponed meetings of Board of Directors is still less than the requirement of the quorum for the resolution provided in this Article, subject to further provisions in Article 3.5 hereof, the resolution made at the postponed meetings of Board of Directors shall be valid.

 

3.4.4

The notice of the meetings of Board of Directors shall be given at least ten (10) days in advance, in which shall set out the matters to be considered, the date and place of the meeting. The meetings of Board of Directors shall not discuss and vote on the matters which are not included in the notice of the meetings.

 

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3.4.5

The meetings of Board of Directors shall be attended by the directors in person. If the director is unable to attend the meeting for any reason, he/she may appoint a proxy to attend the meeting in writing. The power of attorney shall specify the scope of authorization. Each director shall have one vote when voting at a meeting of Board of Directors.

 

3.4.6

The directors may attend the meetings of Board of Directors by audio or video phone, which shall be deemed that such director attends the meetings of Board of Directors in person, and such director attending the meetings of Board of Directors by such method shall be included in the quorum and effective voting of directors attended the meeting.

 

3.4.7

Resolutions agreed by all directors of the Company in writing shall be directly made without convening the meetings of Board of Directors, provided that such resolutions shall be signed by all directors.

 

3.5

Matters Requiring Special Resolution of the Board of Directors

 

3.5.1

Matters Requiring the Consent of the Investor Directors

Unless otherwise agreed herein, subject to a quorum under Article 3.4.3 hereof and before the Qualified IPO, the following matters shall not be valid unless approved by more than two-thirds (including the number) of the directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors, and the directors approving such matters shall include at least three Investor Directors (if the following matters have been approved by the Board of Directors in accordance with this Article and still need the unanimous consent of all directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors as required by Applicable Laws, the Parties shall cause their respective appointed directors to vote in favor of such matter at the meetings of Board of Directors):

 

  (1)

To increase, decrease or transfer the share capital of the Group Companies and other ways to restructure or adjust the ownership structure of the Group Companies;

 

  (2)

To merge, divide, suspend, terminate, dissolve, liquidate, bankrupt, restructure or change the form of the Group Companies;

 

  (3)

To sell the Subsidiaries of the Group Companies or acquire other enterprises by the Group Companies;

 

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  (4)

To sell, transfer, license, mortgage, pledge or authorize any third party to use or otherwise dispose of any material tangible and intangible assets of the Group Companies, including but not limited to patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property;

 

  (5)

To cancel the rights enjoyed by the Investors hereunder and pursuant to the Articles of Association of the Company or grant any rights to any third party superior to the rights of the Investors;

 

  (6)

To provide any form of warranties, guarantees or loan to any entity other than the Group Companies;

Unless otherwise agreed herein, before the Qualified IPO, the following matters shall not be valid unless approved by more than two-thirds (including the number) of the directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors, and the directors approving such matters shall include at least three Investor Directors. If the following matters have been approved by the Board of Directors in accordance with this Article and still needs the unanimous consent of all directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors as required by Applicable Laws, the Parties shall cause their respective appointed directors to vote in favor of such matter at the meetings of Board of Directors:

 

  (1)

To modify or waive the major provisions in the constitutional documents or procedures including the Articles of Association of the Group Companies; to modify and terminate VIE Contractual Arrangement Related Documents (as defined in Share Subscription Agreement);

 

  (2)

To declare or pay any dividend, bonus or loss recovery plan;

 

  (3)

To provide any warranties or loans to any third party (including the shareholders or its Affiliates of the Group Companies);

 

  (4)

To approve or change the scale or distribution of seats in the Board of Directors of the Company;

 

  (5)

To approve or modify the employees’ shares incentive plan of the Group Companies;

 

  (6)

To issue any securities, shares, preferred shares or warrants, options and other rights in or outside China that may be purchased for any security;

 

  (7)

To engage in any business area materially different from the existing business plan, change the name or terminate any existing business;

 

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  (8)

To decrease or dispose of any shares of the Company in any way within three years after the Effective Date hereof by the Founding Shareholders, including directly or indirectly selling, presenting, pledging, imposing encumbrances of property rights or imposing sanctions in other ways; or

 

  (9)

To approve or modify the annual budget, operation plan, including any capital expenditure budget, operation budget and financial plan.

 

3.5.2

Matters Requiring the Consent of any Investor Director

Unless otherwise agreed herein, before the Qualified IPO, the following matters shall not be valid unless approved by more than two-thirds (including the number) of the directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors, and the directors approving such matters shall include at least one Investor Director:

 

  (1)

Decisions on the appointment and employment of the chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO) and other key positions and employees of the Group Companies;

 

  (2)

A major capital expenditure or investment with consideration paid by the Group Companies at or above RMB500,000;

 

  (3)

Purchase, sale, mortgage, pledge, lease, pawn or other disposal of assets that goes beyond the normal business operation scope or exceed the budget of the Group Companies and whose total transaction amount exceeds RMB500,000 within twelve (12) months;

 

  (4)

Any debts and payment obligations incurred by the Group Companies with an amount of more than RMB200,000, unless incurred in the normal business process;

 

  (5)

Major cooperation agreements signed by the Group Companies;

 

  (6)

The Group Companies enter into material agreements with one or more Affiliates, in which the Group Companies makes unlimited commitments, warranties or obligations, or the single payment amount under which is more than RMB200,000, or the cumulative total payment amount under which exceeds RMB500,000 during any twelve (12) month period; or

 

  (7)

Other material events in the daily operation and management of the Group Companies that need to be decided by the Board of Directors;

 

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3.5.3

In addition to the normal decision-making process of the Board of Directors, the following matters shall not be valid unless it is approved with a written consent letter by the Series C-2 Investors who hold more than 50% (including the number) of the total shares of the Company in series C-2 investment:

 

  (1)

To increase, decrease or transfer the share capital of the Group Companies and other ways to restructure or adjust the ownership structure of the Group Companies;

 

  (2)

To merge, divide, suspend, terminate, dissolve, liquidate, bankrupt, restructure or change the form or organizational structure of the Group Companies;

 

  (3)

To sell any of its Subsidiaries or acquire other enterprises by the Group Companies;

 

  (4)

To sell, transfer, license, mortgage, pledge or authorize any third party to use or otherwise dispose of any material tangible and intangible assets of the Group Companies, including but not limited to patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property;

 

  (5)

To cancel the rights enjoyed by the Series C-2 Investors hereunder and pursuant to the Articles of Association of the Company or grant any rights to any third party superior to the rights of the Series C-2 Investors;

 

  (6)

To provide any form of warranties, guarantees or loan to any entity other than the Group Companies;

 

  (7)

To modify or waive the major provisions in the constitutional documents or procedures including the Articles of Association of the Group Companies;

 

  (8)

To issue any securities, shares, preferred shares or warrants, options and other rights that may be purchased for any security by the Group Companies or the target company in or outside China;

 

  (9)

To engage in any business area materially different from the existing business plan, change the name or terminate any existing business of the Group Companies;

 

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3.6

Other Matters Requiring Resolution of the Board of Directors

Except as provided in Article 3.5 hereof, other matters requiring resolutions of the Board of Directors shall be approved and become effective only with the consent of a majority of the directors present at the meetings of Board of Directors.

 

3.7

Resolutions of the Board of Directors and the Board of Shareholders

The resolutions of the Board of Directors or the Board of Shareholders shall be written in English and be filed by the Company and copied to the Parties after they are signed by the shareholders, shareholder representatives, directors or the proxy appointed by the directors.

 

3.8

Expense Burden

The expenses necessary for the directors of the Company to exercise their functions and powers under this Agreement, the Articles of Association (and any amendments thereto) and Applicable Laws and regulations shall be borne by the Company. Meanwhile, the Company shall cover customary insurance for directors and make every effort to ensure the safety of members of Board of Directors.

Article 4     Management Organization

 

4.1

Chief Executive Officer

 

4.1.1

The Company shall have one (1) CEO, who shall be responsible for the daily operation and management of the Group Companies.

 

4.1.2

The CEO is nominated by the Founding Shareholders and appointed and dismissed by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article 3.5 hereof.

 

4.2

Functions and Powers of the CEO

The CEO is responsible for implementing the resolutions of the board meeting, leading the daily operation management of the Group Companies and exercising other functions and powers as authorized by the Board of Directors.

 

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4.3

Term of Office, Dismissal and Replacement of the CEO

 

4.3.1

The CEO shall serve a term of three (3) years and shall be re-elected upon resolution of the Board of Directors.

 

4.3.2

If the CEO is dismissed or leave, his/her successor shall be reappointed in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof.

 

4.4

Scope of the Officers

Officers refer to the CEO, CFO, chief operation officer (COO) and other persons deemed to be officers by the Board of Directors.

 

4.5

Obligations of the Officers

 

4.5.1

The CEO and other officers of the Company shall be diligent and responsible and work in the best interests of the Group Companies.

 

4.5.2

The CEO and other officers shall not use their positions to seek business opportunities belonging to the Group Companies for themselves or others, nor shall they engage in any business of the same kind or compete with the business of the Group Companies.

 

4.5.3

The CFO shall report to the Board of Directors and the CEO, but such report shall not adversely affect the normal operation of the Group Companies.

Article 5    Labor Management

 

5.1

Labor Management

The CEO of the Company shall formulate relevant plans for the enrollment, recruitment, dismissal, wages, labor insurance, welfare, rewards and punishments of the employees of the Group Companies in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. Upon the approval of the Board of Directors, the CEO/general manager of the Group Companies shall, on behalf of the Group Companies, enter into labor contracts with the employees.

 

5.2

Employee Recruitment

The employees and workers needed by the Group Companies shall be recruited mainly through open recruitment and selected on the basis of merit after examination. All employees and workers formally employed shall sign labor contracts.

 

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Article 6    Tax, Finance and Audit

 

6.1

Tax

 

6.1.1

The Group Companies and the Parties shall pay taxes in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

 

6.1.2

The Parties shall endeavor to obtain all current and future tax exemptions, tax reductions and preferential treatment that may be enjoyed in accordance with relevant laws and regulations for the Group Companies, the Parties and all personnel.

 

6.2

Financial and Accounting System

The Company shall establish a financial accounting system in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted at the place of Qualified IPO. The financial statements prepared for the Company shall be written in English to truly, completely and impartially reflect the financial situation of the Company on the date of the statement and the operating effect during the accounting period involved in the statement.

 

6.3

Account Book

All management account books of the Company shall be prepared in Chinese and available for audit by either Party or its representative at any reasonable time. Each Party shall be entitled to employ an independent accountant to review the books and records of the Company at its own expense. The Company and other Parties shall provide such accountants with full cooperation to facilitate their access to all account books and documents of the Company.

 

6.4

Information Right and Inspection Right of the Investors

 

6.4.1

From the Effective Date hereof, the Company shall regularly and promptly deliver the following information to the Investors for any period of time during which the Investors hold the shares of the Company (unless the Company has completed the Qualified IPO at that time) and without affecting any rights of the Investors hereunder:

 

  (1)

Within five (5) calendar days after the end of each month, (i) monthly financial report of the Group Companies; (ii) report of a matter that may have a Material Adverse Effect on the operations or financial position of the Group Companies;

 

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  (2)

Within thirty (30) calendar days after the end of each quarter, (i) the unaudited quarterly financial report prepared by the Group Companies in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards; (ii) report of a matter that may have a Material Adverse Effect on the operations or financial position of the Group Companies;

 

  (3)

Within ninety (90) calendar days after the end of each fiscal year, on a yearly basis, (i) audited financial statements of Group Companies; and (ii) report on the business operation of the Group Companies for the fiscal year, including report on a matter that may have a Material Adverse Effect on the operation or financial position of the Group Companies;

 

  (4)

(i) Report of the financial budget for the following fiscal year within thirty (30) calendar days before the end of each fiscal year; and (ii) thirty (30) calendar days’ notice of any material changes to the approved annual budget, including changes to the salaries of officers;

 

  (5)

(i) Notice of a meeting of Board of Directors with the relevant agenda, informed thirty(30) calendar days in advance; (ii) immediate notification of any Litigation/Arbitration related to the Group Companies, important judgments against the Group Companies and other matters that may have a Material Adverse Effect on the operations and financial position of the Group Companies; (iii) Immediate notification of the failure of the Group Companies to comply with relevant laws issued by any competent authority or government department; and (iv) immediate notification of any change in the nature or scope of business of the Group Companies; and

 

  (6)

Other information about the financial position, business or legal person status of the Group Companies as required by the Investors.

 

6.4.2

The Actual Controller and the Founding Shareholders shall cause the Company to permit the Investors, at all reasonable times during normal working hours, to access and inspect the property of the Group Companies, to inspect the account books and records of the Group Companies, and to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Group Companies with its managers, directors and auditors, financial advisers and lawyers upon reasonable request and with reasonable notice one (1) Business Day in advance, provided that any examination, inspection, inquiry, conducted or not, or whether the Investors have any knowledge of the information (including but not limited to any information the Investors obtained relating to such examination, inspection and inquiry) or not, shall not constitute a waiver by the Investors of any rights they may enjoy under any representations, warranties, covenants or terms or agreements under any relevant agreements. Any examination, inspection or inquiry made by the said Investors shall not affect the normal operation of the Group Companies.

 

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6.5

Independent Auditor

The independent auditor selected by the Company should be one of the “Big Four” accounting firms routinely employed by the industry, who is able to perform the accounting activities in accordance with domestic accounting standards of China, international standards or U.S. standards. If the Board of Directors determines that the independent auditor does not meet the above criteria, the independent auditor may be removed and replaced in accordance with the criteria of the Company for selecting an independent auditor under this Article.

 

6.6

Currency

The Company uses RMB as its unit of account. When foreign currencies are converted into RMB for bookkeeping purposes, the exchange rate shall be calculated at the rate normally adopted for the relevant transaction.

 

6.7

Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Company starts from January 1 of each year and ends on December 31 of the current year (the last fiscal year ends on the date of expiration hereof or the date of early dissolution of the Company in accordance with this Agreement).

 

6.8

Report

The Company shall distribute monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements to the Board of Directors. The independent auditor shall conduct an annual audit of the account books and statements of the Company. The audit report shall be approved by the Board of Directors and delivered to the Parties and relevant government departments (if necessary).

 

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Article 7     Insurance

 

7.1

Insurance

The Group Companies shall cover all kinds of insurance with the insurance companies which are qualified and commonly chosen in industries. The insurance coverage, amount and duration and other relevant matters shall be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company or any other Persons authorized by the Board of Directors.

Article 8     Profit Distribution

 

8.1

Profit Distribution

The remaining profits from the operations of the Company in this fiscal year, after the Company pays the income tax and makes any deductions or payments (up to the minimum amount required by laws) as required by laws and regulations shall be distributed in accordance with the resolutions of the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

8.2

Principles for Profit Distribution

The Parties shall distribute the profits based on their shareholding ratio in the Company.

Article 9     Shareholders’ Rights

 

9.1

Pre-emptive Rights in Capital Increase

 

9.1.1

The Actual Controller, the Company and the Original Shareholders jointly undertake and ensure that, unless otherwise agreed in Article 9, the Company, without prior written consent of the Investors, shall not increase its share capital, or dilute the shares of the Investors in the Company by amending the Articles of Association, or restructuring, integrating, shares selling, merging or asset selling or other actions that may cause the dilution of such shares.

 

9.1.2

Unless with prior written consent of the Investors, The unit price of the increased share capital of the Company shall not be lower than the price of each share that such Investors subscribe for or receive in the corresponding series of financing of the Company.

 

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  (1)

The Actual Controller, the Company and the Original Shareholders undertake that, in the following financing, if any entity or person subscribes any increased share capital of the Company at the rate less than the post-money valuation of the Company (i.e., US$195.29 million) after Series D Capital Increase (“Series D Depreciation Financing”), the Series D Investors shall be entitled to re-determine the shareholding ratio due to previous capital increases and/or share transfers at the capital increase price of Series D Depreciation Financing, and the Founding Shareholders shall transfer the corresponding shares to the Series D Investors based on the proportion of the shares they hold in the Company at that time.

 

  (2)

If the Actual Controller and Founding Shareholders sell old shares to outside investors other than the existing Shareholders, unless agreed by the Series C-2 Investors, the price of such share transfer shall not be lower than the comprehensive shareholding cost of the Series C-2 Investors, i.e., the pre-transfer valuation of the Company shall not be lower than US$175,896,151. (“MFN Protection Clause on Old Shares Trading”)

Provided that there is no conflict with Article 9.1.2 (1) and the share compensation in Article 9.1.2 (1) can be fully satisfied, the Actual Controller, the Company and the Original Shareholders undertake that, in the following financing, if any entity or person subscribes any increased share capital of the Company at the rate less than the post-money valuation of the Company (i.e., US$ 175,896,151) after series C-2 Capital Increase (“Series C-2 Depreciation Financing”), the Series C-2 Investors shall be entitled to re-determine the shareholding ratio that the Series C-2 Investors should obtain due to the series C-2 investment at the capital increase price of Series C-2 Depreciation Financing, and the Founding Shareholders shall transfer the corresponding shares to the Series C-2 Investors based on the proportion of the shares they hold in the Company at that time.

 

  (3)

Provided that there is no conflict with Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and the share compensation in Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) can be fully satisfied, the Actual Controller, the Company and the Original Shareholders undertake that, in the following financing, if any entity or person subscribes any increased share capital of the Company at the rate less than the post-money valuation of the Company (i.e., US$ 100 million) after series C-1 capital increase (“Series C-1 Depreciation Financing”), the Series C-1 Investors shall be entitled to re-determine the shareholding ratio that the Series C-1 Investors should obtain due to the said increased capital in series C-1 investment agreement at the capital increase price of Series C-1 Depreciation Financing, and the Founding Shareholders shall transfer the corresponding shares to the Series C-1 Investors based on the proportion of shares they hold in the Company at that time.

 

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  (4)

Provided that there is no conflict with Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and/or 9.1.2 (3) and the share compensation in Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and/or 9.1.2 (3) can be fully satisfied, the Actual Controller, the Company and the Original Shareholders undertake that, in the following financing, if any entity or person subscribes any increased share capital of the Company at the rate less than the post-money valuation of the Company (i.e., RMB 150 million) after series B capital increase (“Series B Depreciation Financing”), the Series B Investors shall be entitled to re-determine the shareholding ratio that the Series B Investors should obtain due to the said increased capital and share transfer in the series B investment agreement at the capital increase price of Series B Depreciation Financing, and the Founding Shareholders shall transfer the corresponding shares to the Series B Investors based on the proportion of the shares they hold in the Company at that time.

 

  (5)

Provided that there is no conflict with Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and/or 9.1.2 (3) and/or 9.1.2 (4) and the share compensation in Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and/or 9.1.2 (3) and/or 9.1.2 (4) can be fully satisfied, the Company undertakes that, in the following financing, if any entity or person subscribes any increased share capital at the rate less than the post-money valuation of the Company (i.e., RMB 85 million) after series A capital increase (“Series A Depreciation Financing”), the Series A Investors shall be entitled to re-determine the shareholding ratio that the Series A Investors should obtain due to the series A investment agreement at the capital increase price of Series A Depreciation Financing, and the Founding Shareholders shall transfer the corresponding shares to the Series A Investors based on the proportion of the shares they hold in the Company at that time.

 

  (6)

If the shares are transferred by the Founding Shareholders to the Investors in accordance with Article 9.1.2 (1) and/or 9.1.2 (2) and/or 9.1.2 (3) and/or 9.1.2 (4) and/or 9.1.2 (5), such share transfer shall be free. If such transfer is not free as required by Applicable Laws, the share transfer price shall be the minimum price permitted by Applicable Laws and accepted by the competent government authorities. The Founding Shareholders shall, at the same time or after the execution of the Share Transfer Agreement, sign another document exempting the payment obligation of the share transfer as required by the Investors. If such exemption is not permitted by then Applicable Laws or competent government authorities, after the Investors pay the transfer price, the Founding Shareholders shall immediately compensate the Investors for the same amount in other appropriate ways to ensure that the Investors do not pay any fees for the share transfer. If the Investors are required by Applicable Laws to pay any taxes for the share transfer, such taxes shall be borne by the Founding Shareholders or compensated by the Founding Shareholders after the payment by the Investors to ensure that the Investors do not pay any taxes for the share transfer.

 

21


  (7)

In the event of any shareholding ratio adjustment under Article 9.1.2 (1), 9.1.2 (2), 9.1.2 (3), 9.1.2 (4) and 9.1.2 (5), or the share transfer price adjustment under Article 9.1.2 (6), if the said adjustment of the Founding Shareholders is prohibited by Applicable Laws, the Parties shall fully comply with such provisions to the extent not prohibited by Applicable Laws and shall immediately implement other adjustments that have not been implemented upon the removal of such legal obstacles.

 

9.1.3

Pre-emptive Rights of the Investors

Subject to the exemptions as agreed in Article 9.1.4 hereof, if the Company intends to increase its share capital:

 

  (1)

The Company shall first send a written notice (“Notice of Share Capital Increase”) to the Investors, specifying the amount of share capital it intends to increase (“Share Capital to be Increased”), the shareholding ratio representing the Share Capital to be Increased after dilution, the offering price and payment schedule of the Share Capital to be Increased of the Company (provided that this Article shall be finally approved in advance by the Board of Directors as required herein). The notice shall also state that the Investors shall be entitled to subscribe the corresponding Share Capital to be Increased as determined in Article 9.1.3 (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) and (7) below at a price expressly specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Notice of Share Capital Increase. The maximum amount of shares that the Investors can subscribe shall be equal to the Share Capital to be Increased;

 

  (2)

Pre-emptive Rights of Series D Investors

Subject to Article 9.1.3 (7) below, within fifteen (15) days after the Series D Investors receive the Notice of Share Capital Increase (“Series D Pre-emptive Rights Period”), the Series D Investors shall enjoy the priority over any other shareholders and third party to send a written notice to the Company requesting to subscribe for the Share Capital to be Increased (“Series D Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”). In accordance with the provisions specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase, the Series D Investors shall subscribe all or part of the increased share capital in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio.

 

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  (3)

Pre-emptive Rights of Series C-2 Investors

Upon the expiration of Series D Pre-emptive Rights Period or when the Series D Investors clearly inform the Company in writing that they do not subscribe for the Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights, whichever is earlier, the Company shall send a written notice to the Series C-2 Investors, stating the detailed information about the series D pre-emptive rights exercised by the Series D Investors. If the Share Capital to be Increased is not completely subscribed by the Series D Investors, within fifteen (15) days after the Series C-2 Investors receive the said written notice (“Series C-2 Pre-emptive Rights Period”), the Series C-2 Investors shall enjoy the priority over any other shareholders (other than the Series D Investors) and third party to send a written notice to the Company requesting to subscribe for the remaining Share Capital to be Increased (“Series C-2 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”). In accordance with the provisions specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase, each Series C-2 Investor shall subscribe all or part of the Series C-2 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights. The Series C-2 Investors exercising their pre-emptive rights shall subscribe for the remaining increased share capital in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio.

 

  (4)

Pre-emptive Rights of Series C-1 Investors

Upon the expiration of Series C-2 Pre-emptive Rights Period or when the Series C-2 Investors clearly inform the Company in writing that they do not subscribe for the Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights, whichever is earlier, the Company shall send a written notice to the Series C-1 Investors, stating the detailed information about the series C-2 pre-emptive rights exercised by the Series C-2 Investors. If the Share Capital to be Increased is not completely subscribed by the Series D Investors and the Series C-2 Investors, within fifteen (15) days after the Series C-1 Investors receive the said written notice (“Series C-1 Pre-emptive Rights Period”), the Series C-1 Investors shall enjoy the priority over any shareholders (other than the Series D Investors and the Series C-2 Investors) and third party to send a written notice to the Company requesting to subscribe for the remaining Share Capital to be Increased (“Series C-1 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”). In accordance with the provisions specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase, each Series C-1 Investor shall subscribe all or part of the Series C-1 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights. The Series C-1 Investors exercising their pre-emptive rights shall subscribe for the Series C-1 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio.

 

23


  (5)

Pre-emptive Rights of Series B Investors

Upon the expiration of Series C-1 Pre-emptive Rights Period or when the Series C-1 Investors clearly inform the Company in writing that they do not subscribe for the increased share capital subject to pre-emptive rights, whichever is earlier, the Company shall send a written notice to the Series B Investors, stating the detailed information about the series C-1 pre-emptive rights exercised by the Series C-1 Investors. If the Share Capital to be Increased is not completely subscribed by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors and the Series C-1 Investors, within fifteen (15) days after the Series B Investors receive the said written notice (“Series B Pre-emptive Rights Period”), the Series B Investors shall enjoy the priority over any shareholders (other than the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors and the Series C-1 Investors) and third party to send a written notice to the Company requesting to subscribe for the remaining Share Capital to be Increased (“Series B Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”). In accordance with the provisions specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase, each Series B Investor shall subscribe for all or part of the Series B Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights. The Series B Investors exercising their pre-emptive rights shall subscribe for the Series B Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio.

 

  (6)

Pre-emptive Rights of Series A Investors

Upon the expiration of Series B Pre-emptive Rights Period or when the Series B Investors clearly inform the Company in writing that they do not subscribe for the Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights, whichever is earlier, the Company shall send a written notice to the Series A Investors, stating the detailed information about the series B pre-emptive rights exercised by the Series B Investors. If the Share Capital to be Increased is not completely subscribed for by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors, the Series C-1 Investors and the Series B Investors, within fifteen (15) days after the Series A Investors receive the said written notice (“Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights Period”), the Series A Investors shall be entitled to subscribe for all or part of the remaining Share Capital to be Increased by sending a notice to the Company. After such notice, the Series A Investors shall subscribe for the remaining all or part Share Capital to be Increased in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio in accordance with the provisions and price specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase.

 

24


  (7)

The Investors shall, within the Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights Period, give a written notice (“Notice of Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights”) to the Company stating relevant requirements; otherwise the Investors shall be deemed to have waived the subscription of any increased share capital. If (1) an Investor specifies in the Notice of Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights that it shall not subscribe any increased share capital or subscribe only a portion of the increased share capital of the Company to which it has a prorated right to subscribe; (2) an Investor fails to deliver the Notice of Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights to the Company within the pre-emptive rights period, the Company shall inform other Investors who have fully exercised the pre-emptive rights hereunder that the said Investor who has the subscription rights fails to subscribe the share capital. Such other Investors shall be entitled to, within ten (10) days (“Investors’ Second Pre-emptive Rights Period”) after receiving the notice of the Company, exercise their preemption rights and subscribe such share capital in proportion to their respective shareholding ratio;

 

  (8)

Notwithstanding the provisions in Article 9.1.3 (2) to Article 9.1.3 (7), in any subsequent financing arrangements (“Subsequent Financing”) of the Company after the series D Closing Date (i.e., April 28, 2018) and prior to the application of provisions in Article 9.1.3 (2) to Article 9.1.3 (7), Baidu shall, within fifteen (15) days after receiving the Notice of Share Capital Increase, enjoy the priority over any other shareholders and third party to send a written notice to the Company requesting to subscribe for the Share Capital to be Increased and subscribe for all or part increased share capital in accordance with the provisions as specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase at the Preferential Price of Baidu. For the avoidance of doubt, the share of share capital increase to which Baidu may exercise the Preferential Price of Baidu referred to in this Article in a Subsequent Financing shall not be higher than 20% of the total amount of the Share Capital to be Increased in such Subsequent Financing. The said “Preferential Price of Baidu” refers to the sum of the valuation of the following two business categories of the Company, of which the “Valuation of the two Business Categories” refers to: (1) the valuation of the real-time logistics business of the Company (including food, fresh food, fruits and vegetables, clothing and delivery business of other products agreed by the Company and Baidu), the amount of which shall be calculated in the following manner: Company’s valuation reflected in the Notice of Share Capital Increase × (1- one-third of the proportion of orders brought by Baidu or its Affiliates in the total orders of real-time logistics business of the Company) (the proportion of orders of the said real-time logistics business shall be counted and confirmed by the Company and Baidu or its Affiliates) × the percentage of the annual revenue of real-time logistics business in the total annual revenue of the Company; and (2) the valuation of all the non-real-time logistics business of the Company, the amount of which shall be calculated in the following manner: Company valuation reflected in the Notice of Share Capital Increase × the percentage of the annual revenue of non-real-time logistics business in the total annual revenue of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of multiple rounds of Subsequent Financing by the Company, Baidu shall be entitled to require the application of the provisions of this Article in each round of Subsequent Financing.

 

25


  (9)

If the Investors fail to subscribe all Share Capital to be Increased in accordance with Article 9.1.3 (1) to Article 9.1.3 (8), the Company shall be entitled to, within ninety (90) consecutive days after the expiration of the Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights Period (or the expiration of the Investors’ Second Pre-emptive Rights Period, if applicable, or the date on which all Investors give written notice to the Company to waive the pre-emptive rights for subscription, whichever is earlier), sell the Share Capital to be Increased not subscribed for by the Investors to the potential subscribers (including but not limited to the Original Shareholders) at a price not lower than the price specified in the Notice of Share Capital Increase and on terms not more favorable than those offered to the Investors. If, for any reason, the potential subscribers (including but not limited to the Original Shareholders) fail to purchase the Share Capital to be Increased not subscribed by the Investors and sign the corresponding capital increase contract at the above price and conditions within the said period, the offering rights of Capital Increase of the Company to the potential subscribers (including but not limited to the Original Shareholders) in accordance with the Notice of Share Capital Increase shall be terminated and provisions in Article 9.1 shall be reapplied to the Share Capital to be Increased (if the Company intends to continue to increase its share capital).

 

26


9.1.4

Exempted Share Capital Increase

The Investors’ rights to the Share Capital to be Increased of the Company provided in Article 9 shall not apply to the subscription of the shares issued under the shares incentive plan or for Restructuring as approved by the Board of Directors, and other capital increase waived by other Investors in writing and approved by the Board of Directors, as well as the additional shares issued by the Company in accordance with Article 9.6.

 

9.1.5

Obligations of the Company and the Original Shareholders

 

  (1)

For the avoidance of doubt, the Original Shareholders undertake and warrant that, they shall, upon the Investors exercising the said preferential subscription rights, sign the documents certifying the waiver of the pre-emptive right of capital increase and all other necessary documents related to capital increase as required by the Investors.

 

  (2)

In terms of any proposed capital increase actions of the Company under Article 9 hereof, the Parties agree to make best efforts to complete all legal procedures required by such capital increase, including but not limited to signing capital increase agreement and other related contracts, procuring their appointed directors to approve such share capital increase in relevant resolution of Board of Directors, conducting asset valuation (if necessary) and performing relevant government registration procedures within the time limit stipulated herein.

 

27


9.2

Share Transfer Procedures

 

9.2.1

Rights of First Refusal of the Investors

 

  (1)

Priority Notice of Share Transfer

Subject to the provisions of Article 9.2.4 and Article 9.2.5, if any Founding Shareholders, Original Shareholders (“Share Transferor”) intends to transfer any of their share interest in the Company, they shall, prior to such transfer, send a written notice (“Notice of Share Transfer”) to all Investors, specifying the Shares to be Transferred in a reasonable manner, including but not limited to the proportion of share interests to be sold or transferred (“Shares to be Transferred”), the nature of such sale or transfer, the consideration to be paid for the proposed transfer and the name and address of each potential purchaser or transferee.

 

  (2)

Rights of First Refusal of the Series D Investors

Each Series D Investor shall be entitled to purchase such Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the proportion of shares it holds in the Company at that time. The Series D Investors exercising the right of first refusal shall, within fifteen (15) days (“Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period”) after receiving the Notice of Share Transfer, send a written notice to the Company and the Share Transferor requesting the purchase of all or part of the Shares to be Transferred and purchase all or part of the Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the price, the material terms and conditions as provided in the Notice of Share Transfer.

 

  (3)

Expiration Notice of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period

Upon the expiration of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period (or the date on which the Series D Investors expressly notify the Company in writing to waive such rights of first refusal, whichever is earlier), the Company shall send a written notice (“Expiration Notice of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period”) to the Share Transferor, the Series A Investors, the Series B Investors, the Series C-1 Investors and Series C-2 Investors respectively, specifying that (i) all Shares to be Transferred are purchased by the Series D Investors; or (ii) the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors. Under clause (ii), the Expiration Notice of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period shall expressly set forth the remaining Shares to be Transferred and the Series C-2 Investors may exercise the rights of first refusal in respect of the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with Article 9.2.1(4) below.

 

28


  (4)

Rights of First Refusal of the Series C-2 Investors

Each Series C-2 Investor shall be entitled to purchase such Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the proportion of shares it holds in the Company at that time. The Series C-2 Investors exercising the rights of first refusal shall, within fifteen (15) days (“Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period”) after receiving the Expiration Notice of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period, send a written notice requesting the purchase of all or part of the Shares to be Transferred to the Company and the Share Transferor and purchase all or part of the Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the price, the material terms and conditions as provided in the Notice of Share Transfer.

 

  (5)

Expiration Notice of the Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period

Upon the expiration of the Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period (or the date on which the Series C-2 Investors expressly notify the Company in writing to waive such rights of first refusal, whichever is earlier), the Company shall send a written notice (“Expiration Notice of Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period”) to the Share Transferor, the Series A Investors, the Series B Investors, the Series C-1 Investors respectively, specifying that (i) all Shares to be Transferred are purchased by the Series C-2 Investors and/or Series D Investors; or (ii) the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series C-2 Investors and/or Series D Investors. Under such circumstances, the Expiration Notice of Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period shall expressly set forth the remaining Shares to be Transferred and the Series C-1 Investors may exercise the rights of first refusal in respect of the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with Article 9.2.1(6) below.

 

29


  (6)

Rights of First Refusal of the Series C-1 Investors

Each Series C-1 Investor shall be entitled to purchase all or part of the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the proportion of shares it holds in the Company at that time. The Series C-1 Investors exercising the rights of first refusal shall, within fifteen (15) days (“Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period”) after receiving the Expiration Notice of the Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period, send a written notice requesting the purchase of all or part of the Shares to be Transferred to the Company and the Share Transferor and purchase all or part of the Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the price, the material terms and conditions as provided in the Notice of Share Transfer.

 

  (7)

Expiration Notice of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period

Upon the expiration of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period (or the date on which the Series C-1 Investors expressly notify the Company in writing to waive such rights of first refusal, whichever is earlier), the Company shall send a written notice (“Expiration Notice of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period”) to the Share Transferor, the Series A Investors and the Series B Investors respectively, specifying that (i) all Shares to be Transferred are purchased by the Series C-1 Investors and/or Series C-2 Investors and/or Series D Investors; or (ii) the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors and/or the Series C-2 Investors and/or Series C-1 Investors as agreed herein. Under such circumstances, the Expiration Notice of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period shall expressly set forth the remaining Shares to be Transferred and the Series B Investors may exercise the rights of first refusal with respect to the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with Article 9.2.1(8) below.

 

  (8)

Rights of First Refusal of the Series B Investors

In the event that the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors and/or Series C-2 Investors and/or Series C-1 Investors as agreed herein, each Series B Investor shall be entitled to purchase such Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the proportion of shares it holds in the Company at that time. The Series B Investors exercising the rights of first refusal shall, within fifteen (15) days (“Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period”) after receiving the Expiration Notice of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period, send a written notice requesting the purchase of all or part of the Shares to be Transferred to the Company and the Share Transferor and purchase all or part of the Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the price, the material terms and conditions as provided in the Notice of Share Transfer.

 

30


  (9)

Expiration Notice of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period

Upon the expiration of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period (or the date on which the Series B Investors expressly notify the Company in writing to waive such rights of first refusal, whichever is earlier), the Company shall send a written notice (“Expiration Notice of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period”) to the Share Transferor and the Series A Investors respectively, specifying that (i) all Shares to be Transferred are purchased by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors, the Series C-1 Investors and/or Series B Investors exercising the right of first refusal; or (ii) the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors, the Series C-1 Investors and/or the Series B Investors as agreed herein. Under Clause (ii), the Expiration Notice of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period shall expressly set forth the remaining Shares to be Transferred and the Series A Investors may exercise the right of first refusal in respect of the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with Article 9.2.1(10) below.

 

  (10)

Rights of First Refusal of the Series A Investors

In the event that the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors and/or Series C-2 Investors and/or Series C-1 Investors and/or Series B Investors as agreed herein, each Series A Investor shall be entitled to purchase such Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the proportion of shares it holds in the Company at that time. The Series A Investors exercising the rights of first refusal shall, within fifteen (15) days (“Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period”) after receiving the Expiration Notice of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period, send a written notice requesting the purchase of all or part of the Shares to be Transferred to the Company and the Share Transferor and purchase all or part of the Shares to be Transferred in accordance with the price, the material terms and conditions as provided in the Notice of Share Transfer.

 

31


  (11)

Expiration Notice of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period

Upon the expiration of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period (or the date on which the Series A Investors expressly notify the Company in writing to waive such rights of first refusal, whichever is earlier), the Company shall send a written notice (“Expiration Notice of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period”) to the Share Transferor, specifying that (i) all Shares to be Transferred are purchased by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors, the Series C-1 Investors, the Series B Investors and/or the Series A Investors exercising the rights of first refusal; or (ii) the Shares to be Transferred are not purchased or fully purchased by the Series D Investors, the Series C-2 Investors, the Series C-1 Investors, the Series B Investors and/or the Series A Investors as agreed herein. Under Clause (ii), if the Share Transferor is one of the Original Shareholders, the Expiration Notice of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period shall expressly state that the Investors who have not exercised their rights of first refusal shall exercise the tag-along rights in respect of the remaining Shares to be Transferred in accordance with Article 9.2.2 (Tag-along Rights) below.

 

  (12)

Purchase Price

The purchase price of the Shares to be Transferred of the Investors exercising the right of first refusal shall be specified in the Notice of Share Transfer and paid within the time limits as agreed herein.

 

  (13)

Payment

Upon the completion of the shares change, the obligee of preferred share transfer shall pay the purchase price of the Shares to be Transferred. The obligee of preferred share transfer shall pay the purchase price by telegraphic transfer or check as directed by the Share Transferor. If the transferor and the transferee agree otherwise, such other agreement shall prevail.

 

32


  (14)

Application of Tag-along Rights

If the Investors fail to fully purchase the Shares to be Transferred, and the Share Transferor is one of the Original Shareholders, the Investors not purchasing the Shares to be Transferred (“Tag-along Investors”) shall be entitled to exercise the tag-along rights in accordance Article 9.2.2 in terms of the Shares to be Transferred that are to be sold by the Share Transferor and the Investors do not exercise the right of first refusal.

 

9.2.2

Tag-along Rights

 

  (1)

Tag-along System

The number of tag-along shares participated by the Tag-along Investors shall be calculated in the following manner: the number of Shares to be Tagged-along of the Tag-along Investor = (the Shares to be Transferred - the Shares to be Transferred which has been purchased by the investor in accordance with the right of first refusal stipulated in Article 9.2.1) × the shareholding ratio of such Tag-along Investor /(the shareholding ratio of all Tag-along Investors + shareholding ratio of the Share Transferor) (the “Number of Shares to be Tagged-along ”). Within fifteen (15) days from receiving the Expiration Notice of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period (“Period of Tag-along Right”), the Tag-along Investors shall send a written notice (the “Tag-along Notice”) to the Company and the Share Transferor and are entitled (but not obliged) to participate in the sale of the Company’ shares within the scope of the Number of Shares to be Tagged-along in accordance with the same terms and conditions as set forth in the Notice of Share Transfer. The Tag-along Notice shall specify the amount of shares amount in the Company that the Investor with Tag-along Rights wishes to include in such sale or transfer (“Shares to be Tagged-along”).

 

33


  (2)

Payment to the Investors

The Share Transferor, the Tag-along Investors and the purchasers (including but not limited to other Original Shareholders) shall, within five (5) days after the expiration of the Period of Tag-along Right, sign a share purchase agreement on terms and conditions substantially identical to those set out in the Notice of Share Transfer. Upon the sale of the Shares to be Tagged-along in accordance with the share purchase agreement, the purchaser shall pay the share transfer funds obtained by the Tag-along Investors and the Share Transferor through such share transfer to the corresponding share transferors. If any one or more potential purchasers prohibit such tag-along right or otherwise refuse to purchase any shares from the Tag-along Investors, the Share Transferor shall not sell any share of the Company to such potential purchasers, unless such Share Transferor, at their own discretion, purchase all Shares to be Tagged-along that has not been purchased at the same price and terms.

 

9.2.3

Transfer Rights

If the Investors fail to purchase the Shares to be Transferred under the Notice of Share Transfer in accordance with the provisions in Article 9.2.1 and Article 9.2.2 (if applicable) and participate in the tag-along in accordance with Article 9.2.2, the Share Transferor may, within 120 days after the Company and the Investors receive the Notice of Share Transfer, complete the transfer of the Shares to be Transferred that the Investors do not purchase under the Notice of Share Transfer on terms and conditions substantially identical to those set out in the Notice of Share Transfer. In terms of any proposed transfer, (i) if the terms and conditions on which it is based are materially different from those set out in the Notice of Share Transfer, or (ii) if it fails to be completed at any time not later than the expiration of 120 days from the date of receipt of the Notice of Share Transfer (including the failure to obtain the necessary approvals and registrations in connection with the transfer), the transfer shall again be subject to the rights of first refusal for the share transfer and tag-along rights of the Investors set forth in Article 9.2.1 and Article 9.2.2 (if applicable) hereof, and the Share Transferor shall be required to comply with the procedures set out in Article 9.2.1 and Article 9.2.2 hereof.

 

34


9.2.4

Exempted Transfer

Notwithstanding any contrary provisions set forth herein, the rights of first refusal and tag-along rights enjoyed by the Investors shall not apply in the following circumstances:

 

  (1)

The employees’ shares transferred by the Founding Shareholders of the Company and the trustee appointed to hold shares on behalf of employees under employee incentive plan to the officers and other employees of the Company, consultants or persons who shall be entitled to obtain the incentive shares under the employee incentive plans as approved by the Board of Directors;

 

  (2)

Any share transfer in accordance with the drag-along rights as set forth in Article 9.2.6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The transfer of all shares of the Company by the Actual Controller to its Affiliates, or by the Affiliates of the Actual Controller to the Actual Controller, according to the agreement between the Founding Shareholders and Investors.

 

  (4)

Domestic capital reduction and overseas capital increase or transfer for Restructuring.

 

9.2.5

Prohibited Transfer

 

  (1)

Except for the transfer stipulated in Article 9.2.4, without prior written consent of the Investors and the Board of Directors of the Company, any Original Shareholders shall not transfer, mortgage, pledge, guarantee all or any part of their shares in the Company or otherwise impose any third party rights or debt burdens on such shares. Even with the prior written consent of the Investors and the Board of Directors, no Original Shareholder shall, in violation of the provisions of Article 9.2, transfer any shares in the Company it holds currently to any other Persons.

 

  (2)

If any Party transfers any shares it holds in the Company in violation of the provisions as set forth in Article 9.2 hereof, such transfer shall be invalid. Without the unanimous prior written consent of all Directors, the Company shall not assist in such transfer, nor shall it treat any so-called transferees as the holders of such shares in the Company.

 

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9.2.6

Drag-along Right

If the Investors and the potential purchasers (“Purchasers”) reach an agreement on the transfer of all or part shares in the Company, the overall valuation of the Company on which the acquisition made by such Purchasers is based is not less than US$ 600 million, and (i) the Series A Investors who jointly hold more than 50% (including the number) of the total shares of the Company held by Series A Investors agree; (ii) Series B Investors agree, (iii) the Series C-1 Investors who jointly hold more than 80% (including the number) of the total shares of the Company held by Series C-1 Investors agree, and (iv) the Series C-2 Investors who jointly hold more than 80% (including the number) of the total shares of the Company held by Series C-2 Investors agree, and (v) the Series D Investors who jointly hold more than 80% (including the number) of the total shares of the Company held by Series D Investors agree, to sell all or part of the shares in the Company to the potential Purchasers, under the premise of ensuring that all the shares that the Investors intend to sell is sold to the potential Purchasers, the Investors may require other Shareholders to sell all or part of the shares in the Company to the Purchasers on terms and conditions substantially identical to those of the Investors. Such transfer of other Shareholders’ own shares shall be in accordance with their respective shareholding ratio in the Company at that time.

 

9.2.7

Share Transfer of the Investors

 

  (1)

Notwithstanding any contrary provisions hereof, if the Investors transfer the shares they hold in the Company to their Affiliates, other Shareholders of the Company shall then agree to the transfer and shall waive their rights of first refusal in respect of the transferred shares (if applicable). Meanwhile, if the Company, other Shareholders and their appointed directors are required to sign, provide relevant documents or take other actions in accordance with Applicable Laws or the requirements of the relevant government authorities, the other Shareholders shall cooperate and shall cause the Company and its appointed directors to cooperate with such actions.

 

  (2)

Notwithstanding any contrary provisions hereof, if the Investors transfer any share they hold in the Company to any non-competitive third party of the Company (the “Competitive Third Party” of the Company refers to Daojia, Ele.me, Dianwoba, Linghaoxian, Life Radius, Yitao Shi, DADA Express, Renren Express, Shansong Express, Fengxiansheng or their Affiliates; the “Non-Competitive Third Party” of the Company refers to any party other than the said Competitive Third Party, but the Non-Competitive Third Party of the Company do not include the Competitors of Baidu (as defined below)), then other Shareholders shall, under the same conditions, have rights of first refusal to the Shares to be Transferred, provided that the exercise of such rights of first refusal shall be premised on the purchase of all the Shares to be Transferred by other Shareholders individually or jointly. If other Shareholders waive such rights of first refusal, the Company, other Shareholders and their appointed directors shall cooperate with such share transfer, including but not limited to signing, providing relevant documents or taking other actions.

 

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  (3)

Notwithstanding any contrary provisions hereof, if any Investor (including Series A Investor, Series B Investor, Series C-1 Investor, Series C-2 Investor and Series D Investor) intends to transfer the shares it holds in the Company to any Competitive Third Party of the Company, then other Investors (excluding the Investor as a transferor), as the Shareholders of the Company, shall enjoy the priority over other Shareholders of the Company to receive all or part of the shares to be transferred on the same conditions. If more than one Investor claims to exercise the rights of first refusal herein, the share of the Shares to be Transferred that each Investor may preempt shall be calculated in proportion to the total share capital of the Company it then holds divided by the aggregate share capital of the Company owned by all the Investors who claim to exercise the rights of first refusal referred to herein. If the Investors waive or fail to fully purchase such Shares to be Transferred, the Actual Controller or its Affiliates shall be entitled to purchase all or part of the remaining Shares to be Transferred on same conditions.

 

9.2.8

Special Commitments

 

  (1)

The Group Companies and the Shareholders (including Series A Investors, Series C-1 Investors, Series C-2 Investors and Series D Investors) agree, In the event that Baidu or its Affiliates hold any shares of the Group Companies, if the Group Companies and any of its Shareholders (including Series A Investors, Series C-1 Investors, Series C-2 Investors and Series D Investors) intend to transfer any shares or share interest in the Group Companies to the Competitors of Baidu, or the Group Companies intend to accept any form of investment from its competitors, Baidu or its Affiliates shall be entitled to preempt, on equal conditions, of all or part of the shares or share interest to be transferred, or Baidu shall be entitled to have preemptive rights to invest in the Group Companies (to subscribe for all or part of the new share capital of the Company) on equal conditions. “Competitors of Baidu” hereunder refers to Qihoo 360, Alibaba, Tecent, Dianping, Meituan, Ele.me, Daojia and their Affiliates.

 

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  (2)

After Qualified IPO, if the proceeds from the disposal of all shares of Series D Investors and Series C-2 Investors in the Company in the secondary market are less than the amount calculated based on the following formula, the Group Companies or the Actual Controller and the Founding Shareholders shall jointly and severally compensate the relevant difference to Series D Investors and Series C-2 Investors:

Investment Amount of the Investors × (1+ annual interest of 8% × Investment Period)

In the above formula, the investment amount and investment period of the Investors shall be calculated based on the corresponding investment amount and investment period of each Investor provided in Article 9.3. For the avoidance of doubt, the investment period shall be calculated to the date when the Investors dispose of all the shares held by the Company and obtain the corresponding income.

 

9.2.9

Obligations of the Parties

With respect to any share transfer in accordance with Article 9.2 hereof, the Parties agree to make their best efforts to complete all legal procedures required for such transfer, including but not limited to the execution of the share purchase agreement and other relevant contracts, urging its appointed directors to vote for approval of such share transfer in relevant resolutions of Board of Director, conducting asset evaluation (if necessary), and registering with relevant government departments within the time limit specified herein.

 

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9.3

Share Repurchase Procedures and Share Capital Decrease

 

9.3.1

After the closing date of the shares of the Company acquired by the Investors (i.e., the date on which the Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A), under any of the following (1) to (5) circumstances (the “Repurchase Event”), any Investor, without violating any laws and regulations, is entitled (but not obliged) to require the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller to redeem the shares in the Company held by such Investor. The Investors shall be entitled to immediately request for the repurchase after knowing any of the following situations, and the Group Companies, the Actual Controller and the Original Shareholders shall cooperate in the execution:

 

  (1)

The Company fails to complete the Qualified IPO before December 31, 2020;

 

  (2)

The directors of the Company nominated or appointed by the Investors propose to conduct the initial public offering and all the quantitative indicators of the Company have met the requirements of Qualified IPO (subject to the certificate issued by an independent accounting firm), but the directors appointed by the Founding Shareholders vote against the initial public offering on the meetings of Board of Directors;

 

  (3)

The control of the Company changes without the consent of the Investors;

 

  (4)

The Group Companies and the Founding Shareholders are subject to or may be subject to any administrative or criminal punishment for violating laws and regulations, so that the purpose of Qualified IPO the Company cannot be realized or the Investors suffer significant Losses; or

 

  (5)

The Group Companies, the Actual Controller and the Founding Shareholders have materially violated all the agreements (including Appendices and subsidiary documents) signed with the Investors and/or the Articles of Association and caused significant Losses to the interests of the Investors.

 

9.3.2

The Founding Shareholders and the Actual Controller undertake, as soon as an Investor gives notice (“Repurchase Notice”) to the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller requesting them to purchase all shares in the Company (“Repurchased Shares”) at the following share repurchase price, they shall immediately notify other Investors upon receipt of such notice, and, within ninety (90) days, purchase the Repurchased Shares at the repurchase price set forth in Article 9.3.3 to Article 9.3.8 below and make one-time full payment of the purchase price of the shares;

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties agree, except where the repurchase is caused by Article 9.3.1 (2), (3), (4) and (5) hereof, the share repurchase price payable by the Founding Shareholders shall be the net asset value of the Group Companies held by the Founding Shareholders or the fair market value of equity interests held by the Founding Shareholders of the Company at that time, whichever is higher. The Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller hereby undertake that the provision of this paragraph constitutes an irrevocable undertaking to be legally binding and enforceable, and hereby waive all defenses against its legally binding or enforceable force (unless it is then mandatory by law).

 

9.3.3

Notwithstanding any provision in Article 9.3.2 above, the Parties agree:

 

  (1)

Series D Investors shall be entitled to request the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller to repurchase all or part of the shares held by then Series D Investors in the Company;

 

  (2)

If there are remaining assets after the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller fully repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series D Investors in the Company at that time, Series C-2 Investors shall be entitled to require the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller to preemptively repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series C-2 Investors in the Company at that time;

 

  (3)

If there are remaining assets after the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller fully repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series C-2 Investors in the Company at that time, Series C-1 Investors shall be entitled to require the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller to preemptively repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series C-1 Investors in the Company at that time;

 

  (4)

If there are remaining assets after the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller fully repurchase all or part of the shares in the Company held by Series C-1 Investors at that time, Series B Investors shall be entitled to require the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller to preemptively repurchase all or part of the shares in the Company held by Series B Investors at that time;

 

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  (5)

If there are remaining assets after the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller fully repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series B Investors in the Company at that time, such assets shall be used to repurchase all or part of the shares held by Series A Investors in the Company at that time.

 

9.3.4

Series D share repurchase price shall be calculated as follows:

Series D share repurchase price = investment amount of Series D Investors × (1+ annual interest rate of 10% × series D investment period) + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series D Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In the said formula:

 

  (1)

Investment amount of Series D Investors: shall include all capital increase amounts actually paid by Series D Investors to VIE in accordance with Series D Investment Agreement.

 

  (2)

For Zhongnan Capital SPV, the investment amount of Series D Investors refer to all VIE share transfer price paid by it to Chengdu Softbank Tiantou Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and Guiyang High-tech Softbank Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership) , i.e., RMB14,659,687. For CDIB SPV, the investment amount of Series D Investors refer to all VIE share transfer price paid by it to Chengdu Softbank Tiantou Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and Guiyang High-tech Softbank Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB19,591,813.

 

  (3)

Annual interest rate of 10%: shall be calculated at simple interest from the Closing Date (the date on which Series D Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which Series D Investors receive all share repurchase price;

 

  (4)

Series D investment period: the period/360 days between the Closing Date (the date on which Series D Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date of the shares repurchase;

 

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  (5)

payable but unpaid dividends: refer to all outstanding dividends declared but not paid by the Company to Series D Investors from the date on which the VIE shares are held by Series D Investors (the date on which Series D Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which the Company has fully paid the share repurchase price;

The said share repurchase price shall be adjusted in accordance with the dividends, share splitting, share allotment, capital increase and decrease of the Company.

 

9.3.5

Series C-2 share repurchase price shall be calculated as follows:

Series C-2 share repurchase price = investment amount of Series C-2 Investors × (1+ annual interest rate of 10% × series C-2 investment period) + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-2 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In the said formula:

 

  (1)

For Zhongnan Capital SPV, the investment amount of Series C-2 Investors refer to all VIE share transfer price paid by it to Shanghai iStart Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB22,753,100. For CDIB SPV, the investment amount of Series C-2 Investors refer to all VIE share transfer price paid by it to Shanghai iStart Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB 30,408,187.

 

  (2)

Annual interest rate of 10%: shall be calculated at simple interest from the Closing Date (the date on which Series C-2 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which Series C-2 Investors receive all share repurchase price;

 

  (3)

Series C-2 investment period: the period/360 days between the Closing Date (the date on which Series C-2 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date of the share repurchase;

 

  (4)

payable but unpaid dividends: refer to all outstanding dividends declared but not paid by the Company to Series C-2 Investors from the date on which the VIE shares are held by Series C-2 Investors (the date on which Series C-2 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which the Company has fully paid the share repurchase price;

 

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The said share repurchase price shall be adjusted in accordance with the dividends, share splitting, share allotment, capital increase and decrease of the Company.

 

9.3.6

Series C-1 share repurchase price shall be calculated as follows:

Series C-1 share repurchase price = investment amount of Series C-1 Investors × (1+ annual interest rate of 10% × series C-1 investment period) + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-1 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In the said formula:

 

  (1)

Investment amount of Series C-1 Investors: shall include all capital increase amounts actually paid by Series C-1 Investors to VIE in accordance with Series C-1 Investment Agreement. For iStart SPV, series C-1 investment amount shall be RMB 7,750,000.

 

  (2)

Annual interest rate of 10%: shall be calculated at simple interest from the Closing Date (the date on which Series C-1 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which Series C-1 Investors receive all share repurchase price;

 

  (3)

Series C-1 investment period: the period/360 days between the Closing Date (the date on which Series C-1 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date of the share repurchase;

 

  (4)

payable but unpaid dividends: refer to all outstanding dividends declared but not paid by the Company to Series C-1 Investors from the date on which the VIE shares are held by Series C-1 Investors (the date on which Series C-1 Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which the Company has fully paid the share repurchase price;

The said share repurchase price shall be adjusted in accordance with the dividends, share splitting, share allotment, capital increase and decrease of the Company.

 

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9.3.7

Series B share repurchase price shall be calculated as follows:

Series B share repurchase price = investment amount of Series B Investors × (1+ annual interest rate of 10% × series C-1 investment period) + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series B Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In the said formula:

 

  (1)

Investment amount of Series B Investors: shall include all capital increase amounts actually paid by Series B Investors to VIE in accordance with Series B Investment Agreement, and the share transfer price paid by it for 19,956 VIE shares from Shanghai Leili Science Technology Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and LI Tongtong as agreed in series B investment agreement. For iStart SPV, series B investment amount shall be RMB1,266,000.

 

  (2)

Annual interest rate of 10%: shall be calculated at simple interest from the date on which Series B Investors actually pay the VIE share capital increase amounts and the share transfer price in accordance with series B investment documents (the date on which Series B Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which Series B Investors receive all share repurchase price;

 

  (3)

Series B investment period: the period/360 days between the date on which Series B Investors actually pay the VIE share capital increase amounts and the share transfer price in accordance with series B investment documents (the date on which Series B Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date of the share repurchase;

 

  (4)

payable but unpaid dividends: refer to all outstanding dividends declared but not paid by the Company to Series B Investors from the date on which the VIE shares are held by Series B Investors (the date on which Series B Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which the Company has fully paid the share repurchase price;

The said share repurchase price shall be adjusted in accordance with the dividends, share splitting, share allotment, capital increase and decrease of the Company.

 

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9.3.8

Series A share repurchase price shall be calculated as follows:

Series A share repurchase price = investment amount of Series A Investors × (1+annual interest rate of 10% × Series A investment period) + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series A Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In the said formula:

 

  (1)

Investment amount of Series A Investors: for iStart SPV, shall include all share capital increase amounts actually paid by iStart SPV to VIE. For iStart SPV, series A investment amount shall be the balance of capital cost after deducting the transfer price for the transfer of part of series A shares held by it to Series C-2 Investors, i.e., RMB1,758,776.94.

And for SBCVC SPV, it shall also include the share transfer price paid under the Series B investment agreement by SBCVC SPV for the 15% shares of the VIE held by Shanghai Guanhelanzheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. prior to Series B investment, i.e., RMB10,606,500;

 

  (2)

Annual Interest rate of 10%: shall be calculated at simple interest from the date on which Series A Investors actually pay share capital increase amounts and the share transfer price in accordance with series A investment documents (the date on which Series A Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which Series A Investors receive all share repurchase price; for the avoidance of doubt, the date on which SBCVC SPV, the Series A Investor, calculates interest shall be the date on which Shanghai Guanhelanzheng Investment Management Co., Ltd., actually pays the VIE share capital increase amounts;

 

  (3)

Series A investment period: the period/360 days between the date on which Series A Investors actually pay the VIE share capital increase amounts and the share transfer price in accordance with series A investment documents (the date on which Series A Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date of the shares repurchase;

 

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  (4)

payable but unpaid dividends: refer to all outstanding dividends (whether the distribution is announced or not) declared but not paid by the Company to Series A Investors from the date on which the VIE shares are held by Series A Investors (the date on which Series A Investors make investment as provided in Appendix A) to the date on which the Company has fully paid the share repurchase price;

The said share repurchase price shall be adjusted in accordance with the dividends, share splitting, share allotment, capital increase and decrease of the Company.

 

9.3.9

The Parties agree that, Fusi SPV, Series B Investors and/or Series A Investors are still entitled to respectively appoint one (1) director to the Company and Series C-2 Investors shall be entitled to jointly appoint one (1) observer to the Company, until all shares held by Series D Investors and/or Series C-2 Investors and/or Series C-1 Investors and/or Series B Investors and/or Series A Investors in the Company are repurchased and all share repurchase prices are fully paid.

 

9.3.10

The Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller shall, within the repurchase period (i.e., within two months after the Investors know the repurchase event, similarly hereinafter), repurchase the repurchased shares offered by the Investors and fully pay the repurchase amounts, or find any third party to purchase the repurchased shares offered by the Investors at a price not less than the repurchase price agreed herein.

 

9.3.11

Without violating relevant laws and regulations and conflicting with other provisions hereof, the Investors shall be entitled to choose:

 

  (1)

In the event of a repurchase situation as agreed herein, and the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller refuse to repurchase the shares, the Parties agree that, the Company shall, within thirty (30) days after the expiry of repurchase period, distribute the accumulated profits through the resolutions of the Board, and directly pay the Investors the amount equivalent to the repurchase price from the accumulated profits payable to each Founding Shareholder; or

 

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  (2)

If there is no accumulated profits or although the Investors have taken the above measures, the accumulated profit distribution amount is not enough to realize all the rights and interests of the Investors in the repurchase situation, the Board of Directors of the Company shall, within thirty (30) days after the expiry of the repurchase period, redeem the purchased shares requested by the Investors by a resolution to reduce the share capital of the Company, until the Investors receive in full the repurchase amount calculated based on the formula provided in Article 9.3.4 to Article 9.3.8 above.

 

9.3.12

The Parties agree to make best efforts to complete all legal procedures required for the shares repurchase or capital reduction, if applicable, under Article 9.3, including but not limited to the preparation and execution of any relevant contracts (unless otherwise agreed by the Parties, the contents shall be the same as the terms and conditions provided in Article 9.3) and other written documents, the voting for the share transfer in relevant resolutions of Board of Directors, completing the registration of the relevant government departments, and other actions necessary for the completion of the shares repurchase or capital reduction under Article 9.3. The Company and each Founding Shareholders shall be jointly and severally liable to each other for the realization of all the interests agreed in Article 9.3 by the Investors.

 

9.3.13

The Parties agree, except in the event of any repurchase situation caused by Article 9.3.1 (2), (3), (4) and (5), the repurchase obligations of the Founding Shareholders shall be terminated, after the Founding Shareholders have used all its shares in the Company for the repurchase and further cooperated with the Parties to complete the procedures as provided in Article 9.3.11 (1) and (2).

 

9.3.14

The Parties agree, for the avoidance of doubt, the investment amount, investment period and investment price of each Investor under Article 9.3 shall be the same as those when such Investor and its Affiliates invest in VIE. When calculating the exchange rate, the currency shall be the original currency used for the investment at that time.

 

9.4

Priority Rights Arrangement of the Investors in Restructuring

The Parties understand that, during or after a Restructuring to achieve a Qualified IPO, the Investors may be required by the Company or government authorities to modify or waive some of the priority rights granted herein. In each case, subject to Applicable Laws and without affecting the listing plan of the Company, the Parties shall make best efforts to adopt various legitimate arrangements, including but not limited to special commitments or agreements between the Shareholders at that time, to ensure that the Investors continue to enjoy the said priority rights. Through friendly consultation between the Investors and the Original Shareholders, the Original Shareholders shall enter into and maintain relevant document arrangements among Shareholders concerning the priority rights of the said Investors, and take other actions that may be legally and reasonably required by the Investors. However, if the Company withdraws the application for any reason after the filing of the listing application or its listing application is rejected, or the Company fails to complete the Qualified IPO within eighteen (18) months or other period recognized by the Investors after the submission of the listing application materials, the priority rights of the Investors shall be automatically restored to the arrangement hereof.

 

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9.5

Arrangements for Listing of Overseas Group Companies

If other Group Companies will be used as the listed company to apply for listing due to business needs of the Group, the Founding Shareholders shall make best business efforts to ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by the laws, regulations and regulatory regulations of the place where the proposed listing is to be conducted and the place where the listed company located, that the rights of Investors in the Company are reflected in the overseas listed company as far as possible, and that the rights of Investors in the overseas listed company are not less than the shareholders’ rights they enjoy hereunder.

 

9.6

Share Conversion Rights

 

9.6.1

Each Investor holding the Preferred Shares shall, after the issuance date of such Preferred Shares, convert such Preferred Shares into the corresponding number of fully paid Ordinary Shares in proportion to the corresponding subscription price of the relevant Preferred Shares divided by the conversion price of the Preferred Shares (the “Share Conversion Price”). The subscription price for each preferred share shall be the same as the investment amount paid by the Investors for the investment as set out in Article 9.3. The initial Share Conversion Price shall be equal to the subscription price of the relevant Preferred Shares. For the avoidance of doubt, the initial conversion ratio of Preferred Shares to Ordinary Shares shall be 1:1.

 

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9.6.2

The Investors holding the Preferred Shares hereby agree, notwithstanding any provision in Article 9.6.1, each preferred share shall be automatically converted into ordinary share at the then applicable Share Conversion Price upon completion of the Qualified IPO. For the avoidance of doubt, the Share Conversion Price then applicable is the initial Share Conversion Price under Article 9.6.1, or, if applicable, the Share Conversion Price adjusted under Article 9.6.4.

 

9.6.3

The Investors holding the Preferred Shares hereby agree, if the Ordinary Shares are further converted into Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares (i.e., Ordinary Shares with special voting rights), the Ordinary Shares convertible by the Preferred Shares under this Article shall only include Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

9.6.4

The Parties agree that the Share Conversion Price under Article 9.6.1 shall be adjusted accordingly under the following circumstances:

 

  (1)

If the Company conducts a reverse stock split, stock split, stock dividend or other similar transactions with respect to the entire remaining share capital, the Share Conversion Price shall be automatically adjusted in the same proportion so that the adjusted share ratio of each Shareholder shall be the same as that before the completion of the transaction.

 

  (2)

If the Company increases the issued share capital and the circumstances set forth in Article 9.1 occur, the Share Conversion Price shall be automatically adjusted accordingly so that the adjusted share ratio of the Investors shall be in line with the adjusted share ratio as provided in Article 9.1;

 

  (3)

In any case, the Share Conversion Price shall not be lower than the par value per share of the Company.

 

9.7

Dual-class Share Structure after Qualified IPO

If the Company intends to adopt dual-class share structure upon Qualified IPO, each Shareholder and its appointed Directors agree to cooperate with the approval of the following arrangements of the Company: (1) immediately prior to the Qualified IPO, the share capital of the Company shall be changed to Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares, and Class A Ordinary Shares shall enjoy the same rights and obligations as Class B Ordinary Shares except voting and conversion rights. Each Class B ordinary share shall have 15 votes and each Class A ordinary share shall have 1 vote. Meanwhile, Class A Ordinary Shares shall not be converted into Class B Ordinary Shares while Class B Ordinary Shares may be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares at any time; (2) Any change in the number of voting rights expected to be represented by each Class B Ordinary Shares prior to the Qualified IPO and in accordance with the provisions of Article 9.7 (1) shall be determined by the Board of Directors prior to the Qualified IPO; and (3) Upon and immediately after the Qualified IPO, all shares of the Actual Controller Leslie Yu SPV shall be converted into Class B Ordinary Shares at the ratio of 1:1 and all shares of other Shareholders of the Company will be converted into Class A Ordinary Shares at the ratio of 1:1.

 

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Article 10 Representation, Warranties and Obligations of the Parties

 

10.1

Representations and Warranties of the Parties

 

10.1.1

Each Party hereby represents and warrants to the other Parties that: (i) it has the full capacity and power to sign this Agreement and perform its obligations hereunder; (ii) it or its authorized representative has signed in this Agreement, which shall be binding upon such Party; (iii) from the effective date hereof, the provisions hereof shall become its statutory, effective and binding obligations.

 

10.1.2

Each Party shall indemnify the other Parties against any direct and foreseeable Loss, damage, expense or liability arising out of its breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

 

10.1.3

Each Investor undertakes, without affecting its own rights and interests, to make all reasonable efforts to cooperate with the future listing or other capital operation plans of the Company, including but not limited to providing relevant documents and materials for the Restructuring, signing relevant agreements and resolutions on schedule, etc.

 

10.2

Compliance with Laws

The Parties shall comply with Applicable Laws and regulations.

 

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Article 11 Liquidation

 

11.1

Dissolution of the Company

Under any of the following circumstances, any Shareholder may request from the Board of Directors a resolution of dissolution of the Company. If the Board of Directors passes the resolution, each Shareholder shall take all actions and sign all documents necessary for the lawful dissolution, liquidation and cancellation of the Company

 

  (1)

Each Shareholder agrees in writing;

 

  (2)

The Company needs to be dissolved due to merger or division;

 

  (3)

The Company shall go into liquidation due to bankruptcy, dissolution, closure of business, revocation of business license, etc.

 

11.2

Liquidation

 

11.2.1

When the Company is liquidated, dissolved or wound up, it shall be liquidated in accordance with the then Applicable Laws and this Agreement. In the case of voluntary liquidation, the Board of Directors shall establish a liquidation committee to liquidate the assets of the Company. The number of members of the liquidation committee shall be the same as that of the Board of Directors, and the distribution of the right of each party to appoint members of the liquidation committee shall correspond to that of appointing directors as provided in Article 3.2.1 hereof (including relevant provisions of the Articles of Association (and any amendments thereto)).

 

11.2.2

In formulating and implementing the liquidation plan, the liquidation committee shall strive to obtain the highest price for the assets of the Company. Priority should be given to the public auction of the assets in the Company to domestic and foreign purchasers at a reasonable market price.

 

11.2.3

Preferential Liquidation Rights

The Parties agree, in the event of any dissolution or liquidation of the Company for any reason, after the liquidation committee has paid all the lawful debts of the Company (including the said liquidation expenses) and other statutory taxes and fees in accordance with the then applicable Articles of Association, the remaining assets of the Company (if any) shall be distributed among the Parties in accordance with the provisions hereof.

 

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11.2.4

Preferential Distribution Rights of Investors

 

  (1)

Preferential Distribution Rights of Series D Investors

Series D Investors shall be entitled to receive the asset distribution from all remaining assets of the Company prior to any other Shareholders in accordance with the following formula. Each Series D Investor shall be entitled to receive such asset distribution in no particular order in accordance with the relative share proportion of each Series D Investor in the share capital of the Company at that time. If the remaining assets of the Company include both cash and other forms of assets, the cash assets and the cash obtained after the realization of other forms of assets shall be first distributed to series D investment.

The amount of preferential liquidation rights of Series D Investors=all actual capital contributions made by Series D Investors under Series D Investment Agreement + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series D Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In which:

 

  a)

all actual capital contributions made by Series D Investors under Series D Investment Agreement include but are not limited to the total capital contribution amount actually paid to the VIE by Series D Investors under series D investment. For Zhongnan Capital (中南资本)SPV, the investment amount refers to all share transfer price paid by Zhongnan Capital SPV to Chengdu Softbank Tiantou Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and Guiyang High-tech Softbank Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB 14,659,687. For CDIB SPV, the investment amount refers to all share transfer price paid by CDIB SPV to Chengdu Softbank Tiantou Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and Guiyang High-tech Softbank Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB 19,591,813.

 

  b)

payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series D Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company refers to the profit distribution plan and dividend related to the shares in the Company held by Series D Investors that have been announced but have not been paid up to the date when Series D Investors receive all the assets of such preferential distribution.

 

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  (2)

Preferential Distribution Rights of Series C-2 Investors

If there are remaining legally distributable assets after the Company makes preferential distribution to Series D Investors, Series C-2 Investors shall be entitled to receive the asset distribution from the remaining assets of the Company prior to any other Shareholders in accordance with the following formula. Each Series C-2 Investor shall be entitled to receive such asset distribution in no particular order in accordance with the relative share proportion of each Series C-2 Investor in the share capital of the Company at that time.

The amount of preferential liquidation rights of Series C-2 Investors = all actual capital contributions made by Series C-2 Investors+ payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-2 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In which:

 

  a)

All actual capital contributions made by Series C-2 Investors include but are not limited to the total capital contribution amount actually paid to the VIE by Series C-2 Investors. The actual capital contribution amount of Zhongnan Capital SPV shall be all share transfer price paid to Shanghai iStart Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB22,753,100. The actual capital contribution amount of CDIB SPV shall be all share transfer prices paid to Shanghai iStart Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), i.e., RMB 30,408,187.

 

  b)

Payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-2 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company refers to the profit distribution plan and dividend related to the shares in the Company held by Series C-2 Investors that have been announced but have not been paid up to the date when Series C-2 Investors receive all the assets of such preferential distribution.

 

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  (3)

Preferential Distribution Rights of Series C-1 Investors

If there are remaining legally distributable assets after the Company makes preferential distribution to Series C-2 Investors, Series C-1 Investors shall be entitled to receive the asset distribution from the remaining assets of the Company prior to any other Shareholders in accordance with the following formula. Each Series C-1 Investor shall be entitled to receive such asset distribution in no particular order in accordance with the relative share proportion of each Series C-1 Investor in the share capital of the Company at that time.

The amount of preferential liquidation rights of Series C-1 Investors=all actual capital contributions (also including the amount of share transfer price, if any) made by Series C-1 Investors + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-1 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In which:

 

  a)

All actual capital contributions made by Series C-1 Investors under the Series C-1 Investment Agreement include but are not limited to the total capital contribution amount actually paid to the VIE by Series C-1 Investors. For iStart SPV, the series C-1 investment amount shall be RMB 7,750,000.

 

  b)

payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series C-1 Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company refers to the profit distribution plan and dividend related to the shares in the Company held by Series C-1 Investors that have been announced but have not been paid up to the date when Series C-1 Investors receive all the assets of such preferential distribution.

 

  (4)

Preferential Distribution Rights of Series B Investors

If there are remaining legally distributable assets after the Company makes preferential distribution to Series C-1 Investors, Series B Investors shall be entitled to receive the asset distribution from the remaining assets of the Company prior to any other Shareholders in accordance with the following formula.

 

54


The amount of preferential liquidation rights of Series B Investors=all actual capital contributions (also including the amount of share transfer price) made by Series B Investors + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series B Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

In which:

 

  a)

All actual capital contributions made by Series B Investors under series B investment agreement include but are not limited to the total capital contribution amount actually paid to the VIE by Series B Investors, and the share transfer price of RMB174,300 paid by Series B Investors to Shanghai Leili Science Technology Venture Capital Center (Limited Partnership) and LI Tongtong in accordance with series B investment agreement. For iStart SPV, the Series B investment amount shall be RMB1,266,000.

 

  b)

Payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series B Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company refers to the profit distribution plan and dividend related to the shares in the Company held by Series B Investors that have been announced but have not been paid up to the date when Series B Investors receive all the assets of such preferential distribution.

 

  (5)

Preferential Distribution Rights of Series A Investors

If there are remaining legally distributable assets after the Company makes preferential distribution to Series B Investors, Series A Investors shall be entitled to receive the asset distribution from the remaining assets of the Company prior to any other Shareholders in accordance with the following formula. Each Series A Investor shall be entitled to receive such asset distribution in no particular order in accordance with the relative share proportion of each Series A Investor in the share capital of the Company at that time.

The amount of preferential liquidation rights of Series A Investors=all actual capital contributions made by Series A Investors + payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series A Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company

 

55


In which:

 

  a)

All actual capital contributions made by Series A Investors under series A investment agreement: for iStart SPV, it shall include the total share capital increase amount actually paid to the VIE by Series A Investors under series A investment. For iStart SPV, series A investment amount shall be the balance of capital cost after deducting the transfer price for the transfer of part of series A shares held by it to Series C-2 Investors, i.e., RMB 1,758,776.94.

And for SBCVC SPV, it shall also include the share transfer price paid under the Series B investment agreement by SBCVC SPV for the 15% shares of the VIE held by Shanghai Guanhelanzheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. prior to series B investment, i.e., RMB 10,606,500.

 

  b)

Payable but unpaid dividends enjoyed by Series A Investors during their ownership of the shares in the Company refers to the profit distribution plan and dividend related to the shares in the Company held by Series A Investors that have been announced but have not been paid up to the date when Series A Investors receive all the assets of such preferential distribution.

 

11.2.5

For the avoidance of doubt, if the Company cannot directly distribute the liquidation amount to each Shareholder in accordance with the above agreement due to relevant legal provisions, the overdrawn Shareholders shall, upon receipt of the liquidation amount, immediately compensate other short-drawn Shareholders in accordance with the above provisions. The Parties shall make its best efforts to carry out liquidation in the manner agreed above. The remaining legally distributable assets of the Company after the distribution in accordance with Article 11.2.4 shall be distributed in no particular order among all Shareholders (including the Investors) in accordance with the share proportion of all Shareholders in the share capital.

 

56


11.2.6

Insufficient Assets of the Company

If the Company has insufficient assets to be distributed to the Investors as provided in Article 11.2.4, all remaining assets of the Company shall be first distributed to the Investors, especially Series D Investors. After Series D Investors receive the preferential distribution under Article 11.2.4, the remaining assets shall be first distributed to Series C-2 Investors; after Series C-2 Investors receive the preferential distribution under Article 11.2.4, the remaining assets shall be first distributed to Series C-1 Investors; after Series C-1 Investors receive the preferential distribution under Article 11.2.4, the remaining assets shall be first distributed to Series B Investors; after Series B Investors receive the preferential distribution under Article 11.2.4, the remaining assets shall be first distributed to Series A Investors.

 

11.2.7

Deemed Liquidation

If any of the Group Companies is merged or acquired by another company, and the Shareholders of the sold or merged Company before the transaction have no controlling position in the new company or the surviving company, any sale of the assets or the exclusive right to the principal intangible assets of the Group Companies, in whole or in part, shall be deemed to be a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, thereby applying the asset distribution sequence as set forth in Article 11. In case of liquidation in this Article, all Investors shall distribute assets in accordance with Article 11. If the property available to Series D Investors as set forth in Article 11 hereof is less than the actual capital contribution of Series D Investors (the distribution amount as set forth in Article 11.2.4 (1)(a)), the Founding Shareholders and/or the Actual Controller shall repurchase all the shares held by Series D Investors in accordance with this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, Restructuring and related arrangements for the Qualified IPO of the Company shall not be deemed as liquidation

Article 12    Amendment

 

12.1

Amendment

Any amendment hereto shall come into force only by a separate written agreement signed by the Parties.

 

57


Article 13    Liabilities for Breach of Contract

 

13.1

Event of Breach

Each Party shall strictly abide by the provisions hereof. Each of the following events shall constitute the event of breach:

 

  (1)

Any Party fails to perform its substantive obligations or commitments hereunder, thus the other Parties fail to achieve the purpose hereof;

 

  (2)

Any representations or warranties made by any Party herein is not true, accurate or complete in any material respect.

 

13.2

Remedies for Breach

If either Party breaches this Agreement, the breaching party shall be responsible for compensating the non-breaching party for the Losses caused by its breach, so as to restore the non-breaching party to the state as if the event of breach does not occur.

 

13.3

Joint and Several Indemnities

Notwithstanding any contrary provisions hereof, the Parties agree that each Founding Shareholder shall be jointly and severally liable for any breach by any other Founding Shareholders.

Article 14    Force Majeure

In case of any force majeure event, including but not limited to earthquakes, typhoons, floods, fires, explosions, acts of god, acts of civil or military authorities, labor disputes, riots, wars, financial storms, SARS, influenza (H1N1) or other unforeseeable events beyond the effective control of any Party, or changes in relevant laws, regulations, rules or policies, which prevent any Party from fulfilling its obligations hereunder, the affected party shall immediately notify the other Parties and shall, within fifteen (15) days after such notice, provide detailed information about such event and notarized documents certifying such event (if applicable) issued by the notary office, explaining the reasons for the failure or delay in performing all or part of its obligations hereunder.

Article 15    Governing Laws

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance and dispute settlement hereof shall be governed by the laws of Hong Kong, excluding any conflict of rules in such laws of Hong Kong. If any change in the laws of Hong Kong which has a Material Adverse Effect on any Party, the Parties shall amend this Agreement in good faith while maintaining the original economic interests of the Parties.

 

58


Article 16     Dispute Settlement

 

16.1

In case of any dispute or claim arising out of this Agreement between the Parties, the Parties shall make all reasonable efforts to settle it through friendly negotiation.

 

16.2

If the Parties fail to reach a solution to the dispute or claim through friendly negotiation within 30 days, such dispute or claim shall be submitted to the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center for final settlement by arbitration in accordance with its then applicable arbitration rules. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon the Parties.

 

16.3

During the occurrence of the dispute and the settlement of the arbitration, the Parties shall continue to exercise in good faith their respective unaffected rights and obligations hereunder, except for the matters causing the dispute.

Article 17    Miscellaneous

 

17.1

Definitions

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms in bold shall have the following meanings:

 

“Series A Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Series A Preferred Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1
“Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (10)
“Expiration Notice of the Series A Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (11)

 

59


“BVI Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Series B Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Series B Preferred Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1
“Series B Pre-emptive Right Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (5)
“Series B Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (5)
“Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (8)
“Expiration Notice of the Series B Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (9)
“Series C-1 Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Series C-1 Preferred Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1
“Series C-1 Pre-emptive Rights Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (4)
“Series C-1 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (4)
“Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (6)
“Expiration Notice of the Series C-1 Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (7)

 

60


“Series C-2 Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Series C-2 Preferred Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1
“Series C-2 Pre-emptive Rights Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (3)
“Series C-2 Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (3)
“Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (4)
“Expiration Notice of Series C-2 Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (5)
“Series D Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix I
“Series D Preferred Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1
“Series D Pre-emptive Rights Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (2)
“Series D Increased Share Capital Subject to Pre-emptive Rights”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (2)
“Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (2)
“Expiration Notice of the Series D Share Transfer Preferential Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (3)
“HK Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface

 

61


“VIE”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“WFOE”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Competitors of Baidu”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.8
“Preferential Price of Baidu”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (8)
“Agreement”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Founding Individual Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Founding Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Founding Entity Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Board of Directors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 3.1.1
“Headcount of the Board of Directors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 3.2.1
“Chairman”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 3.3.1
“Non-Competitive Third Party”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.7 (2)
“Number of Shares to be Tagged-along   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.2 (1)
“Period of Tag-along Right”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.2 (1)
“Tag-along Notice”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.2 (1)
“Tag-along Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (14)
“Purchaser”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.6

 

62


“Shareholder” and “Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface respectively
“Notice of Share Transfer”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (1)
“Affiliate”   Refers to the Person who controls or jointly controls the other parties together with others, or has material effect to the other parties, or two or more persons who are controlled by one Party, or jointly controlled by one party, or materially affected by such party. Control refers to the right to determine the financial and business policies of an enterprise and to obtain benefits from the business activities of the enterprise. Material effect refers to the right to participate in the decision-making of the financial and business policies of the Company. In terms of the Investors, the Affiliate shall include the former and present partners of its shareholders, its wholly owned subsidiaries and the parent company that owns all of its shares, its former and present shareholders, and other funds related to its shareholders etc.
“Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Articles of Association of the Company”   Refers to the Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association of QUHUO LIMITED as approved and adopted by the Shareholders on August 23, 2019.

 

63


“Qualified IPO”   The Company and the proposed listed company after restructuring, registers and publicly issues ordinary shares (or American depositary shares representing such shares) in accordance with the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended from time to time), and the market value of the proposed listed company upon completion of public offering shall be no less than US$250 million, or publicly issues ordinary shares in Hong Kong or other jurisdiction, resulting in public transaction of ordinary shares (or the American depositary shares representing such shares) on a recognized international stock exchange. Provided, however, that such offering is reasonably equivalent, in terms of the market value at the time of listing and regulatory approval, to such U.S. public offering or such other offering as may be mutually agreed in writing by the Investors and the Founding Shareholders.
“Subsequent Financing”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.2 (8)
“Group Companies”   Refers to the Company, BVI Company, HK Company, WFOE, VIE and each of the subsidiaries of any of the above companies, as well as any person (other than a natural person) directly or indirectly controlled by any of the above entities, including but not limited to any joint venture company in which any of the above companies holds more than 50% of the voting rights.
“Competitive Third Party”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.7 (2)
“Valuation of the two Business Categories”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (8)
“Shares to be Tagged-along ”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.2 (1)
“Shares to be Transferred”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (1)
“Share Transferor”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.2.1 (1)
“Notice of Share Capital Increase”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (1)
“Share Capital to be Increased”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (1)
“ Leslie Yu SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A

 

64


“Shuyi Yang SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Zhen Ba SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“ESOP SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“LI Tongtong SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“iStart SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“SBCVC SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Baidu SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“ClearVue SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“CDIB SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Zhongnan Capital SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Fusi SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Gongqingchengerhong SPV”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Delta Electronics Capital Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Appendix A
“Ordinary Shares”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1.
“Share Capital”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 2.1.1.
“Person”   shall be interpreted as broadly as possible and shall include individuals, partnerships (including limited partnerships), companies, joint ventures, limited liability companies, trusts, joint venture (including Sino-foreign joint ventures and Sino-foreign cooperative ventures), non-corporate organizations and Government Authorities.

 

65


“Applicable Laws”   For any Person, refers to any constitution, treaty, enactment law, law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, common law rule, order, decree, injunction, governmental ratification, approval, grant, concession, license, consent, instruction, demand, any other restriction of any Governmental Authority or any similar form of decree or decision made by it or any requirement relating to the interpretation and application of any of the foregoing which is applicable to that Person or any of its property or business, whether in force on or after the date of adoption of this Agreement and any amendment or renewal from time to time.
“Litigation”   Refers to any litigation, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation.
“Loss”   Refers to all direct or indirect losses, liabilities, damages, deficiencies, derogation, Litigation, liabilities, interests, interests, penalties, costs, relevant costs and expenses arising from judgments or settlements of any nature or kind, including but not limited to reasonable attorney fees and expenses of any kind or nature, costs of litigation, settlement and investigation, whether in law or in equity law, known or unknown, foreseeable or unforeseeable.
“Series Angel Investor”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Investors”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Investors’ Second Pre-emptive Rights Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (7)
“Investor Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 3.2.1
“Notice of Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (7)

 

66


“Investors’ Pre-emptive Rights Period”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.1.3 (7)
“Hong Kong”   Refers to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
“Business Days”   Refers to any day on which Banks in China, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and the British BVI Islands are normally open (except Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in China, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and the British BVI Islands).
“Original Shareholders”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Government Authority”   Refers to any government or its political branch, whether at the central, provincial, municipal or local level or of an executive, legislative or judicial nature, including any representative office, authority, council, bureau, commission, court, department or other organs.
“China”   Refers to the People’s Republic of China, for the purpose of this Agreement only, it excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
“Material Adverse Effect”   Refers to a Material Adverse Effect on the condition (financial or otherwise) of a particular person, the related assets, the results or prospects of operations, or business (current or planned).
“Subsidiary”   Refers to a subsidiary in which the Company directly or indirectly owns fifty percent (50%) or more of its shares; “Subsidiaries” refers to all Subsidiaries collectively.
“BVI Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“HK Company”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“VIE”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface

 

67


“WFOE”   shall have the meaning set forth in Preface
“Preferred Shares”   Refers to Series A Preferred Shares, Series B Preferred Shares, Series C-1 Preferred Shares, Series C-2 Preferred Shares and Series D Preferred Shares collectively.
“Share Transfer Price”   shall have the meaning set forth in Article 9.6.1 hereof

For the avoidance of doubt, each series of investment agreement referred to in Article 9 and Article 11 hereof is the investment agreement executed by each Investor or its affiliates prior to the restructuring when investing in VIE under each series of financing.

 

17.2

Notice

Notice or other communication between the Shareholders (“Notice”) shall be in writing (including personal service, e-mail, post and fax) and sent to the notified person at the following mailing address or mailing number with the name of the contact person. Each notice shall also be sent by e-mail.

The Founding Shareholders, the Group Companies and ESOP SPV

Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: YU Leslie

E-mail: [REDACTED]

LI Tongtong SPV Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: LI Tongtong

E-mail: [REDACTED]

iStart SPV

Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: ZHAO Chenxi

E-mail: [REDACTED]

 

68


SBCVC SPV Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: ZHAO Chenxi

E-mail: [REDACTED]

Baidu SPV

Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: LI Xinchao

E-mail: [REDACTED]

ClearVue SPV Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: Rachel Hu

E-mail: [REDACTED]

Fusi SPV and Gongqingchengerhong SPV

Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: CHANG Yung-Hung

E-mail: [REDACTED]

Delta Electronics Capital Company Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: Poly Hsieh

E-mail: [REDACTED]

Zhongnan Capital SPV Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: LI Renjie

E-mail: [REDACTED]

CDIB SPV Address: [REDACTED]

Authorized Contact Person: ZHENG Qianhua

E-mail: [REDACTED]

Any notice given or served pursuant to Article 17.2 hereof shall be deemed to have been served: (i) if delivered by courier or by hand, when delivered to the said address; (ii) if sent by fax or e-mail, when it is transmitted to the above fax number or e-mail address and a report of successful transmission is obtained.

 

69


17.3

Termination and Exemption of Special Rights

 

17.3.1

Article 3.1.1, 3.2, 3.3.1, 3.4.3, 3.5, 4.1.2, 4.3.2, 6.4, 9.1, 9.2 (including Article 9.2.8), 9.3, 9.6, 11.2.3, 11.2.4, 11.2.5, 11.2.6 and 11.2.7 hereof shall terminate immediately before the Qualified IPO. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Qualified IPO fails, the said provisions shall be automatically recovered upon the failure of Qualified IPO. In case of any conflict between the foregoing provisions and this Article, this Article shall prevail.

 

17.3.2

Each Shareholder understands that the Company, in order to complete the Qualified IPO, shall conduct a series of domestic and overseas Restructuring, including the share transfer between the Shareholders and their affiliates. The Shareholders agree and confirm the Restructuring and related arrangements. In connection with the restructuring and related matters, each Shareholder hereby expressly waives any special rights enjoyed by it (whether under this Agreement or the Articles of Association or any other agreements or contracts among shareholders), including but not limited to veto rights, rights of first refusal, tag-along rights, restriction on share transfer, repurchase rights, and waives any applicable notice period.

 

17.4

Entireness

Each Shareholder confirms that, this Agreement constitutes and covers all and complete agreements between each Shareholder and the Parties hereto regarding the rights and obligations of Shareholders and matters hereunder, and supersedes any prior (oral or written) agreements between the Parties hereto with respect to matters hereunder.

 

17.5

Priority

In case of any conflict between the Articles of Association of the Company and this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.

 

17.6

Severability

If any provision hereof is invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be interpreted to the extent practicable, so as to enable it to be executed and completed according to substantially the same provision as originally stated. If there is no viable interpretation that would preserve the provision, it shall be removed from the remaining provisions hereof, which shall remain in full force and effect, unless the stripped provisions are essential to the rights and interests intended by the Parties. In each case, the Parties shall make best efforts to negotiate in good faith a valid and enforceable alternative provision or agreement to achieve to the maximum extent the intent of the Parties when signing this Agreement.

 

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17.7

Languages

This Agreement shall be signed in Chinese.

 

17.8

Headings

The headings of each Article hereof are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret the contents hereof.

 

17.9

Effectiveness

This Agreement shall take effect from the Effective Date. In case of any conflict between any provision of this Agreement and the Investment Agreement signed by the Original Shareholder and/or the Investors or other documents related to the arrangement of Shareholders’ rights of the Company, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail.

 

17.10

Counterpart

This Agreement may be executed in separate copies by each Party. Each copy, when executed, shall be deemed as an original, and all of them together shall constitute one and the same document. Transmission of an executed copy by e-mail or fax shall be deemed as a legally effective way of transmission.

[The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank]

 

71


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

YU Leslie
Signature:  

/s/ YU Leslie

 

LESYU INVESTMENTS LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Leslie

Name:   YU Leslie
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

YANG Shuyi
Signature:  

/s/ YANG Shuyi

 

YGS INVESTMENT LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YANG Shuyi

Name:   YANG Shuyi
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

BA Zhen
Signature:  

/s/ BA Zhen

 

BZB INVESTMENT LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ BA Zhen

Name:   BA Zhen
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ LI Tongtong

Name:   LI Tongtong
Title:  

Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

QUHUO HOLDING (BVI) LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ CHEN You Rui

Name:   CHEN You Rui
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

iStart Venture Limited
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ CHA Li

Name:   CHA Li
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

SBCVC Fund IV, L.P.
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ CHAUNCEY SHEY

Name:   CHAUNCEY SHEY
Title:   Managing Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ CUI Shanshan

Name:   CUI Shanshan
Title:   Executive Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

ClearVue YummyExpress Holdings, Ltd.
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ Harry Chi Hui

Name:   Harry Chi Hui
Title:   Managing Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

FUSI IRVINE L.P.
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ ZHOU Lan

Name:   ZHOU Lan
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

Beijing ErQu Management Consultant LLP
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ ZHOU Lan

Name:   ZHOU Lan
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

Delta Electronics Capital Company
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ LIU Liangfu

Name:   LIU Liangfu
Title:   Chairman of the Board


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership)
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ ZOU Xusheng

Name:   ZOU Xusheng
Title:   Authorized Representative


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ LI Renjie

Name:   LI Renjie
Title:   Director


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been signed by the Parties on the date first written above.

 

QUHUO LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Leslie

Name: YU Leslie
Title: Director

 

QUHUO INVESTMENT LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Leslie

Name: YU Leslie
Title: Director  

 

QUHUO TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT (HONG KONG) LIMITED
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Leslie

Name: YU Leslie
Title: Director  


Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Yiyang

Name: Yu Yiyang
Title: Legal Representative

 

Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature of Authorized Representative:  

/s/ YU Leslie

Name: YU Leslie
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix A

1. Founding Entity Shareholders:

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered

Address

  

Class of

Shares

  

Number of Shares

LESYU INVESTMENTS LIMITED (“Leslie Yu SPV”)    Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands    Ordinary Shares    6,296,630
YGS INVESTMENT LIMITED (“Shuyi Yang SPV”)    Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands    Ordinary Shares    6,113,540
BZB INVESTMENT LIMITED (“Zhen Ba SPV”)    Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands    Ordinary Shares    2,363,030

2. Series Angel Investor

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of

Shares

  

Number of Shares

Wanquan Investment (BVI) Limited (“LI Tongtong SPV”)    Craigmuir Chambers, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands    Ordinary Shares    199,560

3. Series A Investors:

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of

Shares

   Number of Shares     

Investments Date1

iStart Venture Limited(“iStart SPV”)    UNIT 402, 4/F., FAIRMONT HOUSE, NO.8 COTTON TREE DRIVE,ADMIRALTY, HK    Series A Preferred Shares      1,335,370      July 26, 2013

 

1 

Investments Date refers to the Closing Date on which the Investors or their Affiliates invested in the VIE prior to the Restructuring.


4. Series B Investors

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of Shares

  

Number of Shares

  

Investments Date

Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (“Baidu SPV”)    Baidu Building, No. 10 Shangdi 10th Street, Haidian District, Beijing    Series B Preferred Shares    4,679,290    November 7, 2014
iStart SPV    Ditto    Series B Preferred Shares    554,000    April 14, 2014
SBCVC Fund IV, L.P. (“SBCVC SPV”)    Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands    Series B Preferred Shares    4,266,740    October 21, 2014

5. Series C-1 Investors

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of Shares

  

Number of Shares

  

Investments Date

iStart SPV    Ditto    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    488,000    June 12, 2015
SBCVC SPV    Ditto    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    488,000    June 1, 2015
Baidu SPV    Ditto    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    1,271,000    May 27, 2015
ClearVue Yummy Express Holdings, Ltd. (“ClearVue SPV”)    4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands    Series C-1 Preferred Shares    2,860,720    June 17, 2016


6. Series C-2 Investors

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of Shares

  

Number of Shares

  

Investments Date

CDIB Private Equity (Fujian) Enterprise (Limited Partnership) (“CDIB SPV”)   

Sixth Floor, Building

3-5#, Taiwan Pioneer Park, Jinjingwan Area, Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Area, Fujian Province, China

   Series C-2 Preferred Shares    1,359,850    The date on which such Investor actually pays the transferred share price of VIE in full
Zhongnan Capital (Hong Kong) Limited (“Zhongnan Capital SPV”)    Room 503, 5th Floor, ASEAN Commercial Building, 246 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong    Series C-2 Preferred Shares    1,017,520    The date on which such Investor actually pays the transferred share price of VIE in full

7. Series D Investors

 

Name of

Shareholders

  

Registered Address

  

Class of Shares

  

Number of Shares

  

Investments Date

FUSI Irvine L.P. (“Fusi SPV”)    c/o Codan Trust Company(Cayman) Limited Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P O Box 2681, Grand Cayman, KY1-1111, Cayman Islands    Series D Preferred Shares    597,370    January 11, 2017
Beijing ErQu Management Consultant LLP (“Gongqingchengerhong SPV”)    620, 6th Floor, No. 101and 1st-7th Floor, Building 2, No. 36 Courtyard, Hongjunying South Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing    Series D Preferred Shares    1,943,760    November 28, 2016
SBCVC SPV    Ditto    Series D Preferred Shares    919,040    August 1, 2017
Delta Electronics Capital Company    3F, 99, Ruihu Street, Neihu, Taipei 11494, Taiwan    Series D Preferred Shares    445,730    March 21, 2018
CDIB SPV    Ditto    Series D Preferred Shares    657,110    The date on which such Investor actually pays the transferred share price of VIE in full
Zhongnan Capital SPV    Ditto    Series D Preferred Shares    491,690    The date on which such Investor actually pays the transferred share price of VIE in full
ClearVue SPV    Ditto    Series D Preferred Shares    755,910    July 19, 2017

Exhibit 5.1

QUHUO LIMITED

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District

Beijing, People’s Republic of China

4 June 2020

Dear Sirs

QUHUO LIMITED

We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to QUHUO LIMITED (the “Company”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended to date relating to the offering by the Company of certain American depositary shares (the “ADSs”) representing the Company’s Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 each (the “Shares”).

We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibits 5.1, 8.1 and 23.2 to the Registration Statement.

 

1

Documents Reviewed

For the purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed only originals, copies or final drafts of the following documents:

 

1.1

The certificate of incorporation of the Company dated 13 June 2019 issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

 

1.2

The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by special resolution passed on 23 August 2019 (the “Pre-IPO Memorandum and Articles”).

 

1.3

The second amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as conditionally adopted by a special resolution passed on 4 June 2020 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares (the “IPO Memorandum and Articles”).

 

1.4

The written resolutions of the directors of the Company dated 4 June 2020 (the “Directors’ Resolutions”).

 

1.5

The written resolutions of the shareholders of the Company dated 4 June 2020 (the “Shareholders’ Resolutions”).

 

1.6

A certificate from a director of the Company, a copy of which is attached hereto (the “Director’s Certificate”).

 

1.7

A certificate of good standing dated 28 May 2020, issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the “Certificate of Good Standing”).

 

1.8

The Registration Statement.

 

1


2

Assumptions

The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving these opinions we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as of the date of this opinion letter, 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

Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals.

 

2.2

All signatures, initials and seals are genuine.

 

2.3

There is nothing contained in the minute book or corporate records of the Company (which we have not inspected) which would or might affect the opinions set out below.

 

2.4

There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands), which would or might affect the opinions set out below.

 

3

Opinion

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 with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

3.2

The authorised share capital of the Company, with effect immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares, will be US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares comprising of (i) 300,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, (ii) 6,296,630 Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, and (iii) 193,703,370 shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with the IPO Memorandum and Articles.

 

3.3

The issue and allotment of the Shares have been duly authorised and when allotted, issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Shares will be legally issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders).

 

3.4

The statements under the caption “Taxation” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement, to the extent that they constitute statements of Cayman Islands law, are accurate in all material respects and that such statements constitute our opinion.

 

4

Qualifications

In this opinion the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to the Shares in the Company, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

 

2


Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions, which are the subject of this opinion.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities”, “Taxation” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the 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 U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

Yours faithfully

/s/ Maples and Calder

(Hong Kong) LLP

Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP

 

3


Director’s Certificate

June 4, 2020

 

To:

Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP

26th Floor, Central Plaza

18 Harbour Road

Wanchai, Hong Kong

Dear Sirs

QUHUO LIMITED (the “Company”)

I, the undersigned, being a director of the Company, am aware that you are being asked to provide a legal opinion (the “Opinion”) in relation to certain aspects of Cayman Islands law. Capitalised terms used in this certificate have the meaning given to them in the Opinion. I hereby certify that:

 

1

The Pre-IPO Memorandum and Articles remain in full and effect and, except as amended by the Shareholders’ Resolutions adopting the IPO Memorandum and Articles, are otherwise unamended.

 

2

The Directors’ Resolutions were duly passed in the manner prescribed in Pre-IPO Memorandum and Articles (including, without limitation, with respect to the disclosure of interests (if any) by directors of the Company) and have not been amended, varied or revoked in any respect.

 

3

The Shareholders’ Resolutions were duly passed in the manner prescribed in the Pre-IPO Memorandum and Articles and have not been amended, varied or revoked in any respect.

 

4

The authorised share capital of the Company is US$50,000 consisting of 500,000,000 shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, of which: (i) 475,868,900 shares are designated as ordinary shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, (ii) 1,335,370 shares are designated as series A preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, (iii) 9,500,030 shares are designated as series B preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, (iv) 5,107,720 shares are designated as series C-1 preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, (v) 2,377,370 shares are designated as series C-2 preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each, and (vi) 5,810,610 shares are designated as series D preferred shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 each.

 

5

The authorised share capital of the Company, with effect immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares, will be US$50,000 divided into 500,000,000 shares comprising of (i) 300,000 Class A Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, (ii) 6,296,630 Class B Ordinary Shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, and (iii) 193,703,370 shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each of such class or classes (however designated) as the board of directors may determine in accordance with the IPO Memorandum and Articles.

 

4


6

The shareholders of the Company have not restricted or limited the powers of the directors in any way and there is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting it from issuing and allotting the Shares or otherwise performing its obligations under the Registration Statement.

 

7

The directors of the Company at the date of the Directors’ Resolutions and as at the date of this certificate were and are as follows:

Zhen Ba

Shuyi Yang

Leslie Yu

Yung-Hung Chang

Harry Chi Hui

Wenting Ji

Gang Wang

Fan Yang

Chenxi Zhao

 

8

Each director considers the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement to be of commercial benefit to the Company and has acted bona fide in the best interests of the Company, and for a proper purpose of the Company in relation to the transactions which are the subject of the Opinion.

 

9

To the best of my knowledge and belief, having made due inquiry, the Company is not the subject of legal, arbitral, administrative or other proceedings in any jurisdiction that would have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company. Nor have the directors or shareholders taken any steps to have the Company struck off or placed in liquidation, nor have any steps been taken to wind up the Company. Nor has any receiver been appointed over any of the Company’s property or assets.

 

10

Upon the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing the Shares, the Company will not be subject to the requirements of Part XVIIA of the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands.

I confirm that you may continue to rely on this Certificate as being true and correct on the day that you issue the Opinion unless I shall have previously notified you personally to the contrary.

[signature page follows]

 

5


Signature:   /s/ Leslie Yu                                             
Name:   Leslie Yu
Title:   Director

 

6

Exhibit 10.1

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

This Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and between:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Party B: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Party A and Party B are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”

WHEREAS:

 

1.

Party A is a limited liability company registered in the People’s Republic of China (“China”, for the purpose of this Agreement only, it excludes Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), whose primary business includes technology development, technical consultation, technology transfer, technology promotion and technical services; computer services; basic software services; software consultation; self-developed products selling; economic and trade consultation; enterprise planning and design; market research; business management consultation. (An enterprise may choose business items and carry out business activities on its own in accordance with laws. Business activities that are subject to approval should not be carried out unless such approval is obtained from relevant departments. Enterprises shall not engage in business activities prohibited or restricted by the industrial policies of the city);

 

2.

Party B is a limited liability company registered in China, whose primary business includes computer software technology development, technical consultation, technical services, technical training, technology transfer, computer system integration, design, manufacture, agency and issuance of advertising, conference services, catering management, economic and trade consultation, organization of cultural and artistic exchange activities (excluding performance agents); domestic freight forwarding service, selling self-developed software products, building-cleaning service, family labor service. All business activities conducted and developed by Party B and its controlled subsidiaries (including subsidiaries controlled by Party B as updated from time to time during the term hereof, similarly hereinafter) at present and at any time during the term hereof are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Primary Business.”


3.

Party A agrees to take advantages of its resources, technology and information to provide exclusive technical services, technical consultation and other services (see below for the specific scope) to Party B and its controlled subsidiaries during the term hereof, and Party B agrees to accept such services provided by Party A and/or its designated party.

THEREFORE, Party A and Party B have reached the following agreement through mutual consultation:

 

1.

Provision of Services by Party A

 

  1.1

In accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, Party B hereby entrusts Party A as the exclusive service provider of Party B to provide comprehensive business support, technical services and consultation services to Party B during the term hereof, specifically including all or part of the services within the business scope of Party B as determined by Party A from time to time, including but not limited to technical services, technical consultation, professional training, business consultation, intellectual property license, market consultation, management consultation services related to the business operation of Party B, and other consultation and services related to the above as required by Party B from time to time and to the extent permitted by the Laws of China (the “Services”).

 

  1.2

Party B agrees to accept the consultation and Services provided by Party A. Party B further agrees, unless with the prior written consent of Party A, during the term hereof, for the purpose hereof, Party B shall not and shall cause the controlled subsidiaries not to accept any other consultation and/services provided by any third party other than the cooperating bank, nor shall they cooperate with any third party other than the cooperating bank. Party A may designate another Party (such designated Party may sign this Agreement and the agreement provided in Article 1.4 in whole or in part) to provide Party B with the consultation and/or Services hereunder.

 

  1.3

To ensure that party B meets the requirements of cash flow in daily operation and/or offset any losses arising therefrom, Party A may, at its own discretion, provide financial support to Party B (only to the extent permitted by the Laws of China) regardless of whether Party B actually suffers from any such operational losses. Party A may provide financial support to Party B by means of loan permitted by Laws of China (as defined below) and both Parties shall separately sign such loan contract.

 

  1.4

Method for Providing Services

 

  (1)

Party A and Party B agree that, during the term hereof, both Parties may directly, or through their respective affiliates with the ability and resources to provide the corresponding Services, sign other technical service agreements and consultation service agreements for the purpose of providing the Services to Party B, and agree on the specific contents, methods, personnel and costs of specific services.


  (2)

To perform this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that, with the term hereof, both Parties may directly, or through their respective affiliates, sign the intellectual property license agreements (including but not limited to trademark, software, copyright, patent and technology secret), which shall allow Party B to use relevant intellectual property of Party A at any time as required by Party B in conducting its business.

 

  (3)

To perform this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that, during the term hereof, both Parties may directly, or through their respective affiliates, sign the lease agreement for equipment, plant or office, which shall allow Party B to use relevant equipment, plant or office of Party A at any time as required by Party B in conducting its business.

 

  (4)

To perform this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that, during the term hereof, both Parties may directly, or through their respective affiliates, sign other agreement for the purpose of providing Services to Party B.

 

  (5)

Party A may, at its own discretion, subcontract all or part of the Services to be provided to Party B hereunder to any third party capable of providing the corresponding Services and resources.

 

  1.5

For the purpose of providing Services pursuant to this Agreement, Party A and Party B shall promptly communicate and exchange various information related to their business and/or clients.

The Services provided by Party A herein are exclusive. For Services provided by any third party with the same or similar nature as those provided by Party A, Party B may continue to perform such agreements provided that they are permitted by Party A in writing. For agreements disapproved by Party A, Party B shall immediately rescind such agreements with any third party and bear any expenses and liabilities arising from the rescission thereof. Party B shall continue to perform other contracts or legal documents that stipulate obligations of Party B, and shall not change, modify or terminate such contracts or legal documents without written consent of Party A.

 

  1.6

To clarify the rights and obligations of both Parties and to cause the effective implementation of the said service agreements, both Parties agree to, subject to the Laws of China:


  (1)

Party B shall operate in accordance with the advice or suggestions under the Services provided in Article 1.1 hereof.

 

  (2)

Except for the retention of the original directors and supervisors of Party B as agreed by Party A, Party B is obliged to appoint the person recommended by Party A as the director of Party B, and appoint the senior managers recommended and employed by Party A as its general manager, chief financial officer and other officers to supervise the business and operation of Party B in accordance with the procedures as required by the laws of China (including any laws, regulations, rules, notices, interpretations or other binding documents issued before or after the execution hereof by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial authorities, collectively, the “Laws of China”). Under the premise of complying with the Laws of China, except for reasons of retirement, resignation, incompetence or death, Party B shall not dismiss the directors, supervisors and/or officers of the Company recommended by Party A for any other reason without the prior written consent of Party A.

 

  (3)

Party B agrees to cause the directors, supervisors and officers of Party B to exercise their functions and powers under laws, regulations and Articles of Association as directed by Party A.

 

  (4)

Party A is entitled to set up and adjust the organizational structure of Party B and conduct human resource management.

 

  (5)

Party A is entitled to carry out the business related to the Services in the name of Party B, and Party B shall provide all necessary support and convenience for Party A to carry out the business smoothly, including but not limited to providing Party A with all necessary power of attorney for the provision of the relevant Services.

 

  (6)

Subject to the Laws of China, Party A is entitled to check the accounts of Party B in a regular manner or at any time, and Party B shall keep the accurate accounts up to date and provide Party A with its accounts as required by Party A. during the term hereof, Party B agrees to cooperate with Party A and its (direct or indirect) shareholders in audit (including but not limited to related transaction audit and other types of audit), and provide Party A, its (direct or indirect) shareholders and/or entrusted auditors with relevant information and materials concerning the operation, business, customers, finance and employees of Party A, and agree to disclose such information and materials to the shareholders of Party A in order to meet the requirements of securities regulation.


  (7)

Party B agrees to provide relevant certificates and official seals that are important to its daily operation, including the business license, official seal, contract seal, special financial seal and legal representative seal of Party B, to the executive director, legal representative, manager and/or other officers recommended by Party A and appointed by Party B in accordance with legal procedures.

 

  1.7

The Parties agree that the Services provided by Party A to Party B hereunder are also applicable to the subsidiaries controlled by Party B, and Party B shall cause tits controlled subsidiaries to exercise their rights and perform their obligations in accordance with the provisions hereof.

 

2.

Calculation and Payment Method of Service Fee, Financial Statements, Audit and Tax

 

  2.1

During the term hereof, provided that the Services provided by Party A pursuant to this Agreement do not violate the mandatory provisions of Laws of China, Party B and its controlled subsidiaries shall, at the end of each financial year, pay all of its net profits and the profits of its subsidiaries (including accumulated income from the Previous Fiscal Year) as service fee (the “Service Fee”) to Party A after making up the losses in previous years (if necessary) and deducting the necessary costs, expenses, taxes and fees incurred in the corresponding financial year and drawing the statutory reserve fund that must be drawn in accordance with law. Party A is entitled to determine the said deductible items. The amount of such Service Fee shall be determined by Party A. The calculation method and adjustment shall subject but not limited to the following factors, and Party A is entitled to adjust the Service Fee at its sole discretion without the consent of Party B: (a) complexity of technical consultation and other Services provided by Party A; (b) the time limits required by the personnel of Party A to provide such technical consultation and other Services; (c) the specific content and business value of technical consultation and other services provided by Party A; (d) the market price of the same kind of service. The above Service Fee shall be transferred to the bank account designated by Party A by remittance or other means agreed by both Parties after Party A issues the payment instructions to Party B. Party A may change such payment instructions from time to time. Both Parties agree that the payment of the above Service Fee shall in principle not make the operation of any Party difficult in the current year. For the above purposes, and within the limits of realizing the above principles, Party A is entitled to agree to postpone the payment of Party B to avoid any financial difficulties of Party B. Party A is also entitled to make any other adjustment to the Service Fee as it thinks reasonable, with a prior written notice.


  2.2

Party A agrees that, during the term hereof, it shall enjoy all economic benefits and bear all risks arising from any business of Party B. Party A shall provide financial support to Party B in a manner permitted by the Laws of China in case of any operating loss or serious operating difficulties of Party B. In the event of any of the foregoing circumstances, only Party A is entitled to decide whether Party B shall continue to operate its business, and Party B shall unconditionally recognize and agree to such decision made by Party A.

 

  2.3

Party B shall, within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year (the “Previous Fiscal Year”) provide Party A with an audited consolidated financial statement for the Previous Fiscal Year, which shall be audited by an independent certified public accountant approved by Party A. If the audited financial statement shows that there is any deficiency in the total amount of Service Fee paid to Party A in the Previous Fiscal Year, Party B shall make up the difference to Party A within 5 business days after any Party discovers the difference.

 

  2.4

Party B shall prepare financial statements as required by Party A in accordance with applicable laws, generally accepted accounting standards and business practices.

 

  2.5

Upon prior notice of Party A, Party A and/or its designated auditor are entitled to review the relevant books and records of Party B at its main office and make copies of such books and records as required to verify the accuracy of the income and statements of Party B. Party B shall provide relevant operation, business, clients, finance, employees and other information and materials as required by Party A, and agree that Party A or its direct or indirect shareholders may disclose or make public such information and materials when necessary.

 

  2.6

The tax burden arising from the execution hereof shall be borne by both Parties.

 

3.

Intellectual Property, Confidentiality Clauses and Non-competition

 

  3.1

To perform this Agreement, Party A and Party B agree that, during the term hereof, both Parties may sign intellectual property license agreement (including but not limited to: software copyrights, trademarks, copyrights, patents, technical secrets, trade secrets and others), which may allow Party B to use relevant intellectual property rights of Party A free of charge as required by Party B in conducting its business, or where necessary, Party A agrees to transfer part of its intellectual property to Party B or register such intellectual property rights under the name of Party B.


  3.2

Unless agreed by Party A, any rights, ownerships, interests and intellectual property arising or created from the operation of Party B and its controlled subsidiaries during the performance hereof and based on the consultation services provided by Party A to Party B and its controlled subsidiaries, including but not limited to all present and future copyrights, trademarks, trade names, brands, trade secrets, all associated goodwill, domain names and any other similar rights (“Such Rights”), whether they are developed by Party A or Party B, shall be exclusively enjoyed by Party A. Party B shall not claim any Such Rights against Party A. Party B shall sign all documents necessary to make Party A the owner of Such Rights and take all actions necessary to make Party A the owner of Such Rights. Party B warrants that Such Rights are free from any defects or encumbrances and shall indemnify Party A for any losses caused by such defects or encumbrances (if any).

 

  3.3

Without the written consent of Party A, Party B shall not and shall cause its controlled subsidiaries not to transfer, mortgage, license or otherwise dispose of any Such Rights.

 

  3.4

Party B shall, in accordance with the instructions of Party A from time to time, dispose of Such Rights, including but not limited to transfer or authorize Such Rights to Party A or its designated persons without violating Laws of China.

 

  3.5

Both Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B shall keep all such information confidential and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required for disclosure by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or (c) the information that Party B needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B, and Party B shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.


  3.6

Party B shall not sign any document or make any commitment that conflict with such legal documents as any agreements signed and being performed by Party A. Party B shall not, by act or omission, cause conflicts of interest between Party B and Party A and its shareholders. In case of such conflict of interest (Party A is entitled to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest arises), Party B shall take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible with the consent of Party A. If Party B refuses to take measures to eliminate such conflict of interests, Party A is entitled to exercise the equity purchase right under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement signed with Party B and its existing shareholders on the signing date hereof.

 

  3.7

During the term hereof, all client information and other relevant materials related to the business of Party B and the Services provided by Party A shall be owned by Party A.

 

  3.8

The Parties agree that Article 3 shall remain in effect whether or not this Agreement is modified, rescinded or terminated.

 

4.

Representations and Warranties

 

  4.1

Party A represents and warrants that:

 

  (1)

Party A is a company duly registered and validly existing under the Laws of China. It has full and independent legal status and legal capacity, and has obtained appropriate authorization to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can act as a subject of litigation independently.

 

  (2)

The execution and performance by Party A of this Agreement is within its legal person status and business scope. It has the necessary licenses, records and qualifications to provide the Services agreed herein. Party A has taken all necessary corporate actions, acquired all appropriate authorizations, and obtained all necessary consents and approvals from any third party or government authority, to complete the transaction contemplated hereunder without violating any laws or other restrictions binding upon or affecting it.

 

  (3)

This Agreement, upon its execution and delivery, shall constitute legal, valid obligations binding upon Party A, and shall be enforceable in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

  (4)

There is no existing and pending litigation, arbitration or other judicial or administrative proceedings that will affect Party A’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder, and, to the knowledge of Party A, no one threatens to take such action.


  (5)

Party A has disclosed to Party B all the contracts, government approvals, licenses or documents that may materially and adversely affect its ability to fully perform its obligations hereunder or bind its assets or business. There is no misrepresentation or omission of any important facts in the documents previously provided by Party A to Party B.

 

  4.2

Party B represents and warrants as follows:

 

  (1)

Party B is a company duly registered and validly existing under the Laws of China. It has full and independent legal status and legal capacity, and has obtained appropriate authorization to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can act as a subject of litigation independently.

 

  (2)

Party B’s acceptance of the Services provided by Party A will not violate Laws of China. The execution and performance by Party B of this Agreement is within its legal person status and business scope. Party B has taken all necessary corporate actions, acquired all appropriate authorizations, and obtained all necessary consents, approvals from, and completed all necessary filing with, any third party or government authority without violating any laws or other restrictions binding upon or affecting it.

 

  (3)

This Agreement, upon its execution and delivery, shall constitute legal, valid obligations binding upon Party B, and shall be enforceable in accordance with the terms hereof.

 

  (4)

There is no existing and pending litigation, arbitration or other judicial or administrative proceedings that will affect Party B’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder, and, to the knowledge of it, no one threatens to take such action. If any litigation, arbitration or other judicial or administrative penalty is, or is likely to be, filed or imposed in connection with its assets, business or income, Party B shall immediately notify Party A upon becoming aware of such litigation, arbitration or other judicial or administrative penalty.

 

  (5)

Party B has disclosed to Party A all the contracts, government approvals, licenses or documents that may materially and adversely affect its ability to fully perform its obligations hereunder or bind its assets or business. There is no misrepresentation or omission of any important facts in the documents previously provided by Party B to Party A.


  (6)

Party B shall, in accordance with the provisions hereof, fully pay the Service Fee to Party A in a timely manner and maintain the continued validity of the licenses and qualifications related to the business of Party B and its subsidiaries during the period of Service. In all matters necessary for Party A to effectively perform its duties and obligations hereunder, Party B shall provide full cooperation and actively cooperate with the Services provided by Party A, and accept reasonable opinions and suggestions from Party A on the business of Party B and its subsidiaries.

 

  (7)

From the date hereof, without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not, sell, transfer, mortgage or otherwise dispose of any of its assets (except for the assets with a value not exceeding RMB 1million in the ordinary course of business), business, management rights or legitimate rights and interests in income.

 

  (8)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not, except for the reasonable expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business, pay any expenses to any third party, nor shall it exempt any liabilities of any third party, or borrow or lend loans to/from any third party, or provide any guarantee or security to any third party, or allow any third party to create any other security interest on its assets or interests.

 

  (9)

From the date hereof, without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not, incur, inherit, warrant or permit the existence of any debt (except for the debts with a value not exceeding RMB1 million in the ordinary course of business).

 

  (10)

From the date hereof, without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not, sign any material contracts (except the contracts with a value not exceeding RMB 1 million signed in ordinary course of business), or sign any other contract, agreement or arrangement in conflict with this Agreement or which may prejudice the rights and interests of Party A hereunder.

 

  (11)

Party B shall not, by act or omission, cause conflicts of interest between it and Party A and its shareholders. In case of such conflict of interest (Party A is entitled to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest arises), it shall take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible with the consent of Party A.

 

  (12)

From the date hereof, without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not, and shall cause its subsidiaries not, merger or form a joint entity with any third party, invest in or acquire any third party, or to be invested, acquired, or controlled, increase or decrease its registered capital, or otherwise change its corporate form or registered capital structure, or accept investment or capital increase from existing shareholders or a third party, or liquidate or dissolve itself.


  (13)

To the extent permitted by the Laws of China, Party B shall appoint directors, supervisors and/or officers recommended by Party A. Party B shall not refuse to appoint any person recommended by Party A for any other reason unless it obtains prior written consent from Party A or has other legal reasons.

 

  (14)

Party B holds any and all government permissions, licenses, authorizations and approvals necessary to conduct its business during the term hereof and shall ensure that all such government permissions, licenses, authorizations and approvals shall continue to be valid and legally valid throughout the term hereof. If, during the term hereof, any and all government permissions, licenses, authorizations and approvals required by Party B in conducting its business need to be changed and/or added due to the changes of regulations of the relevant government departments, Party B shall make such changes and/or supplement as required by relevant laws.

 

  (15)

Party B shall promptly inform Party A of any circumstances that may have a material adverse effect on its business and operations, and shall make its best efforts to prevent the occurrence of such circumstances and/or the expansion of losses.

 

  (16)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B and/or its subsidiaries shall not modify the Articles of Association, or change the Primary Business, or make major adjustments to the business scope, model, profit model, marketing strategy, business policy or client relationship.

 

  (17)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B and/or its subsidiaries shall not enter into any partnership or joint venture or profit-sharing arrangement, or any other arrangements to effect profits transfer or profit-sharing in the form of royalties, service fees or consultancy fees, with any third party.

 

  (18)

At the request of Party A from time to time, Party B shall provide Party A with information concerning its business management and financial status.

 

  (19)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not declare or distribute dividends or any other benefits to its shareholders.

 

  (20)

Party B shall provide Party A with any technology or other information that Party A deems necessary or useful for providing the Services hereunder, and allow Party A to use its relevant facilities, materials or information that Party A deems necessary or useful for providing the Services hereunder.


  (21)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not change, replace or remove any of its directors, supervisors or officers.

 

  (22)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not dissolve itself, or liquidate or distribute the remaining properties.

 

5.

Effectiveness and Term

This Agreement shall take effect from the date of signing by both Parties. Unless terminated in accordance with Article 6.2 hereof, this Agreement shall remain valid for 10 years and Party A may choose to renew this Agreement upon expiry. If Party A fails to confirm the renewal hereof upon the expiration, this Agreement shall be automatically renewed until Party A delivers a letter confirming the renewal period hereof.

 

6.

Termination

 

  6.1

Unless renewed in accordance with relevant terms hereof, this Agreement shall be terminated on the date of expiration.

 

  6.2

This Agreement shall be terminated under any of the following circumstances:

 

  (1)

If Party B is bankrupt, liquidated, terminated or dissolved according to law during the term hereof, this Agreement shall be terminated on the effective date of such bankrupt, liquidation, termination or dissolution.

 

  (2)

All equity of Party B is transferred to Party A and/or its designated Party in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement signed between both Parties and the existing shareholder of Party B on August 23, 2019, and relevant industrial and commercial registration is completed;

 

  (3)

This Agreement shall be terminated on the date on which Party A and/or its designated Party have directly held all the equity of Party B, legally engaged in its business and formally registered as the shareholders of Party B in accordance with the Laws of China;

 

  (4)

At any time during the term hereof, Party A shall terminate this Agreement by giving Party B a written notice 30 days in advance, on the expiry date of such written notice;


  (5)

This Agreement shall be early terminated in accordance with Article 7 hereof.

 

  6.3

During the term hereof, Party B shall not unilaterally rescind this Agreement. If Party A terminates this Agreement in accordance with Article 6.2(4) above, it shall not be liable for any breach of contract for its unilateral rescission hereof.

 

  6.4

After the termination of this Agreement, the rights and obligations of both Parties under Article 3, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 16.3 shall remain effective.

 

  6.5

Early termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason shall not release either Party from all payment obligations (including but not limited to Service Fee) hereunder that have expired on or before the date of termination or expiration, nor shall it release either party from any liability for breach of contract that has occurred before the termination of this Agreement. The Service Fee payable before the termination or expiration of this Agreement shall be paid by Party B to Party A within fifteen (15) business days from the date of termination.

 

7.

Liability for Breach

 

  7.1

Unless otherwise agreed in other terms hereof, if either Party (the “Breaching Party”) fails to perform its obligations hereunder or otherwise breach this Agreement, the other Party (the Affected Party”) may: (a) send a written notice to the Breaching Party, stating the nature and extent of the breach and require the Breaching Party to cure the breach at its own expense within a reasonable period specified in the notice (the “Cure Period”). If the Breaching Party fails to cure the breach within the Cure Period, the Affected Party shall be entitled to require the Breaching Party to assume all liabilities caused by its breach and compensate the Affected Party for all actual economic losses, including but not limited to attorney fees, litigation or arbitration fees incurred related to litigation or arbitration proceedings in connection with such breach. In addition, the Affected Party shall be entitled to require the Breaching Party to perform its obligations hereunder, and the Affected Party shall be entitled to request relevant arbitration institution or court to order the actual performance and/or enforcement of the provisions hereof; (b) terminate this Agreement, and require the Breaching Party to assume all liabilities caused by its breach, and pay all damages; or (c) enjoy the priority to get compensated from the proceeds obtained from the conversion of the pledged equity into money, or the auction or sales of the pledged equity in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement signed by and among both Parties and the existing shareholders of Party B at the date hereof, and require the Breaching Party to bear all losses caused thereby. The exercise of the said remedy by the Affected Party shall not affect its exercise of other remedies in accordance with this Agreement and relevant laws.


  7.2

The Parties agree and acknowledge that, unless otherwise required by the Laws of China, if Party B is the Breaching Party, the Affected Party is entitled to unilaterally terminate this Agreement immediately and demand damages from the Breaching Party. If Party A is the Breaching Party, Party B shall exempt Party A’ liability of for damages. Unless otherwise stipulated by the Laws of China, Party B is not entitled to unilaterally terminate or rescind this Agreement in any case.

 

8.

Governing Law, Dispute Settlement and Change of Laws

 

  8.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

  8.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation and performance hereof, both Parties shall settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of either Party through negotiation, either Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation by the equity interests, assets or property interests of Party B for the losses caused by Party A due to the breach of contract by other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party B in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitration award becomes effective, either Party shall apply to the court with jurisdiction for enforcement of the arbitration award. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of Party A.

 

  8.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation, modification, supplement or performance hereof or hereto, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


  8.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, (a) if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to either Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Party is not adversely affected), both Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; or (b) if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of either Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of either party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after the Affected Party notifies the other Party, both Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

9.

Force Majeure

 

  9.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

  9.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

10.

Indemnity

Party B shall indemnify and hold Party A harmless from any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred to Party A resulting from any litigation, claim or other demand against Party A due to the consultation and Services provided by Party A at the request of Party B, unless such loss, damage, liability or expense is caused by gross negligence or intentional misconduct of Party A.


11.

Notice

 

  11.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).

 

  11.2

Either Party may change its contact address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Party in accordance with this Article.

 

12.

Transfer

 

  12.1

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not transfer its rights and obligations hereunder to any third party.

 

  12.2

Party B agrees that Party A may transfer its rights and obligations hereunder to any third party by giving prior written notice to Party B without the consent of Party B.

 

13.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. Both Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

14.

Amendment and Supplement

 

  14.1

Any amendment or supplement hereto shall be made in writing. The amended or supplementary agreement signed by both Parties in connection with this Agreement shall constitute an integral part of, and have the same legal effect as, this Agreement.


  14.2

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions, rules, codes or guidelines require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

15.

Counterpart

This Agreement is made in quadruplicate (4), with each Party holding two of them which shall have the same legal effect.

 

16.

Miscellaneous

 

  16.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

  16.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

  16.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by both Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

  16.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement has been executed by both Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

Signature: /s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu

Title: Legal Representative

Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

Signature: /s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu

Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of both Parties is as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.2

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B: Lili Sun, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

In this Agreement, Party A is hereinafter referred to as the “Pledgee,” Party B as the “Pledgor,” and Party A, Party B and Party C are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”

WHEREAS:

 

1.

The Pledgor, Zhen Ba, Shuyi Yang, Tongtong Li and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (the “Ningbo Maiken”) are shareholders of Party C as of the date hereof, and hold 100% equity interest in Party C in total, with the amount of contribution in the registered capital and the shareholding ratio in Party C as follows:

 

Name of Shareholder

   Registered Capital (RMB)      Ratio of Contributions  

Lili Sun

     629,662.95        25.7264

Zhen Ba

     236,302.87        9.6547

Shuyi Yang

     611,354.35        24.9784

Tongtong Li

     19,956.36        0.8154

Ningbo Maiken

     950,255.32        38.8250
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     2,447,531.85        100.0000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

2.

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, and the Pledgee is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Laws of China;

 

3.

The Pledgee and Party C signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgee provides Party C with relevant exclusive technical, management consulting and other services;


4.

The Parties signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby if the Pledgee independently decides to make a purchase request, the Pledgor shall, upon its request, transfer all or part of the equity it holds in Party C to the Pledgee and/or any other entity or individual designated by the Pledgee, subject to the Laws of China and applicable conditions;

 

5.

The Parties signed the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgor has irrevocably entrusted a person designated by the Pledgee at that time to exercise on behalf of the Pledgor the voting right corresponding to all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C;

 

6.

As security of the Pledgor for performance of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and settlement of the Secured Debt (as defined below), Party A, Party B and Party C plan to sign this Agreement regarding Party B’s provision of equity pledge for Party A, whereby the Pledgor will pledge all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C to the Pledgee to secure the pledge of such obligation and liability, and Party C agrees to the pledge of such Equity.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly negotiation:

 

1.

Definitions

Unless otherwise agreed herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1

Pledge” shall mean the Security Interest granted by the Pledgor to the Pledgee pursuant to Article 2 hereof, i.e., the right enjoyed by the Pledgee to have priority in compensation from the discount, conversion, auction or sale price of the pledged Equity pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgor.

 

1.2

Equity” shall mean all the Equity of Party C that the Pledgor legally holds and has the right to dispose of when this Agreement comes into force and that will be pledged to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement as security of the Pledgor and Party C to perform the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt (including all equity interest held by the Pledgor now that constitutes and is related to all registered capital of Party C) and Additional Equity added pursuant to Article 6.7 hereof.

 

1.3

Pledge Period” shall mean the term set forth in Article 3 hereof.

 

1.4

Default Event” shall mean any of the circumstances set forth in Article 7 hereof.


1.5

Default Notice” shall mean the notice issued by the Pledgee to declare the Default Event hereunder.

 

1.6

Contractual Obligations” shall mean all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, all Contractual Obligations of Party C under the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor and Party C under this Agreement.

 

1.7

Transaction Agreements” shall mean the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, or one or more of the agreements.

 

1.8

Secured Debt” shall mean (i) all payments owed by Party C to the Pledgee, including but not limited to the consulting and service fees (whether through payment on an agreed due date, prepayment or otherwise) and interest, liquidated damages (if any), damages and attorney’s fees, arbitration fees, Equity evaluation, auction and other costs to realize the Pledge payable to the Pledgee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement; (ii) all direct, indirect, derivative losses and loss of predictable interests suffered by the Pledgee as a result of any Default Event of the Pledgor or Party C, with the amount of such loss based on, but not limited to, reasonable business plan and profit forecast of the Pledgee, and all expenses incurred by the Pledgee in forcing the Pledgor and/or Party C to perform their Contractual Obligations.

 

1.9

Laws of China” shall include any law, regulation, rule, notice, interpretation or other binding documents issued by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial branch before or after the execution of this Agreement.

 

1.10

Security Interest” shall include security, mortgage, third party rights or interests, any share option, right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, retention of title or other security arrangements, etc.

 

2.

Pledge

 

2.1

The Pledgor agrees to unconditionally and irrevocably Pledge the 25.7264% Equity held by it in Party C, namely its contribution of RMB 629,662.95 in the registered capital in Party C, to the Pledgee in the first priority irrevocably in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, so as to secure full performance of its Contractual Obligations. Party C agrees that the Pledgor pledges the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement.


2.2

The Parties understand and agree that the scope of security for the pledged Equity includes all the Secured Debts that Party A shall obtain under the Contractual Obligations. If the competent industrial and commercial authority requires to specify the amount of Secured Debt in the process of Equity pledge registration, the Parties agree to register the principal amount of Secured Debt as RMB629,662.95 and all and any liability for breach of contract and compensation for loss under the Contractual Obligations only for the purpose of such Equity pledge registration. The Parties further confirm that, for the purpose of Equity pledge registration, the aforesaid amount shall not detract from or limit all rights and interests of Party A under its Contractual Obligations.

 

2.3

During the Pledge Period (as defined in Article 3.1), the Pledgee shall have the right to place in deposit any bonus, dividend or other distributable interest arising out of the Equity and to receive priority in compensation therefor. The Pledgor shall, upon receipt of the Pledgee’s written request, deposit (or urge Party C to deposit) such fruits into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing for supervision by the Pledgee; such fruits deposited into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing shall not be withdrawn by the Pledgor without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

2.4

During the term hereof, unless due to the Pledgee’s intention or gross negligence, the Pledgee shall not be liable for any decrease in the value of the Equity, nor shall the Pledgor have the right to pursue or make any demand against the Pledgee in any form.

 

2.5

Subject to the provisions of Article 2.4 hereof, if any significant decrease in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time on behalf of the Pledgor, and agree with the Pledgor to use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debts in advance or to place in deposit with the notary office where the Pledgee is located (any expenses incurred therefrom shall be paid with the proceeds from the auction or sale). In addition, the Pledgor shall provide other properties satisfactory to the Pledgee as security. The Pledgor must promptly notify the Pledgee of any event that may result in any significant decrease in the value of the Equity, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, and take necessary actions to resolve or mitigate the adverse effects of such event as reasonably required by the Pledgee. Otherwise, the Pledgor shall bear corresponding compensation liability to the Pledgee for the direct or indirect losses caused thereby.

 

2.6

The Equity pledge created hereunder is a continuing guarantee and shall remain valid until the Contractual Obligations are fully performed and the Secured Debt is fully settled. The Pledgee’s immunity and grace from any breach of contract by the Pledgor or the Pledgee’s delayed exercise of any rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall not affect the Pledgee’s right to require the Pledgor or Party C to strictly perform the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement at any time thereafter hereunder, relevant Laws of China and the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgee’s right as a result of subsequent breach of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement by the Pledgor or Party C.


3.

Pledge Period

 

3.1

The Pledge shall take effect from the date on which the Equity pledge hereunder is registered in the industrial and commercial administrative department (the “Registration Authority”) where Party C is located and be valid (the “Pledge Period”) from such effective date to: (1) the date on which the last Secured Debt and Contractual Obligations secured by such Pledge are fully settled and performed, or (2) the date on which the Pledgee and/or its designee decide/decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with Exclusive Call Option Agreement under the Laws of China, and the Equity of Party C has been legally transferred to the Pledgee and/or its designee who have/has legally engaged in the business of Party C, or (3) the date on which the Pledgee unilaterally requests the termination of this Agreement (the Pledgee’s right to terminate this Agreement is the right without any restrictive conditions, and the right is only enjoyed by the Pledgee. The Pledgor or Party C shall not have the right to unilaterally terminate this Agreement, or (4) the date on which the Pledgee has fully realized the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, or (5) the date on which relevant applicable laws and regulations of China require termination.

 

3.2

During the Pledge Period, if Party B and/or Party C fail/fails to perform the Contractual Obligations or pay the Secured Debt (including paying the exclusive consultation or service fee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement or failing to perform other aspects of any Transaction Agreement), the Pledgee shall have the right but no obligation to realize the Pledge as agreed herein.

 

4.

Pledge Registration and Safekeeping of Records of Equity subject to Pledge

 

4.1

The Pledgor and Party C agree and undertake that upon execution of this Agreement, Party C shall immediately and the Pledgor shall urge Party C to immediately record the Equity pledge arrangement hereunder on the register of shareholders of Party C on the date of execution of this Agreement, and apply to the Registration Authority for the creation (or change) of Equity pledge in accordance with the Measures for Registration of Equity Pledge at the Administrative Authority for Industry and Commerce no later than the date of execution of this Agreement and within a reasonable time determined by the Parties. The Pledgor and Party C further agree and undertake to complete all Equity pledge registration procedures and obtain the registration notice issued by the Registration Authority as soon as possible after the Registration Authority formally accepts the Equity pledge registration application, and that the Registration Authority shall record the Equity pledge completely and accurately in the Equity pledge registration book.


4.2

During the Pledge Period agreed herein, the Pledgor shall, within one week after the completion of the Pledge registration in accordance with Article 4.1 above, deliver the original copies of the Equity contribution certificate and the register of shareholders recording the Pledge (and other documents reasonably required by the Pledgee, including but not limited to the Pledge registration notice issued by the industrial and commercial administrative department) to the Pledgee for safekeeping. The Pledgee shall keep such documents during the Pledge Period agreed herein.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.1

The Pledgor has a complete and independent legal status and capacity under the Laws of China, has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can be an independent subject of litigation of one party.

 

5.2

The Pledgor is the sole legal owner and beneficial owner of the Equity, has the full right and power to Pledge the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement, and also has the right to dispose of the Equity and any part thereof. Except for the separate agreement signed by the Pledgor and the Pledgee, the Pledgor enjoys the legal and complete ownership of the Equity.

 

5.3

The Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity as specified herein.

 

5.4

Except for the Pledge, the Pledgor does not have any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the Equity, the ownership of the Equity is not subject to any dispute, there is no taxes or fees payable but unpaid in connection with the Equity, and the Equity is not subject to seizure or other legal proceedings or similar threats and may be pledged or transferred in accordance with applicable laws..

 

5.5

The Pledgor’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene any law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which the Pledgor is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by the Pledgor to any third party.


5.6

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by the Pledgor to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.7

After this Agreement is duly signed by the Pledgor and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to the Pledgor.

 

5.8

The Pledgor has the full right and authority within the Pledgor to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.9

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance hereof and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled, and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.10

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.11

All taxes and fees payable in connection with the acquisition of Equity have been paid in full by the Pledgor.

 

5.12

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any government agency or administrative authority against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, which will have a material or adverse impact on the Pledgor’s financial situation or ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.13

Unless otherwise agreed herein, at any time once the Pledgee exercises its rights pursuant to this Agreement, there shall be no interference from any other party.

 

5.14

The Pledgor hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by Party C hereunder.


5.15

The Pledgor hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

Party C represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.16

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, has the status of an independent legal person, can be an independent subject of litigation of one party, has formally registered with the competent industrial and commercial administrative department, has passed annual inspection over the years or submitted annual report in accordance with law, has full and independent legal status and capacity, and has been duly authorized to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.17

After this Agreement is duly signed by Party C and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to Party C.

 

5.18

Party C has the full right and authority within Party C to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.19

There is no material Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets owned by Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

5.20

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Equity, Party C or its asset, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any government agency or administrative authority against the Equity, Party C or its asset, which will have a material or adverse impact on Party C’s financial situation or the Pledgor/ Party C’s ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.21

Party C hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by the Pledgor hereunder.


5.22

Party C’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene an law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which Party C is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by Party C to any third party.

 

5.23

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party C to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.24

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance of this Agreement and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.25

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.26

Party C hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

 

6.

Undertakings and Further Consent of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.1

During the term hereof, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee that:

 

  (1)

except for performance of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and with written consent or that a disclosure has been made to the Pledgee, without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not or agree others to transfer all or any part of the Equity, have or allow existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity;

 

  (2)

the Pledgor shall comply with and enforce all laws and regulations applicable to Pledge of rights, present to the Pledgee within five (5) days after receiving any notice, order or suggestion issued or made by relevant competent authority in respect of Pledge (or any other relevant aspect), and comply with such notice, order or suggestion or raise objections and statements on the matters above as reasonably required by the Pledgee or with the consent of the Pledgee;


  (3)

the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of any event that may affect the Pledgee’s right to the Equity or any part thereof or any notice received by the Pledgor and any event that may affect any warranties and other obligations of the Pledgor arising out of this Agreement or any notice received by the Pledgor, and take all necessary measures as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge.

 

6.2

The Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee’s right to the Pledge hereunder shall not be interrupted or obstructed by the Pledgor or any successor or representative of the Pledgor or any other person through legal procedures.

 

6.3

In order to protect or improve the Security Interest granted hereunder for payment of the Secured Debt and performance of the Contractual Obligations, and ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such rights, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge hereunder as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement, and sincerely sign and cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to sign all documents (including but not limited to supplementary agreements to this Agreement), certificates, agreements, deeds and/or undertakings required by the Pledgee. The Pledgor also undertakes to act and to cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to act as required by the Pledgee, promote the Pledgee to exercise its rights and authorizes granted hereunder, and sign all relevant documents related to the ownership of the Equity with the Pledgee or its designee. The Pledgor undertakes to provide the Pledgee with all notices, orders and decisions related to the Equity as required by the Pledgee within a reasonable period.

 

6.4

The Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee to comply with and fulfill all warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder. If the Pledgor fails or partially fulfills its warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions, the Pledgor shall indemnify the Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

6.5

If, for any reason, the pledged Equity hereunder is subject to any compulsory measures taken by the court or other government departments, the Pledgor shall use all its efforts, including but not limited to providing other guarantees to the court or taking other measures, to remove such compulsory measures taken by the court or other departments regarding the Equity.

 

6.6

If the Equity involves any property preservation or enforcement, or any decrease or loss in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of such situation, and cooperate with the Pledgee in taking effective measures to guarantee the rights and interest of the Pledgee, including but not limited to providing additional property as mortgage or security. If the Pledgor refuses to provide as required by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time, and use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debt in advance or to place in deposit; any expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Pledgor.


6.7

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not (or assist others to) increase, decrease or transfer the registered capital of Party C (or its amount of contribution to Party C) or impose any encumbrances on it (including the Equity). Subject to this provision, the Equity of Party C registered and acquired by the Pledgor after the date hereof (the “Additional Equity”) and corresponding capital of such Equity in the registered capital of Party C shall also be the Equity to be pledged by the Pledgor for the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement. The Pledgor and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement on Equity pledge with the Pledgee regarding the Additional Equity immediately after the Pledgor acquires the Additional Equity, and submit all documents necessary for the supplementary agreement on Equity pledge to the Pledgee, including but not limited to (a) the original shareholders’ capital contribution certificate issued by Party C in respect of the Additional Equity, and (b) certified copies of the capital verification report or other capital contribution certificates issued by Chinese Certified Public Accountant in respect of the Additional Equity. The Pledgor and Party C shall apply for Pledge (or change) registration of the Additional Equity in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof and deliver relevant documents to the Pledgee for safekeeping in accordance with Article 4.2 hereof.

 

6.8

Unless otherwise instructed to the contrary by the Pledgee in writing, the Pledgor and/or Party C agree/agrees that if part or all of the Equity is transferred in violation of this Agreement between the Pledgor and any third party (the “Transferee of Equity”), the Pledgor and/or Party C shall ensure that the Transferee of Equity unconditionally acknowledges the Pledge and handle necessary Pledge change registration procedures (including but not limited to signing relevant documents), so as to ensure the existence of the Pledge. Performance of the provisions of this article by the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not be deemed that the Pledgee waives to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract. The Pledgee hereby expressly reserves the right to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract.

 

6.9

If the Pledgee provides a loan for Party C, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall agree to grant the Pledge to the Pledgee with the Equity as Pledge to secure such further loan, and handle relevant procedures as soon as possible as required by laws, regulations or local practices (if any), including but not limited to signing relevant documents and applying for relevant Pledge (or change) registration.


6.10

The Pledgor shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s rights or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement. The Pledgor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives the right of first refusal when the Pledgee realizes the Pledge.

 

6.11

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, the Pledgor warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.12

The Pledgor shall not give up the Equity pledged to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement and/or give up the fruits, including but not limited to dividends and bonuses, arising from the holding of such Equity until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.13

The Pledgor shall not, by any resolution, allow Party C to transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without prior written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.14

Unless disclosed to and agreed by Party A, the Pledgor shall not sign any document or make relevant commitment which has a conflict of interest with legal documents such as agreements signed and being performed by Party C or the Pledgee and its designee, and shall not, by act or omission, cause a conflict of interest between the Pledgor and the Pledgee and its shareholders. If such conflict of interest occurs (the Pledgee shall have the right to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest occurs), the Pledgor shall, with the consent of the Pledgee or its designee, take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. If the Pledgor refuses to take measures to eliminate the conflict of interest, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise the right of Equity purchase under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement.

 

6.15

If, under applicable law, any amendment, supplement or update of this Agreement shall not take effect until the approval and/or registration of corresponding change of Pledge has been completed, the Pledgor shall, within a reasonable time after the completion of such amendment, supplement or update, complete the registration of such change at relevant Registration Authority.

 

6.16

The Pledgor shall ensure that the convening procedure, voting method and content of the shareholders’ meeting and board meeting of Party C convened for signing of this Agreement, creation of the Pledge and exercise of the Pledge do not violate laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association of Party C.


Party C undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.17

If the execution and performance of this Agreement and the Equity pledge hereunder require any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law), Party C shall use its best efforts to assist in obtaining and maintaining its full validity during the term hereof. If the term of operation of Party C expires within the term hereof, Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extending the term of operation before the term of operation of Party C expires, so as to ensure the continuation of the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.18

Without prior consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not assist or permit the Pledgor to create any new Pledge or grant any other Security Interest in the Equity, nor shall it assist or permit the Pledgor to transfer the Equity.

 

6.19

Party C agrees to strictly abide by the obligations agreed in Articles 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16 of this Agreement with the Pledgor.

 

6.20

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not transfer or sell the assets of Party C or create or permit the existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets of Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB 500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

6.21

If any legal action, arbitration or other claims may adversely affect the interests of Party C, the Equity or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, Party C warrants that it shall notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as possible and in a timely manner, and take all necessary measures to ensure the Pledgee’s Pledge interest in the Equity as reasonably required by the Pledgee.

 

6.22

Party C shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s interests or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement.

 

6.23

Within the first month of each calendar quarter, Party C shall provide the Pledgee with the financial statements of the previous calendar quarter of Party C, including but not limited to the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

6.24

Party C warrants that it shall take all necessary measures and sign all necessary documents as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such interest.


6.25

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, Party C warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.26

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Party C as required by the Laws of China, this Agreement shall be terminated, and Party C and Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, transfer all their assets including Equity to Party A for free or at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China, or all assets including Equity of Party C shall be disposed of by the liquidator at that time to protect the interests of Party A and/or the creditor.

 

6.27

Each Party warrants to the other party that once permitted by the Laws of China and the Pledgee decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Parties shall immediately terminate this Agreement.

 

7.

Default Event

 

7.1

Any of the following events shall be deemed a Default Event:

 

  (1)

The Pledgor breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and/or this Agreement, and Party C breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Business Cooperation Agreement and/or this Agreement;

 

  (2)

Any representation or warranty made by the Pledgor in Article 5 hereof contains serious misrepresentation or error, and/or the Pledgor breaches any warranty in Article 5 hereof and/or any undertaking in Article 6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The Pledgor and Party C breach any content or provision of this Agreement;

 

  (4)

Unless expressly agreed in Article 6.1(1), the Pledgor transfers or intends to transfer or abandon the pledged Equity or transfers the pledged Equity without prior written consent of the Pledgee;

 

  (5)

The Pledgor’s own loan, warranty, indemnity, undertaking or other liabilities to any third party (i) are required to be repaid or fulfilled in advance due to the Pledgor’s default, or (ii) are due but cannot be repaid or fulfilled on time;

 

  (6)

The Pledgor is unable to repay general debts or other debts;


  (7)

Any approval, license, consent, permission or authorization of any government agency that makes this Agreement enforceable, legal and effective is withdrawn, suspended, invalidated or materially altered;

 

  (8)

The enactment of applicable law makes this Agreement illegal or prevents the Pledgor from continuing to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

  (9)

Adverse changes in the property owned by the Pledgor cause the Pledgee to believe that the ability of the Pledgor to perform its obligations hereunder has been affected;

 

  (10)

Party C or its successors or custodians can only partially perform or refuse to perform the payment obligation under the Business Cooperation Agreement or the Pledgor and/or Party C can only partially settle or refuse to settle the Secured Debt; and

 

  (11)

Any other circumstance in which the Pledgee is unable or may not be able to exercise its right to the Pledge.

 

7.2

The Pledgor and Party C shall immediately and accordingly notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as they become aware of or discover that any of the circumstances described in Article 7.1 or any of the events that may cause such circumstances has occurred.

 

7.3

Unless the Default Event set forth in Article 7.1 has been satisfactorily resolved by the Pledgee within thirty (30) days from the date of notice given by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may give Default Notice to the Pledgor at the time or at any time after the occurrence of the Default Event to exercise all of its rights and powers of remedy for breach of contract under the Laws of China, the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including but not limited to:

 

  (1)

requiring the Pledgor and/or Party C to immediately make all outstanding payments due under the Business Cooperation Agreement, all arrears due under the Transaction Agreements and all other payments due to the Pledgee, and/or repay the loan; and/or

 

  (2)

disposing of the Pledge and/or disposing of the pledged Equity by other means as agreed in Article 8 hereof (including but not limited to the conversion of all or part of the Equity, or the preferential payment of the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity) to the extent permitted by law.

The Pledgee shall have the right to choose to exercise any of the above rights in accordance with its independent judgment. In such case, the other parties to this Agreement shall unconditionally agree to cooperate fully. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


7.4

The Pledgee shall have the right to appoint its lawyer or other agents in writing to exercise any and all of the aforesaid rights and powers, and neither the Pledgor nor Party C shall raise any objection.

 

7.5

The Pledgee shall have the right to exercise any default remedies it enjoys at the same time or successively. The Pledgee shall not have to make other default remedies before exercising the right to auction or sell the Equity hereunder.

 

8.

Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1

The Pledgor shall not transfer the Pledge or the Equity in Party C without the written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully repaid.

 

8.2

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee may send a Default Notice to the Pledgor in accordance with Article 7.3.

 

8.3

Subject to Article 7.3, the Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at the same time or at any time after the Default Notice is given in accordance with Article 7.3. Once the Pledgee chooses to enforce the Pledge, the Pledgor shall no longer have any rights or interests related to the Equity.

 

8.4

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the pledged Equity in accordance with law within the permitted scope and in accordance with the applicable law; all the payment received by the Pledgee due to the exercise of the Pledge shall be handled in the following order:

 

  (1)

pay all expenses arising from the disposal of the Equity and the exercise of the Pledgee’s rights and powers (including the fees paid to its lawyer and the remuneration paid to its agent);

 

  (2)

pay the taxes due for the disposal of the Equity;

 

  (3)

repay the Secured Debt to the Pledgee.

If there is any balance after deducting the above amount, the balance shall be paid to the Pledgor or the person entitled to receive such amount (without interest), and the Pledgor shall give such amount to the Pledgee or its designee unconditionally as permitted by the Laws of China. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.

 

8.5

When the Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable the Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.


8.6

All the actual expenses, taxes and all legal fees related to the creation of the Equity pledge and the realization of the Pledgee’s rights hereunder shall be borne by Party C, unless they shall be borne by the Pledgee in accordance with law, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct such expenses in accordance with the actual amount from the payment obtained from the exercise of its rights and powers.

 

8.7

The amount of the Secured Debt identified by the Pledgee when exercising its Pledge of the Equity in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed as final evidence of the Secured Debt hereunder.

 

9.

Transfer

 

9.1

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not transfer or delegate its rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2

The Pledgor and Party C agree that, without contravening the Laws of China at the time, after the Pledgee notifies the Pledgor and Party C, the Pledgee may delegate or transfer to any third party in any manner and on any terms and conditions (including the right to re-delegate) as it deems appropriate, any right it may exercise hereunder, the Transaction Agreements and other security documents.

 

9.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Pledgor and Party C and their respective successors and permitted transferees (if any), and shall be valid for the Pledgee and each of its successors and transferees.

 

9.4

At any time when the Pledgee transfers any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements to the party (natural person/legal person) designated by it, the transferee shall enjoy and assume the rights and obligations of the Pledgee hereunder as if it were the original party to this Agreement. When the Pledgee transfers the rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements, at the request of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall sign relevant agreement or other documents related to such transfer.

 

9.5

If the Pledgee changes as a result of the transfer of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall, at the request of the Pledgee, sign a new equity interest pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the pledged Equity on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement and apply for corresponding pledge registration.


9.6

The Pledgor shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately signed by the Parties hereto or by any of them, including the Transaction Agreements, perform its obligations under this Agreement and other contracts (including the Transaction Agreements), and shall not perform any act/omission that may affect their validity and enforceability. Unless instructed in writing by the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not exercise any remaining rights in respect of the Equity pledged hereunder.

 

10.

Termination

 

10.1

Upon expiration of the Pledge Period, this Agreement shall be terminated, the Pledgee shall cancel or terminate this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and remove the Equity pledge hereunder, and the Pledgor and Party C shall record the release of the Equity pledge in the register of shareholders of Party C and apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge release. The Pledgor and Party C shall bear the reasonable expenses arising from the Equity pledge release. Articles 12, 13 and 19.5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

10.2

If Party B, with the knowledge and consent of Party A, no longer holds any Equity or other interests of Party C, and has completed all registration or filing related to the transfer or release of such Equity/interests in accordance with relevant laws and regulations (including but not limited to industrial and commercial registration of changes, registration of Equity pledge release/change, etc.), the rights and obligations of the party hereunder and other contracts (including but not limited to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) jointly or separately concluded by Party B, Party C and Party A shall be terminated automatically. Amendments and changes to this Agreement made by the other parties shall not require the consent of that Party.

 

11.

Handling Fees and Other Charges

All costs and actual expenses in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, cost of production, stamp duty and any other tax and expense, shall be borne by Party C. If applicable law requires the Pledgee to bear certain taxes and expenses, the Pledgor shall urge Party C to pay back in full the taxes and expenses paid by the Pledgee.


12.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or(c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.

 

13.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

13.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

13.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation, amendment, supplement and performance hereof or hereto, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation for the Equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to the Pledgee due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of the Pledgee.

 

13.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance hereof, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


13.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

14.

Force Majeure

 

14.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

14.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

15.

Notice

 

15.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).


15.2

Any Party may change its address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

16.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

17.

Appendix

The appendix hereto shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.

Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

18.1

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of signature by the Parties, and the Equity pledge hereunder shall enter into force from the date of completion of the relevant registration procedures with the Registration Authority.

 

18.2

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

18.3

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

18.4

This Agreement is made in six (6) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them, Party B holding one (1) of them and one (1) for Registration Authority, which shall have the same legal effect

 

19.

Miscellaneous

 

19.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


19.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

19.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

19.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

 

19.5

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, or the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

19.6

Without conflicting with the Transaction Agreements and other provisions of this Agreement, if at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, or relevant registration procedure is changed, the Pledgee deems it illegal to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement, the validity of the Pledge hereunder and/or to dispose of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein is contrary to such laws, regulations or rules, the Pledgor and Party C shall immediately take any action and/or execute any agreement or other documents in accordance with the written instructions and the reasonable requirements of the Pledgee, in order to: (1) maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and the validity of the Pledge hereunder; (2) facilitate the disposal of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein; and/or (3) maintain or realize the guarantees created or intended to be created hereunder.

 

19.7

This Agreement is a legal document independent of the Transaction Agreements and other guarantee documents. The invalidity of the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder. If the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents are declared invalid, but the Pledgor still has outstanding Contractual Obligations and/or still owes Secured Debt with the Pledgee, the Equity hereunder shall remain the Pledge of the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt until the Pledgor has paid off all the Secured Debts and fulfilled all the Contractual Obligations.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B: Lili Sun

 

Signature:  

/s/ Lili Sun


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties are as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Lili Sun

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.3

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B: Shuyi Yang, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

In this Agreement, Party A is hereinafter referred to as the “Pledgee,” Party B as the “Pledgor,” and Party A, Party B and Party C are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”

WHEREAS:

 

1.

The Pledgor, Lili Sun, Zhen Ba, Tongtong Li and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (the “Ningbo Maiken”) are shareholders of Party C as of the date hereof, and hold 100% equity interest in Party C in total, with the amount of contribution in the registered capital and the shareholding ratio in Party C as follows:

 

Name of Shareholder

   Registered Capital (RMB)      Ratio of Contributions  

Lili Sun

     629,662.95        25.7264

Zhen Ba

     236,302.87        9.6547

Shuyi Yang

     611,354.35        24.9784

Tongtong Li

     19,956.36        0.8154

Ningbo Maiken

     950,255.32        38.8250
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     2,447,531.85        100.0000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

2.

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, and the Pledgee is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Laws of China;

 

3.

The Pledgee and Party C signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgee provides Party C with relevant exclusive technical, management consulting and other services;


4.

The Parties signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby if the Pledgee independently decides to make a purchase request, the Pledgor shall, upon its request, transfer all or part of the equity it holds in Party C to the Pledgee and/or any other entity or individual designated by the Pledgee, subject to the Laws of China and applicable conditions;

 

5.

The Parties signed the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgor has irrevocably entrusted a person designated by the Pledgee at that time to exercise on behalf of the Pledgor the voting right corresponding to all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C;

 

6.

As security of the Pledgor for performance of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and settlement of the Secured Debt (as defined below), Party A, Party B and Party C plan to sign this Agreement regarding Party B’s provision of equity pledge for Party A, whereby the Pledgor will pledge all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C to the Pledgee to secure the pledge of such obligation and liability, and Party C agrees to the pledge of such Equity.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly negotiation:

 

1.

Definitions

Unless otherwise agreed herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1

Pledge” shall mean the Security Interest granted by the Pledgor to the Pledgee pursuant to Article 2 hereof, i.e., the right enjoyed by the Pledgee to have priority in compensation from the discount, conversion, auction or sale price of the pledged Equity pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgor.

 

1.2

Equity” shall mean all the Equity of Party C that the Pledgor legally holds and has the right to dispose of when this Agreement comes into force and that will be pledged to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement as security of the Pledgor and Party C to perform the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt (including all equity interest held by the Pledgor now that constitutes and is related to all registered capital of Party C) and Additional Equity added pursuant to Article 6.7 hereof.

 

1.3

Pledge Period” shall mean the term set forth in Article 3 hereof.

 

1.4

Default Event” shall mean any of the circumstances set forth in Article 7 hereof.


1.5

Default Notice” shall mean the notice issued by the Pledgee to declare the Default Event hereunder.

 

1.6

Contractual Obligations” shall mean all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, all Contractual Obligations of Party C under the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor and Party C under this Agreement.

 

1.7

Transaction Agreements” shall mean the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, or one or more of the agreements.

 

1.8

Secured Debt” shall mean (i) all payments owed by Party C to the Pledgee, including but not limited to the consulting and service fees (whether through payment on an agreed due date, prepayment or otherwise) and interest, liquidated damages (if any), damages and attorney’s fees, arbitration fees, Equity evaluation, auction and other costs to realize the Pledge payable to the Pledgee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement; (ii) all direct, indirect, derivative losses and loss of predictable interests suffered by the Pledgee as a result of any Default Event of the Pledgor or Party C, with the amount of such loss based on, but not limited to, reasonable business plan and profit forecast of the Pledgee, and all expenses incurred by the Pledgee in forcing the Pledgor and/or Party C to perform their Contractual Obligations.

 

1.9

Laws of China” shall include any law, regulation, rule, notice, interpretation or other binding documents issued by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial branch before or after the execution of this Agreement.

 

1.10

Security Interest” shall include security, mortgage, third party rights or interests, any share option, right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, retention of title or other security arrangements, etc.

 

2.

Pledge

 

2.1

The Pledgor agrees to unconditionally and irrevocably Pledge the 24.9784% Equity held by it in Party C, namely its contribution of RMB611,354.35 in the registered capital in Party C, to the Pledgee in the first priority irrevocably in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, so as to secure full performance of its Contractual Obligations. Party C agrees that the Pledgor pledges the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement.


2.2

The Parties understand and agree that the scope of security for the pledged Equity includes all the Secured Debts that Party A shall obtain under the Contractual Obligations. If the competent industrial and commercial authority requires to specify the amount of Secured Debt in the process of Equity pledge registration, the Parties agree to register the principal amount of Secured Debt as RMB611,354.35 and all and any liability for breach of contract and compensation for loss under the Contractual Obligations only for the purpose of such Equity pledge registration. The Parties further confirm that, for the purpose of Equity pledge registration, the aforesaid amount shall not detract from or limit all rights and interests of Party A under its Contractual Obligations.

 

2.3

During the Pledge Period (as defined in Article 3.1), the Pledgee shall have the right to place in deposit any bonus, dividend or other distributable interest arising out of the Equity and to receive priority in compensation therefor. The Pledgor shall, upon receipt of the Pledgee’s written request, deposit (or urge Party C to deposit) such fruits into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing for supervision by the Pledgee; such fruits deposited into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing shall not be withdrawn by the Pledgor without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

2.4

During the term hereof, unless due to the Pledgee’s intention or gross negligence, the Pledgee shall not be liable for any decrease in the value of the Equity, nor shall the Pledgor have the right to pursue or make any demand against the Pledgee in any form.

 

2.5

Subject to the provisions of Article 2.4 hereof, if any significant decrease in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time on behalf of the Pledgor, and agree with the Pledgor to use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debts in advance or to place in deposit with the notary office where the Pledgee is located (any expenses incurred therefrom shall be paid with the proceeds from the auction or sale). In addition, the Pledgor shall provide other properties satisfactory to the Pledgee as security. The Pledgor must promptly notify the Pledgee of any event that may result in any significant decrease in the value of the Equity, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, and take necessary actions to resolve or mitigate the adverse effects of such event as reasonably required by the Pledgee. Otherwise, the Pledgor shall bear corresponding compensation liability to the Pledgee for the direct or indirect losses caused thereby.

 

2.6

The Equity pledge created hereunder is a continuing guarantee and shall remain valid until the Contractual Obligations are fully performed and the Secured Debt is fully settled. The Pledgee’s immunity and grace from any breach of contract by the Pledgor or the Pledgee’s delayed exercise of any rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall not affect the Pledgee’s right to require the Pledgor or Party C to strictly perform the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement at any time thereafter hereunder, relevant Laws of China and the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgee’s right as a result of subsequent breach of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement by the Pledgor or Party C.


3.

Pledge Period

 

3.1

The Pledge shall take effect from the date on which the Equity pledge hereunder is registered in the industrial and commercial administrative department (the “Registration Authority”) where Party C is located and be valid (the “Pledge Period”) from such effective date to: (1) the date on which the last Secured Debt and Contractual Obligations secured by such Pledge are fully settled and performed, or (2) the date on which the Pledgee and/or its designee decide/decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with Exclusive Call Option Agreement under the Laws of China, and the Equity of Party C has been legally transferred to the Pledgee and/or its designee who have/has legally engaged in the business of Party C, or (3) the date on which the Pledgee unilaterally requests the termination of this Agreement (the Pledgee’s right to terminate this Agreement is the right without any restrictive conditions, and the right is only enjoyed by the Pledgee. The Pledgor or Party C shall not have the right to unilaterally terminate this Agreement, or (4) the date on which the Pledgee has fully realized the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, or (5) the date on which relevant applicable laws and regulations of China require termination.

 

3.2

During the Pledge Period, if Party B and/or Party C fail/fails to perform the Contractual Obligations or pay the Secured Debt (including paying the exclusive consultation or service fee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement or failing to perform other aspects of any Transaction Agreement), the Pledgee shall have the right but no obligation to realize the Pledge as agreed herein.

 

4.

Pledge Registration and Safekeeping of Records of Equity subject to Pledge

 

4.1

The Pledgor and Party C agree and undertake that upon execution of this Agreement, Party C shall immediately and the Pledgor shall urge Party C to immediately record the Equity pledge arrangement hereunder on the register of shareholders of Party C on the date of execution of this Agreement, and apply to the Registration Authority for the creation (or change) of Equity pledge in accordance with the Measures for Registration of Equity Pledge at the Administrative Authority for Industry and Commerce no later than the date of execution of this Agreement and within a reasonable time determined by the Parties. The Pledgor and Party C further agree and undertake to complete all Equity pledge registration procedures and obtain the registration notice issued by the Registration Authority as soon as possible after the Registration Authority formally accepts the Equity pledge registration application, and that the Registration Authority shall record the Equity pledge completely and accurately in the Equity pledge registration book.


4.2

During the Pledge Period agreed herein, the Pledgor shall, within one week after the completion of the Pledge registration in accordance with Article 4.1 above, deliver the original copies of the Equity contribution certificate and the register of shareholders recording the Pledge (and other documents reasonably required by the Pledgee, including but not limited to the Pledge registration notice issued by the industrial and commercial administrative department) to the Pledgee for safekeeping. The Pledgee shall keep such documents during the Pledge Period agreed herein.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.1

The Pledgor has a complete and independent legal status and capacity under the Laws of China, has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can be an independent subject of litigation of one party.

 

5.2

The Pledgor is the sole legal owner and beneficial owner of the Equity, has the full right and power to Pledge the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement, and also has the right to dispose of the Equity and any part thereof. Except for the separate agreement signed by the Pledgor and the Pledgee, the Pledgor enjoys the legal and complete ownership of the Equity.

 

5.3

The Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity as specified herein.

 

5.4

Except for the Pledge, the Pledgor does not have any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the Equity, the ownership of the Equity is not subject to any dispute, there is no taxes or fees payable but unpaid in connection with the Equity, and the Equity is not subject to seizure or other legal proceedings or similar threats and may be pledged or transferred in accordance with applicable laws..

 

5.5

The Pledgor’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene any law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which the Pledgor is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by the Pledgor to any third party.


5.6

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by the Pledgor to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.7

After this Agreement is duly signed by the Pledgor and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to the Pledgor.

 

5.8

The Pledgor has the full right and authority within the Pledgor to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.9

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance hereof and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled, and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.10

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.11

All taxes and fees payable in connection with the acquisition of Equity have been paid in full by the Pledgor.

 

5.12

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any government agency or administrative authority against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, which will have a material or adverse impact on the Pledgor’s financial situation or ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.13

Unless otherwise agreed herein, at any time once the Pledgee exercises its rights pursuant to this Agreement, there shall be no interference from any other party.

 

5.14

The Pledgor hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by Party C hereunder.


5.15

The Pledgor hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

Party C represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.16

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, has the status of an independent legal person, can be an independent subject of litigation of one party, has formally registered with the competent industrial and commercial administrative department, has passed annual inspection over the years or submitted annual report in accordance with law, has full and independent legal status and capacity, and has been duly authorized to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.17

After this Agreement is duly signed by Party C and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to Party C.

 

5.18

Party C has the full right and authority within Party C to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.19

There is no material Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets owned by Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

5.20

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Equity, Party C or its asset, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any government agency or administrative authority against the Equity, Party C or its asset, which will have a material or adverse impact on Party C’s financial situation or the Pledgor/ Party C’s ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.21

Party C hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by the Pledgor hereunder.


5.22

Party C’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene an law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which Party C is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by Party C to any third party.

 

5.23

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party C to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.24

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance of this Agreement and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.25

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.26

Party C hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

 

6.

Undertakings and Further Consent of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.1

During the term hereof, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee that:

 

  (1)

except for performance of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and with written consent or that a disclosure has been made to the Pledgee, without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not or agree others to transfer all or any part of the Equity, have or allow existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity;

 

  (2)

the Pledgor shall comply with and enforce all laws and regulations applicable to Pledge of rights, present to the Pledgee within five (5) days after receiving any notice, order or suggestion issued or made by relevant competent authority in respect of Pledge (or any other relevant aspect), and comply with such notice, order or suggestion or raise objections and statements on the matters above as reasonably required by the Pledgee or with the consent of the Pledgee;


  (3)

the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of any event that may affect the Pledgee’s right to the Equity or any part thereof or any notice received by the Pledgor and any event that may affect any warranties and other obligations of the Pledgor arising out of this Agreement or any notice received by the Pledgor, and take all necessary measures as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge.

 

6.2

The Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee’s right to the Pledge hereunder shall not be interrupted or obstructed by the Pledgor or any successor or representative of the Pledgor or any other person through legal procedures.

 

6.3

In order to protect or improve the Security Interest granted hereunder for payment of the Secured Debt and performance of the Contractual Obligations, and ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such rights, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge hereunder as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement, and sincerely sign and cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to sign all documents (including but not limited to supplementary agreements to this Agreement), certificates, agreements, deeds and/or undertakings required by the Pledgee. The Pledgor also undertakes to act and to cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to act as required by the Pledgee, promote the Pledgee to exercise its rights and authorizes granted hereunder, and sign all relevant documents related to the ownership of the Equity with the Pledgee or its designee. The Pledgor undertakes to provide the Pledgee with all notices, orders and decisions related to the Equity as required by the Pledgee within a reasonable period.

 

6.4

The Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee to comply with and fulfill all warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder. If the Pledgor fails or partially fulfills its warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions, the Pledgor shall indemnify the Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

6.5

If, for any reason, the pledged Equity hereunder is subject to any compulsory measures taken by the court or other government departments, the Pledgor shall use all its efforts, including but not limited to providing other guarantees to the court or taking other measures, to remove such compulsory measures taken by the court or other departments regarding the Equity.


6.6

If the Equity involves any property preservation or enforcement, or any decrease or loss in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of such situation, and cooperate with the Pledgee in taking effective measures to guarantee the rights and interest of the Pledgee, including but not limited to providing additional property as mortgage or security. If the Pledgor refuses to provide as required by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time, and use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debt in advance or to place in deposit; any expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Pledgor.

 

6.7

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not (or assist others to) increase, decrease or transfer the registered capital of Party C (or its amount of contribution to Party C) or impose any encumbrances on it (including the Equity). Subject to this provision, the Equity of Party C registered and acquired by the Pledgor after the date hereof (the “Additional Equity”) and corresponding capital of such Equity in the registered capital of Party C shall also be the Equity to be pledged by the Pledgor for the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement. The Pledgor and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement on Equity pledge with the Pledgee regarding the Additional Equity immediately after the Pledgor acquires the Additional Equity, and submit all documents necessary for the supplementary agreement on Equity pledge to the Pledgee, including but not limited to (a) the original shareholders’ capital contribution certificate issued by Party C in respect of the Additional Equity, and (b) certified copies of the capital verification report or other capital contribution certificates issued by Chinese Certified Public Accountant in respect of the Additional Equity. The Pledgor and Party C shall apply for Pledge (or change) registration of the Additional Equity in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof and deliver relevant documents to the Pledgee for safekeeping in accordance with Article 4.2 hereof.

 

6.8

Unless otherwise instructed to the contrary by the Pledgee in writing, the Pledgor and/or Party C agree/agrees that if part or all of the Equity is transferred in violation of this Agreement between the Pledgor and any third party (the “Transferee of Equity”), the Pledgor and/or Party C shall ensure that the Transferee of Equity unconditionally acknowledges the Pledge and handle necessary Pledge change registration procedures (including but not limited to signing relevant documents), so as to ensure the existence of the Pledge. Performance of the provisions of this article by the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not be deemed that the Pledgee waives to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract. The Pledgee hereby expressly reserves the right to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract.

 

6.9

If the Pledgee provides a loan for Party C, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall agree to grant the Pledge to the Pledgee with the Equity as Pledge to secure such further loan, and handle relevant procedures as soon as possible as required by laws, regulations or local practices (if any), including but not limited to signing relevant documents and applying for relevant Pledge (or change) registration.


6.10

The Pledgor shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s rights or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement. The Pledgor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives the right of first refusal when the Pledgee realizes the Pledge.

 

6.11

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, the Pledgor warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.12

The Pledgor shall not give up the Equity pledged to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement and/or give up the fruits, including but not limited to dividends and bonuses, arising from the holding of such Equity until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.13

The Pledgor shall not, by any resolution, allow Party C to transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without prior written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.14

Unless disclosed to and agreed by Party A, the Pledgor shall not sign any document or make relevant commitment which has a conflict of interest with legal documents such as agreements signed and being performed by Party C or the Pledgee and its designee, and shall not, by act or omission, cause a conflict of interest between the Pledgor and the Pledgee and its shareholders. If such conflict of interest occurs (the Pledgee shall have the right to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest occurs), the Pledgor shall, with the consent of the Pledgee or its designee, take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. If the Pledgor refuses to take measures to eliminate the conflict of interest, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise the right of Equity purchase under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement.

 

6.15

If, under applicable law, any amendment, supplement or update of this Agreement shall not take effect until the approval and/or registration of corresponding change of Pledge has been completed, the Pledgor shall, within a reasonable time after the completion of such amendment, supplement or update, complete the registration of such change at relevant Registration Authority.

 

6.16

The Pledgor shall ensure that the convening procedure, voting method and content of the shareholders’ meeting and board meeting of Party C convened for signing of this Agreement, creation of the Pledge and exercise of the Pledge do not violate laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association of Party C.


Party C undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.17

If the execution and performance of this Agreement and the Equity pledge hereunder require any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law), Party C shall use its best efforts to assist in obtaining and maintaining its full validity during the term hereof. If the term of operation of Party C expires within the term hereof, Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extending the term of operation before the term of operation of Party C expires, so as to ensure the continuation of the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.18

Without prior consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not assist or permit the Pledgor to create any new Pledge or grant any other Security Interest in the Equity, nor shall it assist or permit the Pledgor to transfer the Equity.

 

6.19

Party C agrees to strictly abide by the obligations agreed in Articles 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16 of this Agreement with the Pledgor.

 

6.20

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not transfer or sell the assets of Party C or create or permit the existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets of Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB 500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

6.21

If any legal action, arbitration or other claims may adversely affect the interests of Party C, the Equity or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, Party C warrants that it shall notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as possible and in a timely manner, and take all necessary measures to ensure the Pledgee’s Pledge interest in the Equity as reasonably required by the Pledgee.

 

6.22

Party C shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s interests or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement.

 

6.23

Within the first month of each calendar quarter, Party C shall provide the Pledgee with the financial statements of the previous calendar quarter of Party C, including but not limited to the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

6.24

Party C warrants that it shall take all necessary measures and sign all necessary documents as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such interest.


6.25

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, Party C warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.26

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Party C as required by the Laws of China, this Agreement shall be terminated, and Party C and Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, transfer all their assets including Equity to Party A for free or at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China, or all assets including Equity of Party C shall be disposed of by the liquidator at that time to protect the interests of Party A and/or the creditor.

 

6.27

Each Party warrants to the other party that once permitted by the Laws of China and the Pledgee decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Parties shall immediately terminate this Agreement.

 

7.

Default Event

 

7.1

Any of the following events shall be deemed a Default Event:

 

  (1)

The Pledgor breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and/or this Agreement, and Party C breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Business Cooperation Agreement and/or this Agreement;

 

  (2)

Any representation or warranty made by the Pledgor in Article 5 hereof contains serious misrepresentation or error, and/or the Pledgor breaches any warranty in Article 5 hereof and/or any undertaking in Article 6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The Pledgor and Party C breach any content or provision of this Agreement;

 

  (4)

Unless expressly agreed in Article 6.1(1), the Pledgor transfers or intends to transfer or abandon the pledged Equity or transfers the pledged Equity without prior written consent of the Pledgee;

 

  (5)

The Pledgor’s own loan, warranty, indemnity, undertaking or other liabilities to any third party (i) are required to be repaid or fulfilled in advance due to the Pledgor’s default, or (ii) are due but cannot be repaid or fulfilled on time;

 

  (6)

The Pledgor is unable to repay general debts or other debts;


  (7)

Any approval, license, consent, permission or authorization of any government agency that makes this Agreement enforceable, legal and effective is withdrawn, suspended, invalidated or materially altered;

 

  (8)

The enactment of applicable law makes this Agreement illegal or prevents the Pledgor from continuing to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

  (9)

Adverse changes in the property owned by the Pledgor cause the Pledgee to believe that the ability of the Pledgor to perform its obligations hereunder has been affected;

 

  (10)

Party C or its successors or custodians can only partially perform or refuse to perform the payment obligation under the Business Cooperation Agreement or the Pledgor and/or Party C can only partially settle or refuse to settle the Secured Debt; and

 

  (11)

Any other circumstance in which the Pledgee is unable or may not be able to exercise its right to the Pledge.

 

7.2

The Pledgor and Party C shall immediately and accordingly notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as they become aware of or discover that any of the circumstances described in Article 7.1 or any of the events that may cause such circumstances has occurred.

 

7.3

Unless the Default Event set forth in Article 7.1 has been satisfactorily resolved by the Pledgee within thirty (30) days from the date of notice given by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may give Default Notice to the Pledgor at the time or at any time after the occurrence of the Default Event to exercise all of its rights and powers of remedy for breach of contract under the Laws of China, the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including but not limited to:

 

  (1)

requiring the Pledgor and/or Party C to immediately make all outstanding payments due under the Business Cooperation Agreement, all arrears due under the Transaction Agreements and all other payments due to the Pledgee, and/or repay the loan; and/or

 

  (2)

disposing of the Pledge and/or disposing of the pledged Equity by other means as agreed in Article 8 hereof (including but not limited to the conversion of all or part of the Equity, or the preferential payment of the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity) to the extent permitted by law.

The Pledgee shall have the right to choose to exercise any of the above rights in accordance with its independent judgment. In such case, the other parties to this Agreement shall unconditionally agree to cooperate fully. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


7.4

The Pledgee shall have the right to appoint its lawyer or other agents in writing to exercise any and all of the aforesaid rights and powers, and neither the Pledgor nor Party C shall raise any objection.

 

7.5

The Pledgee shall have the right to exercise any default remedies it enjoys at the same time or successively. The Pledgee shall not have to make other default remedies before exercising the right to auction or sell the Equity hereunder.

 

8.

Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1

The Pledgor shall not transfer the Pledge or the Equity in Party C without the written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully repaid.

 

8.2

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee may send a Default Notice to the Pledgor in accordance with Article 7.3.

 

8.3

Subject to Article 7.3, the Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at the same time or at any time after the Default Notice is given in accordance with Article 7.3. Once the Pledgee chooses to enforce the Pledge, the Pledgor shall no longer have any rights or interests related to the Equity.

 

8.4

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the pledged Equity in accordance with law within the permitted scope and in accordance with the applicable law; all the payment received by the Pledgee due to the exercise of the Pledge shall be handled in the following order:

 

  (1)

pay all expenses arising from the disposal of the Equity and the exercise of the Pledgee’s rights and powers (including the fees paid to its lawyer and the remuneration paid to its agent);

 

  (2)

pay the taxes due for the disposal of the Equity;

 

  (3)

repay the Secured Debt to the Pledgee.

If there is any balance after deducting the above amount, the balance shall be paid to the Pledgor or the person entitled to receive such amount (without interest), and the Pledgor shall give such amount to the Pledgee or its designee unconditionally as permitted by the Laws of China. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


8.5

When the Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable the Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

8.6

All the actual expenses, taxes and all legal fees related to the creation of the Equity pledge and the realization of the Pledgee’s rights hereunder shall be borne by Party C, unless they shall be borne by the Pledgee in accordance with law, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct such expenses in accordance with the actual amount from the payment obtained from the exercise of its rights and powers.

 

8.7

The amount of the Secured Debt identified by the Pledgee when exercising its Pledge of the Equity in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed as final evidence of the Secured Debt hereunder.

 

9.

Transfer

 

9.1

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not transfer or delegate its rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2

The Pledgor and Party C agree that, without contravening the Laws of China at the time, after the Pledgee notifies the Pledgor and Party C, the Pledgee may delegate or transfer to any third party in any manner and on any terms and conditions (including the right to re-delegate) as it deems appropriate, any right it may exercise hereunder, the Transaction Agreements and other security documents.

 

9.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Pledgor and Party C and their respective successors and permitted transferees (if any), and shall be valid for the Pledgee and each of its successors and transferees.

 

9.4

At any time when the Pledgee transfers any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements to the party (natural person/legal person) designated by it, the transferee shall enjoy and assume the rights and obligations of the Pledgee hereunder as if it were the original party to this Agreement. When the Pledgee transfers the rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements, at the request of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall sign relevant agreement or other documents related to such transfer.

 

9.5

If the Pledgee changes as a result of the transfer of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall, at the request of the Pledgee, sign a new equity interest pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the pledged Equity on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement and apply for corresponding pledge registration.


9.6

The Pledgor shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately signed by the Parties hereto or by any of them, including the Transaction Agreements, perform its obligations under this Agreement and other contracts (including the Transaction Agreements), and shall not perform any act/omission that may affect their validity and enforceability. Unless instructed in writing by the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not exercise any remaining rights in respect of the Equity pledged hereunder.

 

10.

Termination

 

10.1

Upon expiration of the Pledge Period, this Agreement shall be terminated, the Pledgee shall cancel or terminate this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and remove the Equity pledge hereunder, and the Pledgor and Party C shall record the release of the Equity pledge in the register of shareholders of Party C and apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge release. The Pledgor and Party C shall bear the reasonable expenses arising from the Equity pledge release. Articles 12, 13 and 19.5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

10.2

If Party B, with the knowledge and consent of Party A, no longer holds any Equity or other interests of Party C, and has completed all registration or filing related to the transfer or release of such Equity/interests in accordance with relevant laws and regulations (including but not limited to industrial and commercial registration of changes, registration of Equity pledge release/change, etc.), the rights and obligations of the party hereunder and other contracts (including but not limited to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) jointly or separately concluded by Party B, Party C and Party A shall be terminated automatically. Amendments and changes to this Agreement made by the other parties shall not require the consent of that Party.

 

11.

Handling Fees and Other Charges

All costs and actual expenses in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, cost of production, stamp duty and any other tax and expense, shall be borne by Party C. If applicable law requires the Pledgee to bear certain taxes and expenses, the Pledgor shall urge Party C to pay back in full the taxes and expenses paid by the Pledgee.


12.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or(c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.

 

13.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

13.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

13.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation, amendment, supplement and performance hereof or hereto, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation for the Equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to the Pledgee due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of the Pledgee.

 

13.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance hereof, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


13.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

14.

Force Majeure

 

14.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

14.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

15.

Notice

 

15.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).


15.2

Any Party may change its address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

16.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

17.

Appendix

The appendix hereto shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.

Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

18.1

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of signature by the Parties, and the Equity pledge hereunder shall enter into force from the date of completion of the relevant registration procedures with the Registration Authority.

 

18.2

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

18.3

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

18.4

This Agreement is made in six (6) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them, Party B holding one (1) of them and one (1) for Registration Authority, which shall have the same legal effect

 

19.

Miscellaneous

 

19.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


19.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

19.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

19.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

 

19.5

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, or the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

19.6

Without conflicting with the Transaction Agreements and other provisions of this Agreement, if at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, or relevant registration procedure is changed, the Pledgee deems it illegal to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement, the validity of the Pledge hereunder and/or to dispose of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein is contrary to such laws, regulations or rules, the Pledgor and Party C shall immediately take any action and/or execute any agreement or other documents in accordance with the written instructions and the reasonable requirements of the Pledgee, in order to: (1) maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and the validity of the Pledge hereunder; (2) facilitate the disposal of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein; and/or (3) maintain or realize the guarantees created or intended to be created hereunder.

 

19.7

This Agreement is a legal document independent of the Transaction Agreements and other guarantee documents. The invalidity of the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder. If the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents are declared invalid, but the Pledgor still has outstanding Contractual Obligations and/or still owes Secured Debt with the Pledgee, the Equity hereunder shall remain the Pledge of the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt until the Pledgor has paid off all the Secured Debts and fulfilled all the Contractual Obligations.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party B: Shuyi Yang
Signature:  

/s/ Shuyi Yang


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties are as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Shuyi Yang

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.4

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B: Zhen Ba, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

In this Agreement, Party A is hereinafter referred to as the “Pledgee,” Party B as the “Pledgor,” and Party A, Party B and Party C are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.

WHEREAS:

 

1.

The Pledgor, Lili Sun, Shuyi Yang, Tongtong Li and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (the “Ningbo Maiken”) are shareholders of Party C as of the date hereof, and hold 100% equity interest in Party C in total, with the amount of contribution in the registered capital and the shareholding ratio in Party C as follows:

 

Name of Shareholder

   Registered Capital (RMB)      Ratio of Contributions  

Lili Sun

     629,662.95        25.7264

Zhen Ba

     236,302.87        9.6547

Shuyi Yang

     611,354.35        24.9784

Tongtong Li

     19,956.36        0.8154

Ningbo Maiken

     950,255.32        38.8250
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     2,447,531.85        100.0000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

2.

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, and the Pledgee is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Laws of China;

 

3.

The Pledgee and Party C signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgee provides Party C with relevant exclusive technical, management consulting and other services;


4.

The Parties signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby if the Pledgee independently decides to make a purchase request, the Pledgor shall, upon its request, transfer all or part of the equity it holds in Party C to the Pledgee and/or any other entity or individual designated by the Pledgee, subject to the Laws of China and applicable conditions;

 

5.

The Parties signed the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgor has irrevocably entrusted a person designated by the Pledgee at that time to exercise on behalf of the Pledgor the voting right corresponding to all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C;

 

6.

As security of the Pledgor for performance of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and settlement of the Secured Debt (as defined below), Party A, Party B and Party C plan to sign this Agreement regarding Party B’s provision of equity pledge for Party A, whereby the Pledgor will pledge all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C to the Pledgee to secure the pledge of such obligation and liability, and Party C agrees to the pledge of such Equity.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly negotiation:

 

1.

Definitions

Unless otherwise agreed herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1

Pledge” shall mean the Security Interest granted by the Pledgor to the Pledgee pursuant to Article 2 hereof, i.e., the right enjoyed by the Pledgee to have priority in compensation from the discount, conversion, auction or sale price of the pledged Equity pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgor.

 

1.2

Equity” shall mean all the Equity of Party C that the Pledgor legally holds and has the right to dispose of when this Agreement comes into force and that will be pledged to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement as security of the Pledgor and Party C to perform the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt (including all equity interest held by the Pledgor now that constitutes and is related to all registered capital of Party C) and Additional Equity added pursuant to Article 6.7 hereof.

 

1.3

Pledge Period” shall mean the term set forth in Article 3 hereof.

 

1.4

Default Event” shall mean any of the circumstances set forth in Article 7 hereof.


1.5

Default Notice” shall mean the notice issued by the Pledgee to declare the Default Event hereunder.

 

1.6

Contractual Obligations” shall mean all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, all Contractual Obligations of Party C under the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor and Party C under this Agreement.

 

1.7

Transaction Agreements” shall mean the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, or one or more of the agreements.

 

1.8

Secured Debt” shall mean (i) all payments owed by Party C to the Pledgee, including but not limited to the consulting and service fees (whether through payment on an agreed due date, prepayment or otherwise) and interest, liquidated damages (if any), damages and attorney’s fees, arbitration fees, Equity evaluation, auction and other costs to realize the Pledge payable to the Pledgee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement; (ii) all direct, indirect, derivative losses and loss of predictable interests suffered by the Pledgee as a result of any Default Event of the Pledgor or Party C, with the amount of such loss based on, but not limited to, reasonable business plan and profit forecast of the Pledgee, and all expenses incurred by the Pledgee in forcing the Pledgor and/or Party C to perform their Contractual Obligations.

 

1.9

Laws of China” shall include any law, regulation, rule, notice, interpretation or other binding documents issued by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial branch before or after the execution of this Agreement.

 

1.10

Security Interest” shall include security, mortgage, third party rights or interests, any share option, right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, retention of title or other security arrangements, etc.

 

2.

Pledge

 

2.1

The Pledgor agrees to unconditionally and irrevocably Pledge the 9.6547% Equity held by it in Party C, namely its contribution of RMB236,302.87 in the registered capital in Party C, to the Pledgee in the first priority irrevocably in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, so as to secure full performance of its Contractual Obligations. Party C agrees that the Pledgor pledges the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement.


2.2

The Parties understand and agree that the scope of security for the pledged Equity includes all the Secured Debts that Party A shall obtain under the Contractual Obligations. If the competent industrial and commercial authority requires to specify the amount of Secured Debt in the process of Equity pledge registration, the Parties agree to register the principal amount of Secured Debt as RMB236,302.87 and all and any liability for breach of contract and compensation for loss under the Contractual Obligations only for the purpose of such Equity pledge registration. The Parties further confirm that, for the purpose of Equity pledge registration, the aforesaid amount shall not detract from or limit all rights and interests of Party A under its Contractual Obligations.

 

2.3

During the Pledge Period (as defined in Article 3.1), the Pledgee shall have the right to place in deposit any bonus, dividend or other distributable interest arising out of the Equity and to receive priority in compensation therefor. The Pledgor shall, upon receipt of the Pledgee’s written request, deposit (or urge Party C to deposit) such fruits into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing for supervision by the Pledgee; such fruits deposited into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing shall not be withdrawn by the Pledgor without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

2.4

During the term hereof, unless due to the Pledgee’s intention or gross negligence, the Pledgee shall not be liable for any decrease in the value of the Equity, nor shall the Pledgor have the right to pursue or make any demand against the Pledgee in any form.

 

2.5

Subject to the provisions of Article 2.4 hereof, if any significant decrease in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time on behalf of the Pledgor, and agree with the Pledgor to use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debts in advance or to place in deposit with the notary office where the Pledgee is located (any expenses incurred therefrom shall be paid with the proceeds from the auction or sale). In addition, the Pledgor shall provide other properties satisfactory to the Pledgee as security. The Pledgor must promptly notify the Pledgee of any event that may result in any significant decrease in the value of the Equity, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, and take necessary actions to resolve or mitigate the adverse effects of such event as reasonably required by the Pledgee. Otherwise, the Pledgor shall bear corresponding compensation liability to the Pledgee for the direct or indirect losses caused thereby.

 

2.6

The Equity pledge created hereunder is a continuing guarantee and shall remain valid until the Contractual Obligations are fully performed and the Secured Debt is fully settled. The Pledgee’s immunity and grace from any breach of contract by the Pledgor or the Pledgee’s delayed exercise of any rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall not affect the Pledgee’s right to require the Pledgor or Party C to strictly perform the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement at any time thereafter hereunder, relevant Laws of China and the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgee’s right as a result of subsequent breach of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement by the Pledgor or Party C.


3.

Pledge Period

 

3.1

The Pledge shall take effect from the date on which the Equity pledge hereunder is registered in the industrial and commercial administrative department (the “Registration Authority”) where Party C is located and be valid (the “Pledge Period”) from such effective date to: (1) the date on which the last Secured Debt and Contractual Obligations secured by such Pledge are fully settled and performed, or (2) the date on which the Pledgee and/or its designee decide/decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with Exclusive Call Option Agreement under the Laws of China, and the Equity of Party C has been legally transferred to the Pledgee and/or its designee who have/has legally engaged in the business of Party C, or (3) the date on which the Pledgee unilaterally requests the termination of this Agreement (the Pledgee’s right to terminate this Agreement is the right without any restrictive conditions, and the right is only enjoyed by the Pledgee. The Pledgor or Party C shall not have the right to unilaterally terminate this Agreement, or (4) the date on which the Pledgee has fully realized the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, or (5) the date on which relevant applicable laws and regulations of China require termination.

 

3.2

During the Pledge Period, if Party B and/or Party C fail/fails to perform the Contractual Obligations or pay the Secured Debt (including paying the exclusive consultation or service fee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement or failing to perform other aspects of any Transaction Agreement), the Pledgee shall have the right but no obligation to realize the Pledge as agreed herein.

 

4.

Pledge Registration and Safekeeping of Records of Equity subject to Pledge

 

4.1

The Pledgor and Party C agree and undertake that upon execution of this Agreement, Party C shall immediately and the Pledgor shall urge Party C to immediately record the Equity pledge arrangement hereunder on the register of shareholders of Party C on the date of execution of this Agreement, and apply to the Registration Authority for the creation (or change) of Equity pledge in accordance with the Measures for Registration of Equity Pledge at the Administrative Authority for Industry and Commerce no later than the date of execution of this Agreement and within a reasonable time determined by the Parties. The Pledgor and Party C further agree and undertake to complete all Equity pledge registration procedures and obtain the registration notice issued by the Registration Authority as soon as possible after the Registration Authority formally accepts the Equity pledge registration application, and that the Registration Authority shall record the Equity pledge completely and accurately in the Equity pledge registration book.


4.2

During the Pledge Period agreed herein, the Pledgor shall, within one week after the completion of the Pledge registration in accordance with Article 4.1 above, deliver the original copies of the Equity contribution certificate and the register of shareholders recording the Pledge (and other documents reasonably required by the Pledgee, including but not limited to the Pledge registration notice issued by the industrial and commercial administrative department) to the Pledgee for safekeeping. The Pledgee shall keep such documents during the Pledge Period agreed herein.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.1

The Pledgor has a complete and independent legal status and capacity under the Laws of China, has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can be an independent subject of litigation of one party.

 

5.2

The Pledgor is the sole legal owner and beneficial owner of the Equity, has the full right and power to Pledge the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement, and also has the right to dispose of the Equity and any part thereof. Except for the separate agreement signed by the Pledgor and the Pledgee, the Pledgor enjoys the legal and complete ownership of the Equity.

 

5.3

The Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity as specified herein.

 

5.4

Except for the Pledge, the Pledgor does not have any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the Equity, the ownership of the Equity is not subject to any dispute, there is no taxes or fees payable but unpaid in connection with the Equity, and the Equity is not subject to seizure or other legal proceedings or similar threats and may be pledged or transferred in accordance with applicable laws..

 

5.5

The Pledgor’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene any law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which the Pledgor is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by the Pledgor to any third party.


5.6

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by the Pledgor to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.7

After this Agreement is duly signed by the Pledgor and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to the Pledgor.

 

5.8

The Pledgor has the full right and authority within the Pledgor to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.9

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance hereof and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled, and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.10

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.11

All taxes and fees payable in connection with the acquisition of Equity have been paid in full by the Pledgor.

 

5.12

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any government agency or administrative authority against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, which will have a material or adverse impact on the Pledgor’s financial situation or ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.13

Unless otherwise agreed herein, at any time once the Pledgee exercises its rights pursuant to this Agreement, there shall be no interference from any other party.

 

5.14

The Pledgor hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by Party C hereunder.


5.15

The Pledgor hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

Party C represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.16

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, has the status of an independent legal person, can be an independent subject of litigation of one party, has formally registered with the competent industrial and commercial administrative department, has passed annual inspection over the years or submitted annual report in accordance with law, has full and independent legal status and capacity, and has been duly authorized to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.17

After this Agreement is duly signed by Party C and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to Party C.

 

5.18

Party C has the full right and authority within Party C to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.19

There is no material Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets owned by Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

5.20

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Equity, Party C or its asset, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any government agency or administrative authority against the Equity, Party C or its asset, which will have a material or adverse impact on Party C’s financial situation or the Pledgor/ Party C’s ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.21

Party C hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by the Pledgor hereunder.


5.22

Party C’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene an law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which Party C is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by Party C to any third party.

 

5.23

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party C to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.24

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance of this Agreement and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.25

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.26

Party C hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

 

6.

Undertakings and Further Consent of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.1

During the term hereof, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee that:

 

  (1)

except for performance of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and with written consent or that a disclosure has been made to the Pledgee, without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not or agree others to transfer all or any part of the Equity, have or allow existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity;

 

  (2)

the Pledgor shall comply with and enforce all laws and regulations applicable to Pledge of rights, present to the Pledgee within five (5) days after receiving any notice, order or suggestion issued or made by relevant competent authority in respect of Pledge (or any other relevant aspect), and comply with such notice, order or suggestion or raise objections and statements on the matters above as reasonably required by the Pledgee or with the consent of the Pledgee;


  (3)

the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of any event that may affect the Pledgee’s right to the Equity or any part thereof or any notice received by the Pledgor and any event that may affect any warranties and other obligations of the Pledgor arising out of this Agreement or any notice received by the Pledgor, and take all necessary measures as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge.

 

6.2

The Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee’s right to the Pledge hereunder shall not be interrupted or obstructed by the Pledgor or any successor or representative of the Pledgor or any other person through legal procedures.

 

6.3

In order to protect or improve the Security Interest granted hereunder for payment of the Secured Debt and performance of the Contractual Obligations, and ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such rights, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge hereunder as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement, and sincerely sign and cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to sign all documents (including but not limited to supplementary agreements to this Agreement), certificates, agreements, deeds and/or undertakings required by the Pledgee. The Pledgor also undertakes to act and to cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to act as required by the Pledgee, promote the Pledgee to exercise its rights and authorizes granted hereunder, and sign all relevant documents related to the ownership of the Equity with the Pledgee or its designee. The Pledgor undertakes to provide the Pledgee with all notices, orders and decisions related to the Equity as required by the Pledgee within a reasonable period.

 

6.4

The Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee to comply with and fulfill all warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder. If the Pledgor fails or partially fulfills its warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions, the Pledgor shall indemnify the Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

6.5

If, for any reason, the pledged Equity hereunder is subject to any compulsory measures taken by the court or other government departments, the Pledgor shall use all its efforts, including but not limited to providing other guarantees to the court or taking other measures, to remove such compulsory measures taken by the court or other departments regarding the Equity.


6.6

If the Equity involves any property preservation or enforcement, or any decrease or loss in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of such situation, and cooperate with the Pledgee in taking effective measures to guarantee the rights and interest of the Pledgee, including but not limited to providing additional property as mortgage or security. If the Pledgor refuses to provide as required by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time, and use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debt in advance or to place in deposit; any expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Pledgor.

 

6.7

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not (or assist others to) increase, decrease or transfer the registered capital of Party C (or its amount of contribution to Party C) or impose any encumbrances on it (including the Equity). Subject to this provision, the Equity of Party C registered and acquired by the Pledgor after the date hereof (the “Additional Equity”) and corresponding capital of such Equity in the registered capital of Party C shall also be the Equity to be pledged by the Pledgor for the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement. The Pledgor and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement on Equity pledge with the Pledgee regarding the Additional Equity immediately after the Pledgor acquires the Additional Equity, and submit all documents necessary for the supplementary agreement on Equity pledge to the Pledgee, including but not limited to (a) the original shareholders’ capital contribution certificate issued by Party C in respect of the Additional Equity, and (b) certified copies of the capital verification report or other capital contribution certificates issued by Chinese Certified Public Accountant in respect of the Additional Equity. The Pledgor and Party C shall apply for Pledge (or change) registration of the Additional Equity in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof and deliver relevant documents to the Pledgee for safekeeping in accordance with Article 4.2 hereof.

 

6.8

Unless otherwise instructed to the contrary by the Pledgee in writing, the Pledgor and/or Party C agree/agrees that if part or all of the Equity is transferred in violation of this Agreement between the Pledgor and any third party (the “Transferee of Equity”), the Pledgor and/or Party C shall ensure that the Transferee of Equity unconditionally acknowledges the Pledge and handle necessary Pledge change registration procedures (including but not limited to signing relevant documents), so as to ensure the existence of the Pledge. Performance of the provisions of this article by the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not be deemed that the Pledgee waives to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract. The Pledgee hereby expressly reserves the right to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract.

 

6.9

If the Pledgee provides a loan for Party C, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall agree to grant the Pledge to the Pledgee with the Equity as Pledge to secure such further loan, and handle relevant procedures as soon as possible as required by laws, regulations or local practices (if any), including but not limited to signing relevant documents and applying for relevant Pledge (or change) registration.


6.10

The Pledgor shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s rights or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement. The Pledgor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives the right of first refusal when the Pledgee realizes the Pledge.

 

6.11

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, the Pledgor warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.12

The Pledgor shall not give up the Equity pledged to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement and/or give up the fruits, including but not limited to dividends and bonuses, arising from the holding of such Equity until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.13

The Pledgor shall not, by any resolution, allow Party C to transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without prior written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.14

Unless disclosed to and agreed by Party A, the Pledgor shall not sign any document or make relevant commitment which has a conflict of interest with legal documents such as agreements signed and being performed by Party C or the Pledgee and its designee, and shall not, by act or omission, cause a conflict of interest between the Pledgor and the Pledgee and its shareholders. If such conflict of interest occurs (the Pledgee shall have the right to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest occurs), the Pledgor shall, with the consent of the Pledgee or its designee, take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. If the Pledgor refuses to take measures to eliminate the conflict of interest, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise the right of Equity purchase under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement.

 

6.15

If, under applicable law, any amendment, supplement or update of this Agreement shall not take effect until the approval and/or registration of corresponding change of Pledge has been completed, the Pledgor shall, within a reasonable time after the completion of such amendment, supplement or update, complete the registration of such change at relevant Registration Authority.

 

6.16

The Pledgor shall ensure that the convening procedure, voting method and content of the shareholders’ meeting and board meeting of Party C convened for signing of this Agreement, creation of the Pledge and exercise of the Pledge do not violate laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association of Party C.


Party C undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.17

If the execution and performance of this Agreement and the Equity pledge hereunder require any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law), Party C shall use its best efforts to assist in obtaining and maintaining its full validity during the term hereof. If the term of operation of Party C expires within the term hereof, Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extending the term of operation before the term of operation of Party C expires, so as to ensure the continuation of the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.18

Without prior consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not assist or permit the Pledgor to create any new Pledge or grant any other Security Interest in the Equity, nor shall it assist or permit the Pledgor to transfer the Equity.

 

6.19

Party C agrees to strictly abide by the obligations agreed in Articles 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16 of this Agreement with the Pledgor.

 

6.20

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not transfer or sell the assets of Party C or create or permit the existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets of Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB 500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

6.21

If any legal action, arbitration or other claims may adversely affect the interests of Party C, the Equity or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, Party C warrants that it shall notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as possible and in a timely manner, and take all necessary measures to ensure the Pledgee’s Pledge interest in the Equity as reasonably required by the Pledgee.

 

6.22

Party C shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s interests or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement.

 

6.23

Within the first month of each calendar quarter, Party C shall provide the Pledgee with the financial statements of the previous calendar quarter of Party C, including but not limited to the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

6.24

Party C warrants that it shall take all necessary measures and sign all necessary documents as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such interest.


6.25

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, Party C warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.26

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Party C as required by the Laws of China, this Agreement shall be terminated, and Party C and Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, transfer all their assets including Equity to Party A for free or at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China, or all assets including Equity of Party C shall be disposed of by the liquidator at that time to protect the interests of Party A and/or the creditor.

 

6.27

Each Party warrants to the other party that once permitted by the Laws of China and the Pledgee decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Parties shall immediately terminate this Agreement.

 

7.

Default Event

 

7.1

Any of the following events shall be deemed a Default Event:

 

  (1)

The Pledgor breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and/or this Agreement, and Party C breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Business Cooperation Agreement and/or this Agreement;

 

  (2)

Any representation or warranty made by the Pledgor in Article 5 hereof contains serious misrepresentation or error, and/or the Pledgor breaches any warranty in Article 5 hereof and/or any undertaking in Article 6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The Pledgor and Party C breach any content or provision of this Agreement;

 

  (4)

Unless expressly agreed in Article 6.1(1), the Pledgor transfers or intends to transfer or abandon the pledged Equity or transfers the pledged Equity without prior written consent of the Pledgee;

 

  (5)

The Pledgor’s own loan, warranty, indemnity, undertaking or other liabilities to any third party (i) are required to be repaid or fulfilled in advance due to the Pledgor’s default, or (ii) are due but cannot be repaid or fulfilled on time;

 

  (6)

The Pledgor is unable to repay general debts or other debts;


  (7)

Any approval, license, consent, permission or authorization of any government agency that makes this Agreement enforceable, legal and effective is withdrawn, suspended, invalidated or materially altered;

 

  (8)

The enactment of applicable law makes this Agreement illegal or prevents the Pledgor from continuing to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

  (9)

Adverse changes in the property owned by the Pledgor cause the Pledgee to believe that the ability of the Pledgor to perform its obligations hereunder has been affected;

 

  (10)

Party C or its successors or custodians can only partially perform or refuse to perform the payment obligation under the Business Cooperation Agreement or the Pledgor and/or Party C can only partially settle or refuse to settle the Secured Debt; and

 

  (11)

Any other circumstance in which the Pledgee is unable or may not be able to exercise its right to the Pledge.

 

7.2

The Pledgor and Party C shall immediately and accordingly notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as they become aware of or discover that any of the circumstances described in Article 7.1 or any of the events that may cause such circumstances has occurred.

 

7.3

Unless the Default Event set forth in Article 7.1 has been satisfactorily resolved by the Pledgee within thirty (30) days from the date of notice given by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may give Default Notice to the Pledgor at the time or at any time after the occurrence of the Default Event to exercise all of its rights and powers of remedy for breach of contract under the Laws of China, the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including but not limited to:

 

  (1)

requiring the Pledgor and/or Party C to immediately make all outstanding payments due under the Business Cooperation Agreement, all arrears due under the Transaction Agreements and all other payments due to the Pledgee, and/or repay the loan; and/or

 

  (2)

disposing of the Pledge and/or disposing of the pledged Equity by other means as agreed in Article 8 hereof (including but not limited to the conversion of all or part of the Equity, or the preferential payment of the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity) to the extent permitted by law.

The Pledgee shall have the right to choose to exercise any of the above rights in accordance with its independent judgment. In such case, the other parties to this Agreement shall unconditionally agree to cooperate fully. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


7.4

The Pledgee shall have the right to appoint its lawyer or other agents in writing to exercise any and all of the aforesaid rights and powers, and neither the Pledgor nor Party C shall raise any objection.

 

7.5

The Pledgee shall have the right to exercise any default remedies it enjoys at the same time or successively. The Pledgee shall not have to make other default remedies before exercising the right to auction or sell the Equity hereunder.

 

8.

Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1

The Pledgor shall not transfer the Pledge or the Equity in Party C without the written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully repaid.

 

8.2

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee may send a Default Notice to the Pledgor in accordance with Article 7.3.

 

8.3

Subject to Article 7.3, the Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at the same time or at any time after the Default Notice is given in accordance with Article 7.3. Once the Pledgee chooses to enforce the Pledge, the Pledgor shall no longer have any rights or interests related to the Equity.

 

8.4

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the pledged Equity in accordance with law within the permitted scope and in accordance with the applicable law; all the payment received by the Pledgee due to the exercise of the Pledge shall be handled in the following order:

 

  (1)

pay all expenses arising from the disposal of the Equity and the exercise of the Pledgee’s rights and powers (including the fees paid to its lawyer and the remuneration paid to its agent);

 

  (2)

pay the taxes due for the disposal of the Equity;

 

  (3)

repay the Secured Debt to the Pledgee.

If there is any balance after deducting the above amount, the balance shall be paid to the Pledgor or the person entitled to receive such amount (without interest), and the Pledgor shall give such amount to the Pledgee or its designee unconditionally as permitted by the Laws of China. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


8.5

When the Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable the Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

8.6

All the actual expenses, taxes and all legal fees related to the creation of the Equity pledge and the realization of the Pledgee’s rights hereunder shall be borne by Party C, unless they shall be borne by the Pledgee in accordance with law, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct such expenses in accordance with the actual amount from the payment obtained from the exercise of its rights and powers.

 

8.7

The amount of the Secured Debt identified by the Pledgee when exercising its Pledge of the Equity in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed as final evidence of the Secured Debt hereunder.

 

9.

Transfer

 

9.1

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not transfer or delegate its rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2

The Pledgor and Party C agree that, without contravening the Laws of China at the time, after the Pledgee notifies the Pledgor and Party C, the Pledgee may delegate or transfer to any third party in any manner and on any terms and conditions (including the right to re-delegate) as it deems appropriate, any right it may exercise hereunder, the Transaction Agreements and other security documents.

 

9.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Pledgor and Party C and their respective successors and permitted transferees (if any), and shall be valid for the Pledgee and each of its successors and transferees.

 

9.4

At any time when the Pledgee transfers any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements to the party (natural person/legal person) designated by it, the transferee shall enjoy and assume the rights and obligations of the Pledgee hereunder as if it were the original party to this Agreement. When the Pledgee transfers the rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements, at the request of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall sign relevant agreement or other documents related to such transfer.

 

9.5

If the Pledgee changes as a result of the transfer of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall, at the request of the Pledgee, sign a new equity interest pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the pledged Equity on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement and apply for corresponding pledge registration.


9.6

The Pledgor shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately signed by the Parties hereto or by any of them, including the Transaction Agreements, perform its obligations under this Agreement and other contracts (including the Transaction Agreements), and shall not perform any act/omission that may affect their validity and enforceability. Unless instructed in writing by the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not exercise any remaining rights in respect of the Equity pledged hereunder.

 

10.

Termination

 

10.1

Upon expiration of the Pledge Period, this Agreement shall be terminated, the Pledgee shall cancel or terminate this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and remove the Equity pledge hereunder, and the Pledgor and Party C shall record the release of the Equity pledge in the register of shareholders of Party C and apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge release. The Pledgor and Party C shall bear the reasonable expenses arising from the Equity pledge release. Articles 12, 13 and 19.5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

10.2

If Party B, with the knowledge and consent of Party A, no longer holds any Equity or other interests of Party C, and has completed all registration or filing related to the transfer or release of such Equity/interests in accordance with relevant laws and regulations (including but not limited to industrial and commercial registration of changes, registration of Equity pledge release/change, etc.), the rights and obligations of the party hereunder and other contracts (including but not limited to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) jointly or separately concluded by Party B, Party C and Party A shall be terminated automatically. Amendments and changes to this Agreement made by the other parties shall not require the consent of that Party.

 

11.

Handling Fees and Other Charges

All costs and actual expenses in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, cost of production, stamp duty and any other tax and expense, shall be borne by Party C. If applicable law requires the Pledgee to bear certain taxes and expenses, the Pledgor shall urge Party C to pay back in full the taxes and expenses paid by the Pledgee.


12.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or(c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.

 

13.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

13.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

13.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation, amendment, supplement and performance hereof or hereto, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation for the Equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to the Pledgee due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of the Pledgee.

 

13.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance hereof, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


13.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

14.

Force Majeure

 

14.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

14.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

15.

Notice

 

15.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).


15.2

Any Party may change its address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

16.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

17.

Appendix

The appendix hereto shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.

Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

18.1

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of signature by the Parties, and the Equity pledge hereunder shall enter into force from the date of completion of the relevant registration procedures with the Registration Authority.

 

18.2

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

18.3

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

18.4

This Agreement is made in six (6) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them, Party B holding one (1) of them and one (1) for Registration Authority, which shall have the same legal effect

 

19.

Miscellaneous

 

19.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


19.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

19.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

19.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

 

19.5

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, or the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

19.6

Without conflicting with the Transaction Agreements and other provisions of this Agreement, if at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, or relevant registration procedure is changed, the Pledgee deems it illegal to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement, the validity of the Pledge hereunder and/or to dispose of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein is contrary to such laws, regulations or rules, the Pledgor and Party C shall immediately take any action and/or execute any agreement or other documents in accordance with the written instructions and the reasonable requirements of the Pledgee, in order to: (1) maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and the validity of the Pledge hereunder; (2) facilitate the disposal of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein; and/or (3) maintain or realize the guarantees created or intended to be created hereunder.

 

19.7

This Agreement is a legal document independent of the Transaction Agreements and other guarantee documents. The invalidity of the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder. If the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents are declared invalid, but the Pledgor still has outstanding Contractual Obligations and/or still owes Secured Debt with the Pledgee, the Equity hereunder shall remain the Pledge of the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt until the Pledgor has paid off all the Secured Debts and fulfilled all the Contractual Obligations.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party B: Zhen Ba
Signature:  

/s/ Zhen Ba


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties are as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Zhen Ba

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.5

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B: Tongtong Li, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

In this Agreement, Party A is hereinafter referred to as the “Pledgee,” Party B as the “Pledgor,” and Party A, Party B and Party C are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.”

WHEREAS:

 

1.

The Pledgor, Lili Sun, Zhen Ba, Shuyi Yang and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (the “Ningbo Maiken”) are shareholders of Party C as of the date hereof, and hold 100% equity interest in Party C in total, with the amount of contribution in the registered capital and the shareholding ratio in Party C as follows:

 

Name of Shareholder

   Registered Capital (RMB)      Ratio of Contributions  

Lili Sun

     629,662.95        25.7264

Zhen Ba

     236,302.87        9.6547

Shuyi Yang

     611,354.35        24.9784

Tongtong Li

     19,956.36        0.8154

Ningbo Maiken

     950,255.32        38.8250
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     2,447,531.85        100.0000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

2.

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, and the Pledgee is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Laws of China;

 

3.

The Pledgee and Party C signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgee provides Party C with relevant exclusive technical, management consulting and other services;


4.

The Parties signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby if the Pledgee independently decides to make a purchase request, the Pledgor shall, upon its request, transfer all or part of the equity it holds in Party C to the Pledgee and/or any other entity or individual designated by the Pledgee, subject to the Laws of China and applicable conditions;

 

5.

The Parties signed the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgor has irrevocably entrusted a person designated by the Pledgee at that time to exercise on behalf of the Pledgor the voting right corresponding to all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C;

 

6.

As security of the Pledgor for performance of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and settlement of the Secured Debt (as defined below), Party A, Party B and Party C plan to sign this Agreement regarding Party B’s provision of equity pledge for Party A, whereby the Pledgor will pledge all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C to the Pledgee to secure the pledge of such obligation and liability, and Party C agrees to the pledge of such Equity.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly negotiation:

 

1.

Definitions

Unless otherwise agreed herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1

Pledge” shall mean the Security Interest granted by the Pledgor to the Pledgee pursuant to Article 2 hereof, i.e., the right enjoyed by the Pledgee to have priority in compensation from the discount, conversion, auction or sale price of the pledged Equity pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgor.

 

1.2

Equity” shall mean all the Equity of Party C that the Pledgor legally holds and has the right to dispose of when this Agreement comes into force and that will be pledged to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement as security of the Pledgor and Party C to perform the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt (including all equity interest held by the Pledgor now that constitutes and is related to all registered capital of Party C) and Additional Equity added pursuant to Article 6.7 hereof.

 

1.3

Pledge Period” shall mean the term set forth in Article 3 hereof.

 

1.4

Default Event” shall mean any of the circumstances set forth in Article 7 hereof.


1.5

Default Notice” shall mean the notice issued by the Pledgee to declare the Default Event hereunder.

 

1.6

Contractual Obligations” shall mean all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, all Contractual Obligations of Party C under the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor and Party C under this Agreement.

 

1.7

Transaction Agreements” shall mean the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, or one or more of the agreements.

 

1.8

Secured Debt” shall mean (i) all payments owed by Party C to the Pledgee, including but not limited to the consulting and service fees (whether through payment on an agreed due date, prepayment or otherwise) and interest, liquidated damages (if any), damages and attorney’s fees, arbitration fees, Equity evaluation, auction and other costs to realize the Pledge payable to the Pledgee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement; (ii) all direct, indirect, derivative losses and loss of predictable interests suffered by the Pledgee as a result of any Default Event of the Pledgor or Party C, with the amount of such loss based on, but not limited to, reasonable business plan and profit forecast of the Pledgee, and all expenses incurred by the Pledgee in forcing the Pledgor and/or Party C to perform their Contractual Obligations.

 

1.9

Laws of China” shall include any law, regulation, rule, notice, interpretation or other binding documents issued by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial branch before or after the execution of this Agreement.

 

1.10

Security Interest” shall include security, mortgage, third party rights or interests, any share option, right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, retention of title or other security arrangements, etc.

 

2.

Pledge

 

2.1

The Pledgor agrees to unconditionally and irrevocably Pledge the 0.8154% Equity held by it in Party C, namely its contribution of RMB19,956.36 in the registered capital in Party C, to the Pledgee in the first priority irrevocably in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, so as to secure full performance of its Contractual Obligations. Party C agrees that the Pledgor pledges the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement.


2.2

The Parties understand and agree that the scope of security for the pledged Equity includes all the Secured Debts that Party A shall obtain under the Contractual Obligations. If the competent industrial and commercial authority requires to specify the amount of Secured Debt in the process of Equity pledge registration, the Parties agree to register the principal amount of Secured Debt as RMB19,956.36 and all and any liability for breach of contract and compensation for loss under the Contractual Obligations only for the purpose of such Equity pledge registration. The Parties further confirm that, for the purpose of Equity pledge registration, the aforesaid amount shall not detract from or limit all rights and interests of Party A under its Contractual Obligations.

 

2.3

During the Pledge Period (as defined in Article 3.1), the Pledgee shall have the right to place in deposit any bonus, dividend or other distributable interest arising out of the Equity and to receive priority in compensation therefor. The Pledgor shall, upon receipt of the Pledgee’s written request, deposit (or urge Party C to deposit) such fruits into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing for supervision by the Pledgee; such fruits deposited into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing shall not be withdrawn by the Pledgor without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

2.4

During the term hereof, unless due to the Pledgee’s intention or gross negligence, the Pledgee shall not be liable for any decrease in the value of the Equity, nor shall the Pledgor have the right to pursue or make any demand against the Pledgee in any form.

 

2.5

Subject to the provisions of Article 2.4 hereof, if any significant decrease in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time on behalf of the Pledgor, and agree with the Pledgor to use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debts in advance or to place in deposit with the notary office where the Pledgee is located (any expenses incurred therefrom shall be paid with the proceeds from the auction or sale). In addition, the Pledgor shall provide other properties satisfactory to the Pledgee as security. The Pledgor must promptly notify the Pledgee of any event that may result in any significant decrease in the value of the Equity, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, and take necessary actions to resolve or mitigate the adverse effects of such event as reasonably required by the Pledgee. Otherwise, the Pledgor shall bear corresponding compensation liability to the Pledgee for the direct or indirect losses caused thereby.


2.6

The Equity pledge created hereunder is a continuing guarantee and shall remain valid until the Contractual Obligations are fully performed and the Secured Debt is fully settled. The Pledgee’s immunity and grace from any breach of contract by the Pledgor or the Pledgee’s delayed exercise of any rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall not affect the Pledgee’s right to require the Pledgor or Party C to strictly perform the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement at any time thereafter hereunder, relevant Laws of China and the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgee’s right as a result of subsequent breach of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement by the Pledgor or Party C.

 

3.

Pledge Period

 

3.1

The Pledge shall take effect from the date on which the Equity pledge hereunder is registered in the industrial and commercial administrative department (the “Registration Authority”) where Party C is located and be valid (the “Pledge Period”) from such effective date to: (1) the date on which the last Secured Debt and Contractual Obligations secured by such Pledge are fully settled and performed, or (2) the date on which the Pledgee and/or its designee decide/decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with Exclusive Call Option Agreement under the Laws of China, and the Equity of Party C has been legally transferred to the Pledgee and/or its designee who have/has legally engaged in the business of Party C, or (3) the date on which the Pledgee unilaterally requests the termination of this Agreement (the Pledgee’s right to terminate this Agreement is the right without any restrictive conditions, and the right is only enjoyed by the Pledgee. The Pledgor or Party C shall not have the right to unilaterally terminate this Agreement, or (4) the date on which the Pledgee has fully realized the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, or (5) the date on which relevant applicable laws and regulations of China require termination.

 

3.2

During the Pledge Period, if Party B and/or Party C fail/fails to perform the Contractual Obligations or pay the Secured Debt (including paying the exclusive consultation or service fee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement or failing to perform other aspects of any Transaction Agreement), the Pledgee shall have the right but no obligation to realize the Pledge as agreed herein.

 

4.

Pledge Registration and Safekeeping of Records of Equity subject to Pledge

 

4.1

The Pledgor and Party C agree and undertake that upon execution of this Agreement, Party C shall immediately and the Pledgor shall urge Party C to immediately record the Equity pledge arrangement hereunder on the register of shareholders of Party C on the date of execution of this Agreement, and apply to the Registration Authority for the creation (or change) of Equity pledge in accordance with the Measures for Registration of Equity Pledge at the Administrative Authority for Industry and Commerce no later than the date of execution of this Agreement and within a reasonable time determined by the Parties. The Pledgor and Party C further agree and undertake to complete all Equity pledge registration procedures and obtain the registration notice issued by the Registration Authority as soon as possible after the Registration Authority formally accepts the Equity pledge registration application, and that the Registration Authority shall record the Equity pledge completely and accurately in the Equity pledge registration book.


4.2

During the Pledge Period agreed herein, the Pledgor shall, within one week after the completion of the Pledge registration in accordance with Article 4.1 above, deliver the original copies of the Equity contribution certificate and the register of shareholders recording the Pledge (and other documents reasonably required by the Pledgee, including but not limited to the Pledge registration notice issued by the industrial and commercial administrative department) to the Pledgee for safekeeping. The Pledgee shall keep such documents during the Pledge Period agreed herein.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.1

The Pledgor has a complete and independent legal status and capacity under the Laws of China, has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can be an independent subject of litigation of one party.

 

5.2

The Pledgor is the sole legal owner and beneficial owner of the Equity, has the full right and power to Pledge the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement, and also has the right to dispose of the Equity and any part thereof. Except for the separate agreement signed by the Pledgor and the Pledgee, the Pledgor enjoys the legal and complete ownership of the Equity.

 

5.3

The Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity as specified herein.

 

5.4

Except for the Pledge, the Pledgor does not have any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the Equity, the ownership of the Equity is not subject to any dispute, there is no taxes or fees payable but unpaid in connection with the Equity, and the Equity is not subject to seizure or other legal proceedings or similar threats and may be pledged or transferred in accordance with applicable laws..

 

5.5

The Pledgor’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene any law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which the Pledgor is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by the Pledgor to any third party.


5.6

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by the Pledgor to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.7

After this Agreement is duly signed by the Pledgor and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to the Pledgor.

 

5.8

The Pledgor has the full right and authority within the Pledgor to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.9

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance hereof and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled, and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.10

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.11

All taxes and fees payable in connection with the acquisition of Equity have been paid in full by the Pledgor.

 

5.12

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any government agency or administrative authority against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, which will have a material or adverse impact on the Pledgor’s financial situation or ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.13

Unless otherwise agreed herein, at any time once the Pledgee exercises its rights pursuant to this Agreement, there shall be no interference from any other party.

 

5.14

The Pledgor hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by Party C hereunder.


5.15

The Pledgor hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

Party C represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.16

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, has the status of an independent legal person, can be an independent subject of litigation of one party, has formally registered with the competent industrial and commercial administrative department, has passed annual inspection over the years or submitted annual report in accordance with law, has full and independent legal status and capacity, and has been duly authorized to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.17

After this Agreement is duly signed by Party C and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to Party C.

 

5.18

Party C has the full right and authority within Party C to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.19

There is no material Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets owned by Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

5.20

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Equity, Party C or its asset, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any government agency or administrative authority against the Equity, Party C or its asset, which will have a material or adverse impact on Party C’s financial situation or the Pledgor/ Party C’s ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.21

Party C hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by the Pledgor hereunder.


5.22

Party C’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene an law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which Party C is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by Party C to any third party.

 

5.23

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party C to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.24

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance of this Agreement and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.25

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.26

Party C hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

 

6.

Undertakings and Further Consent of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.1

During the term hereof, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee that:

 

  (1)

except for performance of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and with written consent or that a disclosure has been made to the Pledgee, without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not or agree others to transfer all or any part of the Equity, have or allow existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity;

 

  (2)

the Pledgor shall comply with and enforce all laws and regulations applicable to Pledge of rights, present to the Pledgee within five (5) days after receiving any notice, order or suggestion issued or made by relevant competent authority in respect of Pledge (or any other relevant aspect), and comply with such notice, order or suggestion or raise objections and statements on the matters above as reasonably required by the Pledgee or with the consent of the Pledgee;


  (3)

the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of any event that may affect the Pledgee’s right to the Equity or any part thereof or any notice received by the Pledgor and any event that may affect any warranties and other obligations of the Pledgor arising out of this Agreement or any notice received by the Pledgor, and take all necessary measures as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge.

 

6.2

The Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee’s right to the Pledge hereunder shall not be interrupted or obstructed by the Pledgor or any successor or representative of the Pledgor or any other person through legal procedures.

 

6.3

In order to protect or improve the Security Interest granted hereunder for payment of the Secured Debt and performance of the Contractual Obligations, and ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such rights, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge hereunder as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement, and sincerely sign and cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to sign all documents (including but not limited to supplementary agreements to this Agreement), certificates, agreements, deeds and/or undertakings required by the Pledgee. The Pledgor also undertakes to act and to cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to act as required by the Pledgee, promote the Pledgee to exercise its rights and authorizes granted hereunder, and sign all relevant documents related to the ownership of the Equity with the Pledgee or its designee. The Pledgor undertakes to provide the Pledgee with all notices, orders and decisions related to the Equity as required by the Pledgee within a reasonable period.

 

6.4

The Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee to comply with and fulfill all warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder. If the Pledgor fails or partially fulfills its warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions, the Pledgor shall indemnify the Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

6.5

If, for any reason, the pledged Equity hereunder is subject to any compulsory measures taken by the court or other government departments, the Pledgor shall use all its efforts, including but not limited to providing other guarantees to the court or taking other measures, to remove such compulsory measures taken by the court or other departments regarding the Equity.


6.6

If the Equity involves any property preservation or enforcement, or any decrease or loss in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of such situation, and cooperate with the Pledgee in taking effective measures to guarantee the rights and interest of the Pledgee, including but not limited to providing additional property as mortgage or security. If the Pledgor refuses to provide as required by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time, and use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debt in advance or to place in deposit; any expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Pledgor.

 

6.7

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not (or assist others to) increase, decrease or transfer the registered capital of Party C (or its amount of contribution to Party C) or impose any encumbrances on it (including the Equity). Subject to this provision, the Equity of Party C registered and acquired by the Pledgor after the date hereof (the “Additional Equity”) and corresponding capital of such Equity in the registered capital of Party C shall also be the Equity to be pledged by the Pledgor for the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement. The Pledgor and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement on Equity pledge with the Pledgee regarding the Additional Equity immediately after the Pledgor acquires the Additional Equity, and submit all documents necessary for the supplementary agreement on Equity pledge to the Pledgee, including but not limited to (a) the original shareholders’ capital contribution certificate issued by Party C in respect of the Additional Equity, and (b) certified copies of the capital verification report or other capital contribution certificates issued by Chinese Certified Public Accountant in respect of the Additional Equity. The Pledgor and Party C shall apply for Pledge (or change) registration of the Additional Equity in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof and deliver relevant documents to the Pledgee for safekeeping in accordance with Article 4.2 hereof.

 

6.8

Unless otherwise instructed to the contrary by the Pledgee in writing, the Pledgor and/or Party C agree/agrees that if part or all of the Equity is transferred in violation of this Agreement between the Pledgor and any third party (the “Transferee of Equity”), the Pledgor and/or Party C shall ensure that the Transferee of Equity unconditionally acknowledges the Pledge and handle necessary Pledge change registration procedures (including but not limited to signing relevant documents), so as to ensure the existence of the Pledge. Performance of the provisions of this article by the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not be deemed that the Pledgee waives to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract. The Pledgee hereby expressly reserves the right to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract.

 

6.9

If the Pledgee provides a loan for Party C, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall agree to grant the Pledge to the Pledgee with the Equity as Pledge to secure such further loan, and handle relevant procedures as soon as possible as required by laws, regulations or local practices (if any), including but not limited to signing relevant documents and applying for relevant Pledge (or change) registration.


6.10

The Pledgor shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s rights or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement. The Pledgor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives the right of first refusal when the Pledgee realizes the Pledge.

 

6.11

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, the Pledgor warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.12

The Pledgor shall not give up the Equity pledged to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement and/or give up the fruits, including but not limited to dividends and bonuses, arising from the holding of such Equity until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.13

The Pledgor shall not, by any resolution, allow Party C to transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without prior written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.14

Unless disclosed to and agreed by Party A, the Pledgor shall not sign any document or make relevant commitment which has a conflict of interest with legal documents such as agreements signed and being performed by Party C or the Pledgee and its designee, and shall not, by act or omission, cause a conflict of interest between the Pledgor and the Pledgee and its shareholders. If such conflict of interest occurs (the Pledgee shall have the right to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest occurs), the Pledgor shall, with the consent of the Pledgee or its designee, take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. If the Pledgor refuses to take measures to eliminate the conflict of interest, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise the right of Equity purchase under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement.

 

6.15

If, under applicable law, any amendment, supplement or update of this Agreement shall not take effect until the approval and/or registration of corresponding change of Pledge has been completed, the Pledgor shall, within a reasonable time after the completion of such amendment, supplement or update, complete the registration of such change at relevant Registration Authority.

 

6.16

The Pledgor shall ensure that the convening procedure, voting method and content of the shareholders’ meeting and board meeting of Party C convened for signing of this Agreement, creation of the Pledge and exercise of the Pledge do not violate laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association of Party C.


Party C undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.17

If the execution and performance of this Agreement and the Equity pledge hereunder require any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law), Party C shall use its best efforts to assist in obtaining and maintaining its full validity during the term hereof. If the term of operation of Party C expires within the term hereof, Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extending the term of operation before the term of operation of Party C expires, so as to ensure the continuation of the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.18

Without prior consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not assist or permit the Pledgor to create any new Pledge or grant any other Security Interest in the Equity, nor shall it assist or permit the Pledgor to transfer the Equity.

 

6.19

Party C agrees to strictly abide by the obligations agreed in Articles 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16 of this Agreement with the Pledgor.

 

6.20

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not transfer or sell the assets of Party C or create or permit the existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets of Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB 500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

6.21

If any legal action, arbitration or other claims may adversely affect the interests of Party C, the Equity or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, Party C warrants that it shall notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as possible and in a timely manner, and take all necessary measures to ensure the Pledgee’s Pledge interest in the Equity as reasonably required by the Pledgee.

 

6.22

Party C shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s interests or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement.

 

6.23

Within the first month of each calendar quarter, Party C shall provide the Pledgee with the financial statements of the previous calendar quarter of Party C, including but not limited to the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

6.24

Party C warrants that it shall take all necessary measures and sign all necessary documents as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such interest.


6.25

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, Party C warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.26

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Party C as required by the Laws of China, this Agreement shall be terminated, and Party C and Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, transfer all their assets including Equity to Party A for free or at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China, or all assets including Equity of Party C shall be disposed of by the liquidator at that time to protect the interests of Party A and/or the creditor.

 

6.27

Each Party warrants to the other party that once permitted by the Laws of China and the Pledgee decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Parties shall immediately terminate this Agreement.

 

7.

Default Event

 

7.1

Any of the following events shall be deemed a Default Event:

 

  (1)

The Pledgor breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and/or this Agreement, and Party C breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Business Cooperation Agreement and/or this Agreement;

 

  (2)

Any representation or warranty made by the Pledgor in Article 5 hereof contains serious misrepresentation or error, and/or the Pledgor breaches any warranty in Article 5 hereof and/or any undertaking in Article 6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The Pledgor and Party C breach any content or provision of this Agreement;

 

  (4)

Unless expressly agreed in Article 6.1(1), the Pledgor transfers or intends to transfer or abandon the pledged Equity or transfers the pledged Equity without prior written consent of the Pledgee;

 

  (5)

The Pledgor’s own loan, warranty, indemnity, undertaking or other liabilities to any third party (i) are required to be repaid or fulfilled in advance due to the Pledgor’s default, or (ii) are due but cannot be repaid or fulfilled on time;

 

  (6)

The Pledgor is unable to repay general debts or other debts;


  (7)

Any approval, license, consent, permission or authorization of any government agency that makes this Agreement enforceable, legal and effective is withdrawn, suspended, invalidated or materially altered;

 

  (8)

The enactment of applicable law makes this Agreement illegal or prevents the Pledgor from continuing to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

  (9)

Adverse changes in the property owned by the Pledgor cause the Pledgee to believe that the ability of the Pledgor to perform its obligations hereunder has been affected;

 

  (10)

Party C or its successors or custodians can only partially perform or refuse to perform the payment obligation under the Business Cooperation Agreement or the Pledgor and/or Party C can only partially settle or refuse to settle the Secured Debt; and

 

  (11)

Any other circumstance in which the Pledgee is unable or may not be able to exercise its right to the Pledge.

 

7.2

The Pledgor and Party C shall immediately and accordingly notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as they become aware of or discover that any of the circumstances described in Article 7.1 or any of the events that may cause such circumstances has occurred.

 

7.3

Unless the Default Event set forth in Article 7.1 has been satisfactorily resolved by the Pledgee within thirty (30) days from the date of notice given by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may give Default Notice to the Pledgor at the time or at any time after the occurrence of the Default Event to exercise all of its rights and powers of remedy for breach of contract under the Laws of China, the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including but not limited to:

 

  (1)

requiring the Pledgor and/or Party C to immediately make all outstanding payments due under the Business Cooperation Agreement, all arrears due under the Transaction Agreements and all other payments due to the Pledgee, and/or repay the loan; and/or

 

  (2)

disposing of the Pledge and/or disposing of the pledged Equity by other means as agreed in Article 8 hereof (including but not limited to the conversion of all or part of the Equity, or the preferential payment of the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity) to the extent permitted by law.

The Pledgee shall have the right to choose to exercise any of the above rights in accordance with its independent judgment. In such case, the other parties to this Agreement shall unconditionally agree to cooperate fully. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


7.4

The Pledgee shall have the right to appoint its lawyer or other agents in writing to exercise any and all of the aforesaid rights and powers, and neither the Pledgor nor Party C shall raise any objection.

 

7.5

The Pledgee shall have the right to exercise any default remedies it enjoys at the same time or successively. The Pledgee shall not have to make other default remedies before exercising the right to auction or sell the Equity hereunder.

 

8.

Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1

The Pledgor shall not transfer the Pledge or the Equity in Party C without the written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully repaid.

 

8.2

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee may send a Default Notice to the Pledgor in accordance with Article 7.3.

 

8.3

Subject to Article 7.3, the Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at the same time or at any time after the Default Notice is given in accordance with Article 7.3. Once the Pledgee chooses to enforce the Pledge, the Pledgor shall no longer have any rights or interests related to the Equity.

 

8.4

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the pledged Equity in accordance with law within the permitted scope and in accordance with the applicable law; all the payment received by the Pledgee due to the exercise of the Pledge shall be handled in the following order:

 

  (1)

pay all expenses arising from the disposal of the Equity and the exercise of the Pledgee’s rights and powers (including the fees paid to its lawyer and the remuneration paid to its agent);

 

  (2)

pay the taxes due for the disposal of the Equity;

 

  (3)

repay the Secured Debt to the Pledgee.

If there is any balance after deducting the above amount, the balance shall be paid to the Pledgor or the person entitled to receive such amount (without interest), and the Pledgor shall give such amount to the Pledgee or its designee unconditionally as permitted by the Laws of China. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


8.5

When the Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable the Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

8.6

All the actual expenses, taxes and all legal fees related to the creation of the Equity pledge and the realization of the Pledgee’s rights hereunder shall be borne by Party C, unless they shall be borne by the Pledgee in accordance with law, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct such expenses in accordance with the actual amount from the payment obtained from the exercise of its rights and powers.

 

8.7

The amount of the Secured Debt identified by the Pledgee when exercising its Pledge of the Equity in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed as final evidence of the Secured Debt hereunder.

 

9.

Transfer

 

9.1

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not transfer or delegate its rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2

The Pledgor and Party C agree that, without contravening the Laws of China at the time, after the Pledgee notifies the Pledgor and Party C, the Pledgee may delegate or transfer to any third party in any manner and on any terms and conditions (including the right to re-delegate) as it deems appropriate, any right it may exercise hereunder, the Transaction Agreements and other security documents.

 

9.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Pledgor and Party C and their respective successors and permitted transferees (if any), and shall be valid for the Pledgee and each of its successors and transferees.

 

9.4

At any time when the Pledgee transfers any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements to the party (natural person/legal person) designated by it, the transferee shall enjoy and assume the rights and obligations of the Pledgee hereunder as if it were the original party to this Agreement. When the Pledgee transfers the rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements, at the request of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall sign relevant agreement or other documents related to such transfer.

 

9.5

If the Pledgee changes as a result of the transfer of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall, at the request of the Pledgee, sign a new equity interest pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the pledged Equity on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement and apply for corresponding pledge registration.


9.6

The Pledgor shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately signed by the Parties hereto or by any of them, including the Transaction Agreements, perform its obligations under this Agreement and other contracts (including the Transaction Agreements), and shall not perform any act/omission that may affect their validity and enforceability. Unless instructed in writing by the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not exercise any remaining rights in respect of the Equity pledged hereunder.

 

10.

Termination

 

10.1

Upon expiration of the Pledge Period, this Agreement shall be terminated, the Pledgee shall cancel or terminate this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and remove the Equity pledge hereunder, and the Pledgor and Party C shall record the release of the Equity pledge in the register of shareholders of Party C and apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge release. The Pledgor and Party C shall bear the reasonable expenses arising from the Equity pledge release. Articles 12, 13 and 19.5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

10.2

If Party B, with the knowledge and consent of Party A, no longer holds any Equity or other interests of Party C, and has completed all registration or filing related to the transfer or release of such Equity/interests in accordance with relevant laws and regulations (including but not limited to industrial and commercial registration of changes, registration of Equity pledge release/change, etc.), the rights and obligations of the party hereunder and other contracts (including but not limited to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) jointly or separately concluded by Party B, Party C and Party A shall be terminated automatically. Amendments and changes to this Agreement made by the other parties shall not require the consent of that Party.

 

11.

Handling Fees and Other Charges

All costs and actual expenses in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, cost of production, stamp duty and any other tax and expense, shall be borne by Party C. If applicable law requires the Pledgee to bear certain taxes and expenses, the Pledgor shall urge Party C to pay back in full the taxes and expenses paid by the Pledgee.


12.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or(c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.

 

13.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

13.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

13.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation, amendment, supplement and performance hereof or hereto, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation for the Equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to the Pledgee due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of the Pledgee.

 

13.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance hereof, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


13.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

14.

Force Majeure

 

14.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

14.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

15.

Notice

 

15.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).


15.2

Any Party may change its address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

16.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

17.

Appendix

The appendix hereto shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.

Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

18.1

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of signature by the Parties, and the Equity pledge hereunder shall enter into force from the date of completion of the relevant registration procedures with the Registration Authority.

 

18.2

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

18.3

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

18.4

This Agreement is made in six (6) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them, Party B holding one (1) of them and one (1) for Registration Authority, which shall have the same legal effect

 

19.

Miscellaneous

 

19.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


19.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

19.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

19.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

 

19.5

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, or the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

19.6

Without conflicting with the Transaction Agreements and other provisions of this Agreement, if at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, or relevant registration procedure is changed, the Pledgee deems it illegal to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement, the validity of the Pledge hereunder and/or to dispose of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein is contrary to such laws, regulations or rules, the Pledgor and Party C shall immediately take any action and/or execute any agreement or other documents in accordance with the written instructions and the reasonable requirements of the Pledgee, in order to: (1) maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and the validity of the Pledge hereunder; (2) facilitate the disposal of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein; and/or (3) maintain or realize the guarantees created or intended to be created hereunder.

 

19.7

This Agreement is a legal document independent of the Transaction Agreements and other guarantee documents. The invalidity of the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder. If the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents are declared invalid, but the Pledgor still has outstanding Contractual Obligations and/or still owes Secured Debt with the Pledgee, the Equity hereunder shall remain the Pledge of the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt until the Pledgor has paid off all the Secured Debts and fulfilled all the Contractual Obligations.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party B: Tongtong Li
Signature:  

/s/ Tongtong Li


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties are as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Tongtong Li

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.6

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

This Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (the “Ningbo Maiken”), a limited partnership legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

In this Agreement, Party A is hereinafter referred to as the “Pledgee,” Party B as the “Pledgor,” and Party A, Party B and Party C are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties.

WHEREAS:

 

1.

The Pledgor, Lili Sun, Zhen Ba, Shuyi Yang and Tongtong Li are shareholders of Party C as of the date hereof, and hold 100% equity interest in Party C in total, with the amount of contribution in the registered capital and the shareholding ratio in Party C as follows:

 

Name of Shareholder

   Registered Capital (RMB)      Ratio of Contributions  

Lili Sun

     629,662.95        25.7264

Zhen Ba

     236,302.87        9.6547

Shuyi Yang

     611,354.35        24.9784

Tongtong Li

     19,956.36        0.8154

Ningbo Maiken

     950,255.32        38.8250
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     2,447,531.85        100.0000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

2.

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, and the Pledgee is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the laws of Laws of China;

 

3.

The Pledgee and Party C signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgee provides Party C with relevant exclusive technical, management consulting and other services;


4.

The Parties signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby if the Pledgee independently decides to make a purchase request, the Pledgor shall, upon its request, transfer all or part of the equity it holds in Party C to the Pledgee and/or any other entity or individual designated by the Pledgee, subject to the Laws of China and applicable conditions;

 

5.

The Parties signed the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) on August 23, 2019, whereby the Pledgor has irrevocably entrusted a person designated by the Pledgee at that time to exercise on behalf of the Pledgor the voting right corresponding to all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C;

 

6.

As security of the Pledgor for performance of the Contractual Obligations (as defined below) and settlement of the Secured Debt (as defined below), Party A, Party B and Party C plan to sign this Agreement regarding Party B’s provision of equity pledge for Party A, whereby the Pledgor will pledge all the equity held by the Pledgor in Party C to the Pledgee to secure the pledge of such obligation and liability, and Party C agrees to the pledge of such Equity.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly negotiation:

 

1.

Definitions

Unless otherwise agreed herein, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

1.1

Pledge” shall mean the Security Interest granted by the Pledgor to the Pledgee pursuant to Article 2 hereof, i.e., the right enjoyed by the Pledgee to have priority in compensation from the discount, conversion, auction or sale price of the pledged Equity pledged to the Pledgee by the Pledgor.

 

1.2

Equity” shall mean all the Equity of Party C that the Pledgor legally holds and has the right to dispose of when this Agreement comes into force and that will be pledged to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement as security of the Pledgor and Party C to perform the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt (including all equity interest held by the Pledgor now that constitutes and is related to all registered capital of Party C) and Additional Equity added pursuant to Article 6.7 hereof.

 

1.3

Pledge Period” shall mean the term set forth in Article 3 hereof.


1.4

Default Event” shall mean any of the circumstances set forth in Article 7 hereof.

 

1.5

Default Notice” shall mean the notice issued by the Pledgee to declare the Default Event hereunder.

 

1.6

Contractual Obligations” shall mean all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, all Contractual Obligations of Party C under the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, and all Contractual Obligations of the Pledgor and Party C under this Agreement.

 

1.7

Transaction Agreements” shall mean the Business Cooperation Agreement, the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Power of Attorney, or one or more of the agreements.

 

1.8

Secured Debt” shall mean (i) all payments owed by Party C to the Pledgee, including but not limited to the consulting and service fees (whether through payment on an agreed due date, prepayment or otherwise) and interest, liquidated damages (if any), damages and attorney’s fees, arbitration fees, Equity evaluation, auction and other costs to realize the Pledge payable to the Pledgee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement; (ii) all direct, indirect, derivative losses and loss of predictable interests suffered by the Pledgee as a result of any Default Event of the Pledgor or Party C, with the amount of such loss based on, but not limited to, reasonable business plan and profit forecast of the Pledgee, and all expenses incurred by the Pledgee in forcing the Pledgor and/or Party C to perform their Contractual Obligations.

 

1.9

Laws of China” shall include any law, regulation, rule, notice, interpretation or other binding documents issued by the central or local legislative, administrative or judicial branch before or after the execution of this Agreement.

 

1.10

Security Interest” shall include security, mortgage, third party rights or interests, any share option, right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, retention of title or other security arrangements, etc.

 

2.

Pledge

 

2.1

The Pledgor agrees to unconditionally and irrevocably Pledge the 38.8250% Equity held by it in Party C, namely its contribution of RMB950,255.32 in the registered capital in Party C, to the Pledgee in the first priority irrevocably in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, so as to secure full performance of its Contractual Obligations. Party C agrees that the Pledgor pledges the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement.


2.2

The Parties understand and agree that the scope of security for the pledged Equity includes all the Secured Debts that Party A shall obtain under the Contractual Obligations. If the competent industrial and commercial authority requires to specify the amount of Secured Debt in the process of Equity pledge registration, the Parties agree to register the principal amount of Secured Debt as RMB950,255.32 and all and any liability for breach of contract and compensation for loss under the Contractual Obligations only for the purpose of such Equity pledge registration. The Parties further confirm that, for the purpose of Equity pledge registration, the aforesaid amount shall not detract from or limit all rights and interests of Party A under its Contractual Obligations.

 

2.3

During the Pledge Period (as defined in Article 3.1), the Pledgee shall have the right to place in deposit any bonus, dividend or other distributable interest arising out of the Equity and to receive priority in compensation therefor. The Pledgor shall, upon receipt of the Pledgee’s written request, deposit (or urge Party C to deposit) such fruits into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing for supervision by the Pledgee; such fruits deposited into the account designated by the Pledgee in writing shall not be withdrawn by the Pledgor without the written consent of the Pledgee.

 

2.4

During the term hereof, unless due to the Pledgee’s intention or gross negligence, the Pledgee shall not be liable for any decrease in the value of the Equity, nor shall the Pledgor have the right to pursue or make any demand against the Pledgee in any form.

 

2.5

Subject to the provisions of Article 2.4 hereof, if any significant decrease in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time on behalf of the Pledgor, and agree with the Pledgor to use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debts in advance or to place in deposit with the notary office where the Pledgee is located (any expenses incurred therefrom shall be paid with the proceeds from the auction or sale). In addition, the Pledgor shall provide other properties satisfactory to the Pledgee as security. The Pledgor must promptly notify the Pledgee of any event that may result in any significant decrease in the value of the Equity, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, and take necessary actions to resolve or mitigate the adverse effects of such event as reasonably required by the Pledgee. Otherwise, the Pledgor shall bear corresponding compensation liability to the Pledgee for the direct or indirect losses caused thereby.


2.6

The Equity pledge created hereunder is a continuing guarantee and shall remain valid until the Contractual Obligations are fully performed and the Secured Debt is fully settled. The Pledgee’s immunity and grace from any breach of contract by the Pledgor or the Pledgee’s delayed exercise of any rights under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement shall not affect the Pledgee’s right to require the Pledgor or Party C to strictly perform the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement at any time thereafter hereunder, relevant Laws of China and the Transaction Agreements or the Pledgee’s right as a result of subsequent breach of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement by the Pledgor or Party C.

 

3.

Pledge Period

 

3.1

The Pledge shall take effect from the date on which the Equity pledge hereunder is registered in the industrial and commercial administrative department (the “Registration Authority”) where Party C is located and be valid (the “Pledge Period”) from such effective date to: (1) the date on which the last Secured Debt and Contractual Obligations secured by such Pledge are fully settled and performed, or (2) the date on which the Pledgee and/or its designee decide/decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with Exclusive Call Option Agreement under the Laws of China, and the Equity of Party C has been legally transferred to the Pledgee and/or its designee who have/has legally engaged in the business of Party C, or (3) the date on which the Pledgee unilaterally requests the termination of this Agreement (the Pledgee’s right to terminate this Agreement is the right without any restrictive conditions, and the right is only enjoyed by the Pledgee. The Pledgor or Party C shall not have the right to unilaterally terminate this Agreement, or (4) the date on which the Pledgee has fully realized the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, or (5) the date on which relevant applicable laws and regulations of China require termination.

 

3.2

During the Pledge Period, if Party B and/or Party C fail/fails to perform the Contractual Obligations or pay the Secured Debt (including paying the exclusive consultation or service fee in accordance with the Business Cooperation Agreement or failing to perform other aspects of any Transaction Agreement), the Pledgee shall have the right but no obligation to realize the Pledge as agreed herein.

 

4.

Pledge Registration and Safekeeping of Records of Equity subject to Pledge

 

4.1

The Pledgor and Party C agree and undertake that upon execution of this Agreement, Party C shall immediately and the Pledgor shall urge Party C to immediately record the Equity pledge arrangement hereunder on the register of shareholders of Party C on the date of execution of this Agreement, and apply to the Registration Authority for the creation (or change) of Equity pledge in accordance with the Measures for Registration of Equity Pledge at the Administrative Authority for Industry and Commerce no later than the date of execution of this Agreement and within a reasonable time determined by the Parties. The Pledgor and Party C further agree and undertake to complete all Equity pledge registration procedures and obtain the registration notice issued by the Registration Authority as soon as possible after the Registration Authority formally accepts the Equity pledge registration application, and that the Registration Authority shall record the Equity pledge completely and accurately in the Equity pledge registration book.


4.2

During the Pledge Period agreed herein, the Pledgor shall, within one week after the completion of the Pledge registration in accordance with Article 4.1 above, deliver the original copies of the Equity contribution certificate and the register of shareholders recording the Pledge (and other documents reasonably required by the Pledgee, including but not limited to the Pledge registration notice issued by the industrial and commercial administrative department) to the Pledgee for safekeeping. The Pledgee shall keep such documents during the Pledge Period agreed herein.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.1

The Pledgor has a complete and independent legal status and capacity under the Laws of China, has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can be an independent subject of litigation of one party.

 

5.2

The Pledgor is the sole legal owner and beneficial owner of the Equity, has the full right and power to Pledge the Equity to the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement, and also has the right to dispose of the Equity and any part thereof. Except for the separate agreement signed by the Pledgor and the Pledgee, the Pledgor enjoys the legal and complete ownership of the Equity.

 

5.3

The Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of and transfer the Equity as specified herein.

 

5.4

Except for the Pledge, the Pledgor does not have any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the Equity, the ownership of the Equity is not subject to any dispute, there is no taxes or fees payable but unpaid in connection with the Equity, and the Equity is not subject to seizure or other legal proceedings or similar threats and may be pledged or transferred in accordance with applicable laws..

 

5.5

The Pledgor’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene any law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which the Pledgor is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by the Pledgor to any third party.


5.6

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by the Pledgor to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.7

After this Agreement is duly signed by the Pledgor and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to the Pledgor.

 

5.8

The Pledgor has the full right and authority within the Pledgor to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.9

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance hereof and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled, and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.10

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.11

All taxes and fees payable in connection with the acquisition of Equity have been paid in full by the Pledgor.

 

5.12

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings or claims as known to the Pledgor in any government agency or administrative authority against the Pledgor or its property or Equity, which will have a material or adverse impact on the Pledgor’s financial situation or ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.13

Unless otherwise agreed herein, at any time once the Pledgee exercises its rights pursuant to this Agreement, there shall be no interference from any other party.


5.14

The Pledgor hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by Party C hereunder.

 

5.15

The Pledgor hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

Party C represents and warrants to the Pledgee that:

 

5.16

Party C is a limited liability company incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, has the status of an independent legal person, can be an independent subject of litigation of one party, has formally registered with the competent industrial and commercial administrative department, has passed annual inspection over the years or submitted annual report in accordance with law, has full and independent legal status and capacity, and has been duly authorized to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement.

 

5.17

After this Agreement is duly signed by Party C and becomes effective in accordance with the provisions hereof, it shall constitute a legal, effective and binding obligation to Party C.

 

5.18

Party C has the full right and authority within Party C to sign and deliver this Agreement and all other documents relating to the transaction described herein and to be signed, and full right and authority to complete the transaction described herein.

 

5.19

There is no material Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets owned by Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

5.20

There are no pending or threatened lawsuit, arbitration or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any court or arbitral tribunal against the Equity, Party C or its asset, nor are there any pending or threatened administrative proceeding, administrative penalty or other legal proceedings as known to Party C in any government agency or administrative authority against the Equity, Party C or its asset, which will have a material or adverse impact on Party C’s financial situation or the Pledgor/ Party C’s ability to perform its obligations and secure liability hereunder.

 

5.21

Party C hereby agrees to be jointly and severally liable to the Pledgee for the representations and warranties made by the Pledgor hereunder.


5.22

Party C’s execution of this Agreement and exercise of its rights or performance of its obligations hereunder shall not violate or contravene an law, regulation, judgment of any court, decision of any arbitration authority, decision of any administrative authority, any agreement or contract to which Party C is a party or binding on its assets, or any promise made by Party C to any third party.

 

5.23

All documents, materials, statements and vouchers provided by Party C to the Pledgee are accurate, true, complete and valid, whether provided before the entry into force of this Agreement or provided after the entry into force of this Agreement and during the Pledge Period.

 

5.24

Except for the Equity pledge registration to be applied to the Registration Authority, any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law) required for the execution and performance of this Agreement and for the effectiveness of the Equity pledge hereunder have been obtained or handled and will remain fully and continuously valid during the term hereof.

 

5.25

The Pledge hereunder shall constitute the Security Interest in the Equity in the first order.

 

5.26

Party C hereby warrants to the Pledgee that the above representations and warranties will be true, correct, accurate and complete and will be fully complied with at any time and under any circumstances before the Contractual Obligations are fully performed or the Secured Debt is fully settled.

 

6.

Undertakings and Further Consent of the Pledgor and Party C

The Pledgor undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.1

During the term hereof, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee that:

 

  (1)

except for performance of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and with written consent or that a disclosure has been made to the Pledgee, without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not or agree others to transfer all or any part of the Equity, have or allow existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity;

 

  (2)

the Pledgor shall comply with and enforce all laws and regulations applicable to Pledge of rights, present to the Pledgee within five (5) days after receiving any notice, order or suggestion issued or made by relevant competent authority in respect of Pledge (or any other relevant aspect), and comply with such notice, order or suggestion or raise objections and statements on the matters above as reasonably required by the Pledgee or with the consent of the Pledgee;


  (3)

the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of any event that may affect the Pledgee’s right to the Equity or any part thereof or any notice received by the Pledgor and any event that may affect any warranties and other obligations of the Pledgor arising out of this Agreement or any notice received by the Pledgor, and take all necessary measures as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge.

 

6.2

The Pledgor agrees that the Pledgee’s right to the Pledge hereunder shall not be interrupted or obstructed by the Pledgor or any successor or representative of the Pledgor or any other person through legal procedures.

 

6.3

In order to protect or improve the Security Interest granted hereunder for payment of the Secured Debt and performance of the Contractual Obligations, and ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such rights, the Pledgor hereby undertakes to apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge hereunder as soon as possible after the execution of this Agreement, and sincerely sign and cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to sign all documents (including but not limited to supplementary agreements to this Agreement), certificates, agreements, deeds and/or undertakings required by the Pledgee. The Pledgor also undertakes to act and to cause other parties who have interests in the Pledge to act as required by the Pledgee, promote the Pledgee to exercise its rights and authorizes granted hereunder, and sign all relevant documents related to the ownership of the Equity with the Pledgee or its designee. The Pledgor undertakes to provide the Pledgee with all notices, orders and decisions related to the Equity as required by the Pledgee within a reasonable period.

 

6.4

The Pledgor hereby undertakes to the Pledgee to comply with and fulfill all warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions hereunder. If the Pledgor fails or partially fulfills its warranties, undertakings, agreements, representations and conditions, the Pledgor shall indemnify the Pledgee for all losses resulting therefrom.

 

6.5

If, for any reason, the pledged Equity hereunder is subject to any compulsory measures taken by the court or other government departments, the Pledgor shall use all its efforts, including but not limited to providing other guarantees to the court or taking other measures, to remove such compulsory measures taken by the court or other departments regarding the Equity.


6.6

If the Equity involves any property preservation or enforcement, or any decrease or loss in the value of the Equity is possible, which is sufficient to endanger the rights of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall immediately notify the Pledgee in writing of such situation, and cooperate with the Pledgee in taking effective measures to guarantee the rights and interest of the Pledgee, including but not limited to providing additional property as mortgage or security. If the Pledgor refuses to provide as required by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may auction or sell the Equity at any time, and use the proceeds from the auction or sale to pay off the Secured Debt in advance or to place in deposit; any expenses incurred therefrom shall be borne by the Pledgor.

 

6.7

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not (or assist others to) increase, decrease or transfer the registered capital of Party C (or its amount of contribution to Party C) or impose any encumbrances on it (including the Equity). Subject to this provision, the Equity of Party C registered and acquired by the Pledgor after the date hereof (the “Additional Equity”) and corresponding capital of such Equity in the registered capital of Party C shall also be the Equity to be pledged by the Pledgor for the Pledgee in accordance with this Agreement. The Pledgor and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement on Equity pledge with the Pledgee regarding the Additional Equity immediately after the Pledgor acquires the Additional Equity, and submit all documents necessary for the supplementary agreement on Equity pledge to the Pledgee, including but not limited to (a) the original shareholders’ capital contribution certificate issued by Party C in respect of the Additional Equity, and (b) certified copies of the capital verification report or other capital contribution certificates issued by Chinese Certified Public Accountant in respect of the Additional Equity. The Pledgor and Party C shall apply for Pledge (or change) registration of the Additional Equity in accordance with Article 4.1 hereof and deliver relevant documents to the Pledgee for safekeeping in accordance with Article 4.2 hereof.

 

6.8

Unless otherwise instructed to the contrary by the Pledgee in writing, the Pledgor and/or Party C agree/agrees that if part or all of the Equity is transferred in violation of this Agreement between the Pledgor and any third party (the “Transferee of Equity”), the Pledgor and/or Party C shall ensure that the Transferee of Equity unconditionally acknowledges the Pledge and handle necessary Pledge change registration procedures (including but not limited to signing relevant documents), so as to ensure the existence of the Pledge. Performance of the provisions of this article by the Pledgor and/or Party C shall not be deemed that the Pledgee waives to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract. The Pledgee hereby expressly reserves the right to pursue the Pledgor and/or Party C’s breach of contract.

 

6.9

If the Pledgee provides a loan for Party C, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall agree to grant the Pledge to the Pledgee with the Equity as Pledge to secure such further loan, and handle relevant procedures as soon as possible as required by laws, regulations or local practices (if any), including but not limited to signing relevant documents and applying for relevant Pledge (or change) registration.


6.10

The Pledgor shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s rights or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement. The Pledgor hereby unconditionally and irrevocably waives the right of first refusal when the Pledgee realizes the Pledge.

 

6.11

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, the Pledgor warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.12

The Pledgor shall not give up the Equity pledged to the Pledgee pursuant to this Agreement and/or give up the fruits, including but not limited to dividends and bonuses, arising from the holding of such Equity until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.13

The Pledgor shall not, by any resolution, allow Party C to transfer, sell or otherwise dispose of any of its assets without prior written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully settled.

 

6.14

Unless disclosed to and agreed by Party A, the Pledgor shall not sign any document or make relevant commitment which has a conflict of interest with legal documents such as agreements signed and being performed by Party C or the Pledgee and its designee, and shall not, by act or omission, cause a conflict of interest between the Pledgor and the Pledgee and its shareholders. If such conflict of interest occurs (the Pledgee shall have the right to unilaterally determine whether such conflict of interest occurs), the Pledgor shall, with the consent of the Pledgee or its designee, take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible. If the Pledgor refuses to take measures to eliminate the conflict of interest, the Pledgee shall have the right to exercise the right of Equity purchase under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement.

 

6.15

If, under applicable law, any amendment, supplement or update of this Agreement shall not take effect until the approval and/or registration of corresponding change of Pledge has been completed, the Pledgor shall, within a reasonable time after the completion of such amendment, supplement or update, complete the registration of such change at relevant Registration Authority.

 

6.16

The Pledgor shall ensure that the convening procedure, voting method and content of the shareholders’ meeting and board meeting of Party C convened for signing of this Agreement, creation of the Pledge and exercise of the Pledge do not violate laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association of Party C.


Party C undertakes and further agrees that:

 

6.17

If the execution and performance of this Agreement and the Equity pledge hereunder require any third party’s consent, permission, waiver, authorization or any government agency’s approval, permission, exemption or registration or filing to be applied to any government agency (if required by law), Party C shall use its best efforts to assist in obtaining and maintaining its full validity during the term hereof. If the term of operation of Party C expires within the term hereof, Party C shall complete the registration procedures for extending the term of operation before the term of operation of Party C expires, so as to ensure the continuation of the validity of this Agreement.

 

6.18

Without prior consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not assist or permit the Pledgor to create any new Pledge or grant any other Security Interest in the Equity, nor shall it assist or permit the Pledgor to transfer the Equity.

 

6.19

Party C agrees to strictly abide by the obligations agreed in Articles 6.3, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16 of this Agreement with the Pledgor.

 

6.20

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, Party C shall not transfer or sell the assets of Party C or create or permit the existence of any Security Interest or other encumbrances on the assets of Party C that may affect the Pledgee’s rights and interests in the Equity (including but not limited to the transfer of any intellectual property rights of Party C or any assets with the value of RMB 500,000 or above, or any burden of property rights or right to use attached to such assets).

 

6.21

If any legal action, arbitration or other claims may adversely affect the interests of Party C, the Equity or the Pledgee under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, Party C warrants that it shall notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as possible and in a timely manner, and take all necessary measures to ensure the Pledgee’s Pledge interest in the Equity as reasonably required by the Pledgee.

 

6.22

Party C shall not carry out or permit any act or action that may adversely affect the Pledgee’s interests or Equity under the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement.

 

6.23

Within the first month of each calendar quarter, Party C shall provide the Pledgee with the financial statements of the previous calendar quarter of Party C, including but not limited to the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.


6.24

Party C warrants that it shall take all necessary measures and sign all necessary documents as reasonably required by the Pledgee to ensure the Pledgee’s interest in Equity pledge and the exercise and realization of such interest.

 

6.25

In the event of any transfer of the Equity arising from the exercise of the Pledge hereunder, Party C warrants to take all measures to achieve such transfer.

 

6.26

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of Party C as required by the Laws of China, this Agreement shall be terminated, and Party C and Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, transfer all their assets including Equity to Party A for free or at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China, or all assets including Equity of Party C shall be disposed of by the liquidator at that time to protect the interests of Party A and/or the creditor.

 

6.27

Each Party warrants to the other party that once permitted by the Laws of China and the Pledgee decides to purchase all the Equity of Party C held by the Pledgor in accordance with the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Parties shall immediately terminate this Agreement.

 

7.

Default Event

 

7.1

Any of the following events shall be deemed a Default Event:

 

  (1)

The Pledgor breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and/or this Agreement, and Party C breaches or fails to perform any of its Contractual Obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Business Cooperation Agreement and/or this Agreement;

 

  (2)

Any representation or warranty made by the Pledgor in Article 5 hereof contains serious misrepresentation or error, and/or the Pledgor breaches any warranty in Article 5 hereof and/or any undertaking in Article 6 hereof;

 

  (3)

The Pledgor and Party C breach any content or provision of this Agreement;

 

  (4)

Unless expressly agreed in Article 6.1(1), the Pledgor transfers or intends to transfer or abandon the pledged Equity or transfers the pledged Equity without prior written consent of the Pledgee;

 

  (5)

The Pledgor’s own loan, warranty, indemnity, undertaking or other liabilities to any third party (i) are required to be repaid or fulfilled in advance due to the Pledgor’s default, or (ii) are due but cannot be repaid or fulfilled on time;

 

  (6)

The Pledgor is unable to repay general debts or other debts;


  (7)

Any approval, license, consent, permission or authorization of any government agency that makes this Agreement enforceable, legal and effective is withdrawn, suspended, invalidated or materially altered;

 

  (8)

The enactment of applicable law makes this Agreement illegal or prevents the Pledgor from continuing to perform its obligations hereunder;

 

  (9)

Adverse changes in the property owned by the Pledgor cause the Pledgee to believe that the ability of the Pledgor to perform its obligations hereunder has been affected;

 

  (10)

Party C or its successors or custodians can only partially perform or refuse to perform the payment obligation under the Business Cooperation Agreement or the Pledgor and/or Party C can only partially settle or refuse to settle the Secured Debt; and

 

  (11)

Any other circumstance in which the Pledgee is unable or may not be able to exercise its right to the Pledge.

 

7.2

The Pledgor and Party C shall immediately and accordingly notify the Pledgee in writing as soon as they become aware of or discover that any of the circumstances described in Article 7.1 or any of the events that may cause such circumstances has occurred.

 

7.3

Unless the Default Event set forth in Article 7.1 has been satisfactorily resolved by the Pledgee within thirty (30) days from the date of notice given by the Pledgee, the Pledgee may give Default Notice to the Pledgor at the time or at any time after the occurrence of the Default Event to exercise all of its rights and powers of remedy for breach of contract under the Laws of China, the Transaction Agreements and this Agreement, including but not limited to:

 

  (1)

requiring the Pledgor and/or Party C to immediately make all outstanding payments due under the Business Cooperation Agreement, all arrears due under the Transaction Agreements and all other payments due to the Pledgee, and/or repay the loan; and/or

 

  (2)

disposing of the Pledge and/or disposing of the pledged Equity by other means as agreed in Article 8 hereof (including but not limited to the conversion of all or part of the Equity, or the preferential payment of the proceeds from auction or sale of the Equity) to the extent permitted by law.


The Pledgee shall have the right to choose to exercise any of the above rights in accordance with its independent judgment. In such case, the other parties to this Agreement shall unconditionally agree to cooperate fully. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.

 

7.4

The Pledgee shall have the right to appoint its lawyer or other agents in writing to exercise any and all of the aforesaid rights and powers, and neither the Pledgor nor Party C shall raise any objection.

 

7.5

The Pledgee shall have the right to exercise any default remedies it enjoys at the same time or successively. The Pledgee shall not have to make other default remedies before exercising the right to auction or sell the Equity hereunder.

 

8.

Exercise of Pledge

 

8.1

The Pledgor shall not transfer the Pledge or the Equity in Party C without the written consent of the Pledgee until the Contractual Obligations have been fully performed and the Secured Debt has been fully repaid.

 

8.2

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee may send a Default Notice to the Pledgor in accordance with Article 7.3.

 

8.3

Subject to Article 7.3, the Pledgee may exercise the right to enforce the Pledge at the same time or at any time after the Default Notice is given in accordance with Article 7.3. Once the Pledgee chooses to enforce the Pledge, the Pledgor shall no longer have any rights or interests related to the Equity.

 

8.4

When exercising the Pledge, the Pledgee shall have the right to dispose of the pledged Equity in accordance with law within the permitted scope and in accordance with the applicable law; all the payment received by the Pledgee due to the exercise of the Pledge shall be handled in the following order:

 

  (1)

pay all expenses arising from the disposal of the Equity and the exercise of the Pledgee’s rights and powers (including the fees paid to its lawyer and the remuneration paid to its agent);

 

  (2)

pay the taxes due for the disposal of the Equity;

 

  (3)

repay the Secured Debt to the Pledgee.

If there is any balance after deducting the above amount, the balance shall be paid to the Pledgor or the person entitled to receive such amount (without interest), and the Pledgor shall give such amount to the Pledgee or its designee unconditionally as permitted by the Laws of China. The Pledgee shall not be liable for any loss caused by its reasonable exercise of such rights and powers.


8.5

When the Pledgee disposes of the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall provide necessary assistance to enable the Pledgee to enforce the Pledge in accordance with this Agreement.

 

8.6

All the actual expenses, taxes and all legal fees related to the creation of the Equity pledge and the realization of the Pledgee’s rights hereunder shall be borne by Party C, unless they shall be borne by the Pledgee in accordance with law, and the Pledgee shall have the right to deduct such expenses in accordance with the actual amount from the payment obtained from the exercise of its rights and powers.

 

8.7

The amount of the Secured Debt identified by the Pledgee when exercising its Pledge of the Equity in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed as final evidence of the Secured Debt hereunder.

 

9.

Transfer

 

9.1

Without prior written consent of the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not transfer or delegate its rights and obligations hereunder.

 

9.2

The Pledgor and Party C agree that, without contravening the Laws of China at the time, after the Pledgee notifies the Pledgor and Party C, the Pledgee may delegate or transfer to any third party in any manner and on any terms and conditions (including the right to re-delegate) as it deems appropriate, any right it may exercise hereunder, the Transaction Agreements and other security documents.

 

9.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Pledgor and Party C and their respective successors and permitted transferees (if any), and shall be valid for the Pledgee and each of its successors and transferees.

 

9.4

At any time when the Pledgee transfers any and all of its rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements to the party (natural person/legal person) designated by it, the transferee shall enjoy and assume the rights and obligations of the Pledgee hereunder as if it were the original party to this Agreement. When the Pledgee transfers the rights and obligations under the Transaction Agreements, at the request of the Pledgee, the Pledgor and/or Party C shall sign relevant agreement or other documents related to such transfer.

 

9.5

If the Pledgee changes as a result of the transfer of the Transaction Agreements and/or this Agreement, the Pledgor and Party C shall, at the request of the Pledgee, sign a new equity interest pledge agreement with the new pledgee on the pledged Equity on the same terms and conditions as this Agreement and apply for corresponding pledge registration.


9.6

The Pledgor shall strictly abide by the provisions of this Agreement and other contracts jointly or separately signed by the Parties hereto or by any of them, including the Transaction Agreements, perform its obligations under this Agreement and other contracts (including the Transaction Agreements), and shall not perform any act/omission that may affect their validity and enforceability. Unless instructed in writing by the Pledgee, the Pledgor shall not exercise any remaining rights in respect of the Equity pledged hereunder.

 

10.

Termination

 

10.1

Upon expiration of the Pledge Period, this Agreement shall be terminated, the Pledgee shall cancel or terminate this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable and remove the Equity pledge hereunder, and the Pledgor and Party C shall record the release of the Equity pledge in the register of shareholders of Party C and apply to relevant Registration Authority for registration of the Equity pledge release. The Pledgor and Party C shall bear the reasonable expenses arising from the Equity pledge release. Articles 12, 13 and 19.5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.

 

10.2

If Party B, with the knowledge and consent of Party A, no longer holds any Equity or other interests of Party C, and has completed all registration or filing related to the transfer or release of such Equity/interests in accordance with relevant laws and regulations (including but not limited to industrial and commercial registration of changes, registration of Equity pledge release/change, etc.), the rights and obligations of the party hereunder and other contracts (including but not limited to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) jointly or separately concluded by Party B, Party C and Party A shall be terminated automatically. Amendments and changes to this Agreement made by the other parties shall not require the consent of that Party.

 

11.

Handling Fees and Other Charges

All costs and actual expenses in connection with this Agreement, including but not limited to attorney’s fees, cost of production, stamp duty and any other tax and expense, shall be borne by Party C. If applicable law requires the Pledgee to bear certain taxes and expenses, the Pledgor shall urge Party C to pay back in full the taxes and expenses paid by the Pledgee.


12.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or(c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.

 

13.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

13.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

13.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation, amendment, supplement and performance hereof or hereto, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon both Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation for the Equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to the Pledgee due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of the Pledgee.

 

13.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation or performance hereof, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.


13.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.

 

14.

Force Majeure

 

14.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders either Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

14.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, both Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

15.

Notice

 

15.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).


15.2

Any Party may change its address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

16.

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

17.

Appendix

The appendix hereto shall constitute an integral part of this Agreement.

 

18.

Effectiveness, Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

18.1

This Agreement shall enter into force from the date of signature by the Parties, and the Equity pledge hereunder shall enter into force from the date of completion of the relevant registration procedures with the Registration Authority.

 

18.2

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

18.3

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

18.4

This Agreement is made in six (6) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them, Party B holding one (1) of them and one (1) for Registration Authority, which shall have the same legal effect

 

19.

Miscellaneous

 

19.1

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


19.2 This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

19.3

Either Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by either Party in respect of a breach by another Party in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

19.4

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement.

 

19.5

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, or the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

19.6

Without conflicting with the Transaction Agreements and other provisions of this Agreement, if at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, or relevant registration procedure is changed, the Pledgee deems it illegal to maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement, the validity of the Pledge hereunder and/or to dispose of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein is contrary to such laws, regulations or rules, the Pledgor and Party C shall immediately take any action and/or execute any agreement or other documents in accordance with the written instructions and the reasonable requirements of the Pledgee, in order to: (1) maintain the effectiveness of this Agreement and the validity of the Pledge hereunder; (2) facilitate the disposal of the Equity in the manner agreed upon herein; and/or (3) maintain or realize the guarantees created or intended to be created hereunder.

 

19.7

This Agreement is a legal document independent of the Transaction Agreements and other guarantee documents. The invalidity of the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents shall not affect the rights and obligations of the Parties hereunder. If the Transaction Agreements or other guarantee documents are declared invalid, but the Pledgor still has outstanding Contractual Obligations and/or still owes Secured Debt with the Pledgee, the Equity hereunder shall remain the Pledge of the Contractual Obligations and the Secured Debt until the Pledgor has paid off all the Secured Debts and fulfilled all the Contractual Obligations.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party B: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Shuyi Yang

Name: Shuyi Yang
Title: Designated Representative of the General Partner


(This is the signature page of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

 

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)
Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties are as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party B: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Phone: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.7

Exclusive Call Option Agreement

This Exclusive Call Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, [REDACTED].

Party B:

 

1.

Lili Sun, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

2.

Zhen Ba, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

3.

Shuyi Yang, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

4.

Tongtong Li, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

5.

Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (“Ningbo Maiken”), a limited partnership legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with its registered address at [REDACTED]

(The parties mentioned in items 1-5 above are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Party B”)

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with its registered address at [REDACTED]

“Party A”, “Party B” and “Party C” are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”.

WHEREAS:

 

1.

Party B jointly holds 100% equity interest in Party C;

 

2.

Party B intends to irrevocably grant Party A an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity held by Party B in Party C;

 

3.

Party A, Party B and Party C intend to sign this Agreement in respect of the exclusive call option granted by Party B to Party A.

THEREFORE, the Parties have reached the following agreement through mutual consultation:


1.

Sales and Purchase of Equity

 

1.1

Call Option Granted

To the extent permitted by the Laws of China (including any legislation, laws, regulations, rules, notices, explanations or other binding documents issued by any administrative or judicial authorities of central and local level before or after the date of this Agreement, the “Laws of China”), Party B, separately and jointly, agrees to hereby irrevocably and unconditionally grant Party A or any person designated by it an unconditional, irrevocable and exclusive call option to purchase all or part of Party B’s equity in Party C once or at multiple times at any time during the Term of this Agreement in accordance with the exercise procedures determined discretionarily by Party A and at the price described in Article 1.3 hereof (“Call Option”). Except Party A or its designee(s), no other person shall be entitled to the Call Option or other rights with respect to the equity held by Party B in Party C. Party C hereby agrees that Party B may grant the Call Option to Party A or its designee(s). The term “person” as used herein shall refer to any individual, corporation, joint venture, partnership, enterprise, trust or non-corporate organization.

 

1.2

Exercise Procedures

The exercise of the Call Option by Party A and/or its designee shall be subject to the provisions of the Laws of China. When exercising the Call Option in accordance with Article 1.1 hereof, Party A and/or its designee shall issue a written notice to Party B (“Call Option Notice”), specifying: (a) the decision of Party A and/or its designee to exercise the Call Option; (b) the proportion or amount of equity to be purchased by Party A and/or its designee from Party B (the “Purchased Equity”); and (c) the date(s) for purchasing and/or transferring the Purchased Equity. Upon receipt of the Call Option Notice, Party B shall, in accordance with the Notice, transfer all the Purchased Equity to Party A and/or its designee in the manner specified in Article 1.4 hereof.

 

1.3

Equity Price and its Payment

When Party A and/or its designee decides to exercise the Call Option in accordance with this Agreement, the purchase price of the Purchased Equity (“Equity Price) shall be the nominal price; however, if the Equity Price shall be the any other price as required by relevant government department or the Laws of China, then the Equity Price shall be the lowest price that meets such requirements. Nevertheless, in any case, subject to the provisions and requirements of the current Laws of China, any payment made by Party A and/or its designee at any such price to Party B shall be refunded to Party A and/or its designee. After the necessary tax withholding is made with respect to the Equity Price in accordance with the Laws of China, the Equity Price shall be transferred to the account designated by Party B within seven (7) days from the date when the Purchased Equity are formally transferred to Party A and/or its designee. And Party B shall, within seven (7) days after receiving the Equity Price, refund the same to Party A and/or its designee.


1.4

Transfer of the Purchased Equity Interest

For each exercise of the Call Option by Party A and/or its designee:

 

  (1)

Party B shall cause Party C to promptly convene a meeting of Board of Shareholders, at which a resolution shall be adopted approving Party B’s transfer of the Purchased Equity to Party A and/or its designee;

 

  (2)

Party B shall sign with Party A and/or (if applicable) its designee an equity transfer contract and other relevant legal documents with respect to each transfer in accordance with this Agreement and the Call Option Notice;

 

  (3)

The relevant Parties shall execute all other necessary contracts, agreements or documents (including but not limited to the amendments to Party C’s Articles of Association), obtain all necessary internal approvals, authorizations, government approvals, licenses, consents and permits, and take all necessary actions, without bearing any Security Interest, so as to transfer to Party A and/or its designee the valid title to the Purchased Equity free of any Security Interest and cause Party A and/or its designee to be the registered owner(s) of the Purchased Equity (subject to the completion of the corresponding industrial and commercial registration). For the purposes of this paragraph and this Agreement, “Security Interest” shall include any security, mortgage, third party’s right or interest, stock purchase right, acquisition right, right of first refusal, right to offset, ownership retention or other security arrangements, for clarity, it does not include any security interest arising from this Agreement and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement. The “Equity Interest Pledge Agreement” as used in this paragraph and this Agreement refers to the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement signed by Party A, Party B and Party C on the date of this Agreement, whereby Party B shall pledge all the equity held by it in Party C to Party A for the purpose of guaranteeing Party C’s performance of its obligations under the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) signed by Party C and Party A on the date of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney (the “Power of Attorney”) signed by all Parties on the date of this Agreement, the letter of proxy issued by Party B on the date of this Agreement and this Agreement.


2.

Undertakings

 

2.1

Undertakings of Party B or Party C

Party B (as a shareholder of Party C) and Party C hereby jointly and separately undertake that:

 

  (1)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they will not in any manner supplement, modify or amend any of the major provisions in the organizational documents (including the Articles of Association) or procedures of Party C, increase or decrease its registered capital, or otherwise change the structure of its registered capital, or change the form of Party C through any merger, division, suspension, termination, dissolution, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization or any other act; after the statutory liquidation as described in Article 3.6 of this Agreement, Party B shall pay to Party A any remaining residual value collected by it on the basis of non-two-way payment or cause such payment to occur. If such payment is prohibited by the Laws of China, Party B will pay the income to Party A or its designee to the extent permitted by the Laws of China;

 

  (2)

They shall, in accordance with good financial and commercial standards and practices, maintain the existence of Party C, operate its business and handle its affairs prudently and effectively, and cause Party C to fulfill its obligations under the Business Cooperation Agreement;

 

  (3)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to sell, transfer, license, mortgage, pledge, authorize any third party to use or otherwise dispose of the important tangible and intangible assets of Party C and its subsidiaries, including but not limited to patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights;

 

  (4)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not incur, inherit, guarantee or permit the existence of any debt or payment obligation of more than RMB200,000, except for: (i) debts incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through loans; and (ii) debts that have been disclosed to Party A and for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained;

 

  (5)

They shall always operate all of Party C’s businesses during the ordinary course of business to maintain the value of Party C’s assets and refrain from any action/omission that may affect Party C’s operating status and asset value; Party A’s board of directors has the right to supervise Party C’s assets and assess whether Party C has control over its assets. If Party A’s board of directors believes that Party C’s business activities affect the value of its assets or affect its control over its own assets, then Party A will hire legal counsels or other professionals deal with these issues;


  (6)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to sign any major contract, except for the contracts signed in the normal course of business and the contracts signed by Party C with Party A’s subsidiaries, parent company or the subsidiaries directly or indirectly controlled by its parent company;

 

  (7)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to pay any significant capital expenditure or investment with a consideration of RMB500,000 or more, or conduct such transactions as the purchase, sale, mortgage, pledge, lease, pawn or other disposal of assets totaling more than RMB500,000 beyond the normal business operations or budget of Party C during 12 months;

 

  (8)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to enter into any major agreement with any one or more related parties and promise, guarantee or bear unrestricted obligations, or conduct any transaction with the single amount exceeding RMB 200,000 or with the total accumulated amount exceeding RMB 500,000 during any period of 12 months;

 

  (9)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to provide any person (including Party B and its related parties) with any loan, financial assistance or mortgage, pledge or any other form of guarantee, or permit any third party to create any mortgage or pledge on its assets or equity;

 

  (10)

They shall, at Party A’s request, regularly provide Party A with information on Party C’s business operations and financial condition;

 

  (11)

They shall, at Party A’s request, purchase and maintain insurance in respect of Party C’s assets and business from an insurance company accepted by Party A, at an amount and with the type of coverage typical for companies that operate similar businesses and possess similar properties or assets in China;

 

  (12)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to sell subsidiaries or acquire other enterprises;

 

  (13)

They shall immediately notify Party A of any occurred or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Party C’s assets, business or revenue and shall take all necessary measures in accordance with Party A’s reasonable request;


  (14)

To maintain the ownership by Party C of all of its assets, they shall execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or defend necessarily and appropriately against all claims;

 

  (15)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall ensure that Party C shall not announce or pay any dividend, bonus or loss compensation plan in any form, but Party C shall immediately distribute all distributable profits to its shareholders upon written request of Party A;

 

  (16)

At the request of Party A, they shall, in accordance with the Laws of China and the Articles of Association, appoint any person nominated/designated by Party A as the director, supervisor and/or officer of Party C and/or remove any director, supervisor and/or officer of Party C from office, and shall perform all relevant resolutions and filing procedures; Party A has the right to request Party B and Party C to replace any person mentioned above;

 

  (17)

If Party A is hindered from exercise the Call Option due to the failure of Party C’s any shareholder or Party C to fulfill its tax obligations under applicable law, then Party A has the right to request Party C or its shareholder to fulfill such tax obligations or request Party C or its shareholder to pay such tax amount to Party A and then to relevant tax authority through Party A on Party C’s behalf;

 

  (18)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not agree or cause Party C to formulate, approve or modify Party C’s employee stock option incentive plan;

 

  (19)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to issue any securities, shares, preferred shares or warrants, options and other rights to purchase any securities domestically or abroad;

 

  (20)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to engage in any business area that is significantly different from the existing business plan, change its name or terminate any existing business;

 

  (21)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to formulate, approve or modify Party C’s annual budget and operating plan, including any capital expenditure budget, operating budget and financial plan;

 

  (22)

Without prior written consent of Party A, they shall not permit or cause Party C to employ any officer or key employee or determine their remuneration and benefits; and


  (23)

In respect of the commitments under this Article 2.1, Party B and Party C shall cause Party C’s subsidiaries to comply with such commitments as applicable, as if such subsidiaries were Party C under the corresponding terms.

 

2.2

Undertakings of Party B

Party B hereby unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes that:

 

  (1)

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not sell, transfer, mortgage or otherwise dispose of any legal or beneficial rights in the equity held by it in Party C or permit the creation of any Security Interest thereon from the date of this Agreement, except for the pledge created on the equity of Party C in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

  (2)

Party B shall not engage in business operations or perform any other activities that may adversely affect Party C’s reputation;

 

  (3)

Party B shall take all measures to ensure that all of Party C’s business certificates and licenses are legal and valid, and are renewed on time in accordance with law;

 

  (4)

Party B shall not externally sign any documents or make relevant commitments that conflict with the agreements and other legal documents signed with Party C or Party A or the entity designated by Party A and are in the process of performance; Party B shall not cause any conflict of interest between Party B and Party A and its shareholders by the way of any act or omission. In the event of such a conflict of interest (Party A has the right to unilaterally decide whether such conflict of interest occurs), Party B shall take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible, subject to the consent of Party A or the entity designated by Party A. If Party B refuses to take such measures, then Party A has the right to exercise the Call Option hereunder;

 

  (5)

Without the written consent of Party A, Party B shall not in any way directly or indirectly participate in or engage in any business that competes with or may compete with that of Party C and its controlled subsidiaries, or be employed by any entity engages in any business that competes with or may compete with that of Party C and its controlled subsidiaries or hold any equities or assets of such entity (except that it can hold less than 5% equity of such entity), and Party A has the right to decide whether there exists or may exist any of the above circumstances;


  (6)

Party B shall not request Party C to make dividends or other forms of profit distribution on the equity held by Party B in Party C, propose any resolutions on such distribution at the meeting of Board of Shareholders or vote in favor of such resolutions. In any event, if Party B receives any income, profit distribution or dividends from Party C, Party B shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, waive the collection of such income, profit distribution or dividends, and immediately pay the same to Party A or any person designated by Party A;

 

  (7)

Party B shall cause that, without prior written consent of Party A, the Board of Shareholders and/or Board of Directors of Party C shall not approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or otherwise disposal of any legal or beneficial rights in the equity held by Party B in Party C or permit the creation of any Security Interest thereon from the date of this Agreement, except for the pledge created on the equity of Party C in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement;

 

  (8)

Party B shall cause that, without prior written consent of Party A, the Board of Shareholders and/or Board of Directors of Party C shall not approve the merger, partnership, joint venture or combination of Party C with any person, or acquiring or investing in any person, or the division of Party C, or the change of Articles of Association, registered capital or corporate form of Party C;

 

  (9)

Party B shall immediately notify Party A of any occurred or threatened litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to the equity held by Party B in Party C, and shall take all necessary measures in accordance with Party A’s reasonable request;

 

  (10)

Party B shall cause the Board of Shareholders and/or the Board of Directors of Party C to vote to agree to the transfer of the Purchased Equity as agreed in this Agreement and to take any and all other actions that Party A may require;

 

  (11)

At the request made by Party A at any time, Party B shall immediately and unconditionally transfer the equity held by it in Party C to Party A and/or its designee in accordance with the Call Option hereunder, and Party B hereby waives its right of first refusal (if any) to purchase any equity from any other shareholder of Party C;

 

  (12)

Party B shall strictly abide by this Agreement and the other contracts (including but not limited to the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Business Cooperation Agreement) signed by Party B, Party C and Party A jointly or separately, fulfill the obligations under this Agreement and the above-mentioned other contracts, and shall not affect their effectiveness and enforceability due to its any act/omission. Party B shall not exercise its any residual rights to the equity under this Agreement or the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement or the power of attorney granted in favor of Party A unless Party A gives written instructions;


  (13)

If, before the dissolution of Party C, Party A (or its designee) has paid the Equity Price but the relevant industrial and commercial changes have not been completed, then, at or before the dissolution of Party C, Party B shall timely deliver to Party A (or its designee) free of charge all the proceeds from the distribution of the remaining property obtained by Party B for the equity held by it in Party C, and in this case, Party B shall not claim any rights in such proceeds (except as exercised by Party A’s instructions);

 

  (14)

Subject to the provisions and requirements of the current Laws of China, Party B agrees to refund to Party A free of charge the price obtained by it from Party A for the transfer of the Purchased Equity;

 

  (15)

Party B agrees to sign an irrevocable power of attorney that is satisfactory to Party A and deposit it with Party A, in accordance with which Party A or its designee is authorized to exercise on Party B’s behalf all the rights of Party B as the shareholder of Party C; and

 

  (16)

Party B shall ensure that Party C validly exists and will not be terminated, liquidated or dissolved.

 

3.

Representations and Warranties

Party B and Party C hereby jointly and separately represent and warrant to Party A on the date of this Agreement and on each transfer date of the Purchased Equity that:

 

3.1

It has the power to authorize the signing and delivery of this Agreement and any equity transfer contract (“Transfer Contract”) to which it is a party and under which the Purchased Equity will be transferred, and has the power and ability to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement and any Transfer Contract. Party B and Party C agree to sign a Transfer Contract in accordance with the terms of this Agreement when Party A exercises its Call Option. This Agreement and any Transfer Contract to which it is a party constitute or constitute its legal, valid and binding obligations and shall be enforceable in accordance with the terms thereof;

 

3.2

Neither the signing or delivery of this Agreement or any Transfer Contract nor the obligations under this Agreement or any Transfer Contract shall or will not: (i) result in a breach of any applicable Laws of China; (ii) conflict with Party C’s Articles of Association, regulations or other organizational documents; (iii) result in or constitute any breach of any contract or instrument to which it is a party or which is binding on it; (iv) result in any breach of any condition under which any license or permit is issued to any Party and/or continues to be in force; or (v) result in the suspension or withdrawal of or any additional conditions to the license or permit issued to any Party;


3.3

Party B has good and saleable ownership of the equity held by it in Party C. Except for the Security Interest under the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement, Party B does not create any Security Interest on such equity;

 

3.4

Party C has good and saleable ownership of all its assets and does not create any Security Interest on the above assets;

 

3.5

Party C does not have any outstanding debts, except for (i) the debts incurred in the ordinary course of business; and (ii) the debts that have been disclosed to Party A and for which Party A’s written consent has been obtained;

 

3.6

If Party C is required to be dissolved or liquidated in accordance with the requirements of the Laws of China, Party C shall, to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, sell all its assets to Party A or other eligible entities designated by Party A at the lowest price permitted by the Laws of China. Party C shall, within the scope of the Laws of China applicable at that time, exempt Party A or other eligible entities designated by Party A from any payment obligations arising therefrom; any proceeds arising from such transactions shall be taken as part of the service fee under the Business Cooperation Agreement which shall be paid to Party A or other eligible entities designated by Party A within the scope of the Laws of China applicable at that time;

 

3.7

Party C complies with all laws and regulations in China applicable to equity or asset acquisitions;

 

3.8

There are no ongoing, pending or possible litigation, arbitration or administrative procedures relating to Party C’s equity, Party C’s assets or Party C.

 

4.

Effective date

This Agreement shall take effect from the date of signing by all Parties. It shall be valid for 10 years and Party A may choose to renew it unless or until the date when all the Purchased Equity held by Party B is transferred to Party A and/or its designate (subject to the date of completion of the registration of changes with industrial and commercial) and Party A and/or its designate may legally engage in the business of Party C. If Party A fails to confirm the renewal hereof upon the expiration, this Agreement shall be automatically renewed until Party A delivers a letter confirming the renewal period hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement unilaterally and immediately by giving Party B and Party C a written notice at any time without incurring any liability for breach. Party B and Party C shall have no right to terminate this Agreement unilaterally unless it is otherwise stipulated by the Laws of China.


5.

Liability for Breach

 

5.1

Unless otherwise agreed in other terms hereof, if any Party (the “Breaching Party”) fails to perform its obligations hereunder or otherwise breach this Agreement, any of the other Parties (the “Affected Party”) may: (a) send a written notice to the Breaching Party, stating the nature and extent of the breach and require the Breaching Party to cure the breach at its own expense within a reasonable period specified in the notice (the “Cure Period”). If the Breaching Party fails to cure the breach within the Cure Period, the Affected Party shall be entitled to require the Breaching Party to assume all liabilities caused by its breach and compensate the Affected Party for all actual economic losses, including but not limited to attorney fees, litigation or arbitration fees incurred related to litigation or arbitration proceedings in connection with such breach. In addition, the Affected Party shall be entitled to require the Breaching Party to perform this Agreement, and the Affected Party shall be entitled to request relevant arbitration institution or court to order the actual performance and/or enforcement of the provisions hereof; (b) terminate this Agreement, and require the Breaching Party to assume all liabilities caused by its breach, and pay all damages; or (c) enjoy the priority to get compensated from the proceeds obtained from the conversion of the pledged equity into money, or the auction or sales of the pledged equity in accordance with the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement, and require the Breaching Party to bear all losses caused thereby. The exercise of the said remedy by the Affected Party shall not affect its exercise of other remedies in accordance with this Agreement and relevant laws.

 

5.2

The Parties agree and acknowledge that, unless otherwise required by the Laws of China, if Party B or Party C is the Breaching Party, Party A is entitled to unilaterally terminate this Agreement immediately and demand damages from the Breaching Party. If Party A is the Breaching Party, Party B and Party C shall exempt Party A’ liability of for damages. Unless otherwise stipulated by the Laws of China, Party B and Party C are not entitled to unilaterally terminate or rescind this Agreement in any case.

 

6.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

6.1

Governing Law

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.


6.2

Dispute Settlement

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation and performance hereof, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon the Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation by the equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to Party A due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. After the arbitration award becomes effective, any Party shall apply to the court with jurisdiction for enforcement of the arbitration award. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of Party A.

 

6.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation, modification, supplement or performance hereof or hereto, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.

 

6.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, (a) if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; or (b) if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.


7.

Taxes and Expenses

Each Party shall, in accordance with the Laws of China, pay any and all transfer and registration taxes, expenses and fees incurred by or levied on that Party in connection with the preparation and execution of this Agreement and the Transfer Contract(s), and the completion of the transactions agreed upon under this Agreement and the Transfer Contract.

 

8.

Notice

 

8.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix I hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been given on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).

 

8.2

Any Party may change its contact address, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

9.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or (c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.


10.

Further Assurances

The Parties agree to sign all necessary documents and take further actions reasonably needed for the performance of the provisions, and the realization of the purposes, of this Agreement or in their favor in a timely manner.

 

11.

Force Majeure

 

11.1

Force Majeure” refers to any unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable event that renders any Party’s failure to perform any part or all of its obligations hereunder, including but not limited to earthquake, typhoon, flood, war, strike, riot, act of government, change of laws or other applicable changes.

 

11.2

In case of any Force Majeure event, the obligations of any Party affected by the Force Majeure hereunder shall be automatically suspended during the delay period, and its performance period shall be automatically extended. The extended period shall be the suspension period, during which the Party shall not be punished or liable. In the event of a Force Majeure, the Parties shall immediately consult to seek a just solution and shall make all reasonable efforts to minimize the effect of Force Majeure.

 

12.

Miscellaneous

 

12.1

Amendment, Modification and Supplement

Any unspecified matter herein shall be separately determined by the Parties through consultation. Any amendment, modification or supplement hereto shall be made in writing. The amended or supplementary agreement duly signed by the Parties in connection with this Agreement and its appendix shall constitute an integral part of, and have the same legal effect as, this Agreement.

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

12.2

Entire Agreement

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


12.3

Headings

The headings of this Agreement are for convenience only, and shall not be used to interpret, explain or otherwise affect the meaning of any provision of this Agreement

 

12.4

Counterpart

This Agreement is made in nine (9) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them and each Party B holding one (1) of them which shall have the same legal effect.

 

12.5

Severability

If one or more provisions hereof are held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any law or regulation, the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof shall not be affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall replace an invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement with a valid one through the sincerity consultations and to the fullest extent permitted by law. The economic effect of such valid agreement shall be as similar as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable agreement.

 

12.6

Successors

This Agreement shall be binding upon the respective successors and permitted transferees of the Parties.

 

12.7

Survival

(1) Any obligation arising from this Agreement or becoming due under this Agreement prior to the expiration or early termination of this Agreement shall remain valid after the expiration or early termination of this Agreement.

(2) The provisions of Articles 6, 8, 9 and 12.7 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

12.8

Waiver

Any Party may waive its rights hereunder, but such waiver must be made in writing and signed by the Parties. A waiver by any Party in respect of a breach by other Parties in one case shall not be deemed to be a waiver by such party in respect of a similar breach in any other case.

 

12.9

Compliance with Laws and Regulations


Each Party shall abide by, and shall ensure the operation of each Party entirely conforms to, all laws and regulations officially promulgated and publicly available in China.

 

12.10

Transfer of Rights

Without prior written consent of Party A, Party C and/or Party B shall not transfer any of their rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party. Party C and Party B hereby agree that Party A shall have the right to transfer any of its rights and/or obligations hereunder to any third party after notifying Party C and Party B in writing. In such case, Party B and Party C shall sign a supplementary agreement with the transferee or an agreement with the content materially the same as that of this Agreement.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:   /s/ Yiyang Yu
Name: Yiyang Yu
Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B1: Lili Sun

 

Signature:   /s/ Lili Sun


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B2: Zhen Ba

 

Signature:   /s/ Zhen Ba


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B3: Shuyi Yang

 

Signature:   /s/ Shuyi Yang


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B4: Tongtong Li

 

Signature:   /s/ Tongtong Li


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B5: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (Seal)

 

Signature:   /s/ Shuyi Yang
Name: Shuyi Yang
Title: Designated Representative of the General Partner


(This is the signature page of the Exclusive Call Option Agreement only)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Exclusive Call Option Agreement has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

 

Signature:   /s/ Leslie Yu
Name: Leslie Yu
Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties is as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B1: Lili Sun

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B2: Zhen Ba

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B3: Shuyi Yang

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B4: Tongtong Li

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B5: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.8

Power of Attorney

This Power of Attorney (this “Agreement”) was entered into on August 23, 2019 in Beijing, China by and among:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

Party B:

 

1.

Lili Sun, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

2.

Zhen Ba, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

3.

Shuyi Yang, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

4.

Tongtong Li, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED];

 

5.

Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP, a limited partnership legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED];

(The parties mentioned in items 1-5 above are hereinafter collectively referred to as “Party B”)

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., a limited liability company legally incorporated and validly existing under the Laws of China, with registered address at [REDACTED].

“Party A”, “Party B” and “Party C” are hereinafter individually referred to as a “Party” and collectively as the “Parties”.

WHEREAS:

 

1.

Party B is the current shareholder of Party C and holds 100% of the equity interest in Party C (“Party C’s Equity”) as of the date of this Agreement;

 

2.

The Parties hereto have signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement (the “Exclusive Call Option Agreement”) on August 23, 2019. If, subject to the Laws of China and corresponding conditions, Party A makes a purchase request based on its independent judgment, Party B shall transfer all or part of the equity held by it in Party C to Party A and/or any other entity or individual designated by it;


3.

The Parties hereto have signed the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement (the “Equity Interest Pledge Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby Party B pledges all the equity held by it in Party C to Party A to provide pledge guarantee for the contractual obligations and secured debts thereunder;

 

4.

Party A and Party C have signed the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement (the “Business Cooperation Agreement”) on August 23, 2019, whereby Party A provides relevant technical services, technical consultation and other services to Party C.

 

5.

In order to ensure the performance of the Business Cooperation Agreement and the legitimate rights and interests of Party A, Party A, Party B and Party C intend to sign this Agreement on such matters as the delegation of the voting rights of shareholders by Party B to Party A. Party B intends to appoint Party A or its designee(s) to exercise the Proxy Rights (as defined below) enjoyed by it in Party C and Party A intends to accept or designate a person to accept such delegation.

THEREFORE, the Parties reached the following agreement after friendly consultation:

 

1.

Proxy Rights

 

1.1

Party B unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes that, after signing this Agreement, it will sign a Letter of Proxy (the “Letter of Proxy”) in the form and with the contents specified in the Appendix I “Letter of Proxy”, to authorize Party A or its designee(s) (collectively “Assignee”) to exercise all the rights enjoyed by Party B as a shareholder of Party C in accordance with the articles of association at that time of Party C and the applicable laws and regulations, and to exercise on Party B’s behalf the rights with respect to all major matters of Party C. Such rights (the “Proxy Rights”) include but are not limited to:

 

  (1)

As the agent of Party B, propose, convene and attend the meeting of the Board of Shareholders of Party C in accordance with the articles of association of Party C;

 

  (2)

Exercise all shareholder’s rights enjoyed by Party B in accordance with the laws of China (including any legislation, laws, regulations, rules, notices, explanations or other binding documents issued by any administrative or judicial authorities of central or local levels before or after the date of this Agreement, the “Laws of China”) and Party C’s articles of association (as amended from time to time), including but not limited to the rights to vote, voting rights, rights to receive dividends, rights to sell or transfer or pledge or disposal of part or all of Party C’s Equity;


  (3)

Represent Party B to designate, appoint or replace Party C’s legal representative (Chairman), directors, supervisors, chief executive officer (or manager) and other officers in accordance with the specific provisions of Party C’s articles of association on the manner in which the legal representative is generated; file lawsuits or take other legal actions against Party C’s any director, supervisor or officer when its act damages the interests of Party C or its shareholders, supervisor or officer;

 

  (4)

Sign the documents (including written resolutions and minutes of the shareholders’ meeting) and file the documents at the relevant company registry;

 

  (5)

Exercise voting rights on behalf of Party C’s registered shareholder in the event of bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or termination of Party C;

 

  (6)

The right to the distribution of the remaining assets after Party C’s bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or termination;

 

  (7)

Decide to submit and register with the government department the relevant documents of Party C; and

 

  (8)

Exercise any shareholder’s rights to deal with Party C’s assets in accordance with the law, including but not limited to the right to manage its asset-related business, the right to receive and use its income, and the right to obtain its assets.

 

1.2

Without limiting the generality of the rights granted hereunder, Party A shall have the rights and authority hereunder to sign the transfer contract agreed and defined in the Exclusive Call Option Agreement on behalf of Party B (when Party B is required to be a party to such contract), and shall fulfill the terms of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Call Option Agreement to which Party B is a party.

 

1.3

Party B hereby undertakes and guarantees that Party B’s authorization under Article 1.1 will not cause actual or potential conflicts of interest between Party B and Party A. If there is a potential conflict of interest between Party B and Party C and Party A, Party B will give priority to the protection of and will not harm Party A’s interests. Party B shall not externally sign any documents or make relevant commitments that conflict with the agreements and other legal documents signed with Party C or Party A in the performance thereof; Party B shall not cause any conflict of interest between Party B and Party A by the way of any act or omission. In the event of such a conflict of interest (Party A has the right to unilaterally decide whether such conflict of interest occurs), Party B shall take measures to eliminate it as soon as possible, subject to the consent of Party A. If Party B refuses to take such measures, then Party A has the right to exercise the equity option under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement;


1.4

Party B hereby undertakes that, without the written consent of Party A, Party B shall not in any way directly or indirectly participate in or engage in any business that competes with or may compete with that of Party C and its controlled companies, or provide services to any entity engages in any business that competes with or may compete with that of Party C and its controlled companies or hold any equities or assets of such entity (except it can hold less than 5% equity of such entity), and Party A has the right to decide whether there exists or may exist any of the above circumstances;

 

1.5

Party B hereby undertakes that, in the event of Party C’s bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or termination, all assets (including Party C’s equity) acquired by Party B after Party C’s bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or termination will be transferred to Party A free of charge or at the lowest price permitted by Laws of China at that time, or all Party C’s assets including the equity shall be disposed of by the liquidator of the time in the interests of Party A and/or creditors. If Party B receives any consideration from Party A in the transfer of relevant assets, Party B shall refund all such consideration to Party A.

 

1.6

The Assignee has the right to send to Party B and Party C a written notice to delegate the powers and rights granted under Article 1.1 above to any other person or entity (including but not limited to the Assignee’s senior management) without the consent of Party B or Party C. Upon receipt of the aforementioned written notice from the Assignee and when necessary, Party B shall, in accordance with the request in the written notice from the Assignee, issue a Letter of Proxy to such other person or entity designated by the Assignee and grant such person the corresponding powers and rights. The new Letter of Proxy shall replace the original one as soon as it is made; Party C shall provide such person or entity with all necessary assistance as referred to in this Agreement. In addition, the Assignee has the right to request the cancellation of the authorization granted to the aforesaid person or entity by giving written notice to Party B and Party C, and Party B shall immediately do so in accordance with the written notice and Party C shall immediately cease the provision of any relevant assistance.

 

1.7

Party B shall confirm, approve and assume corresponding legal liabilities for any legal consequences arising from the exercise of the aforesaid Proxy Rights by the Assignee.


1.8

Any acts performed in relation to the equity of Party C and/or the exercise of the Proxy Rights by the Assignee shall be deemed as Party B’s own acts, and all documents signed by the Assignee shall be deemed to be signed by Party B. The Assignee may perform the aforesaid acts in accordance with his own intentions and is not required to obtain the prior consent of Party B, but the Assignee shall promptly inform Party B after any resolution of Party C or any proposal to convene a temporary shareholders meeting is made. Party B hereby acknowledges and approves such acts and/or documents of the Assignee.

 

1.9

During the term hereof, Party B agrees and confirms that, without the prior written consent of Party A, it shall not exercise any of its rights in relation to Party C’s Equity that has been delegated to the Assignee hereunder.

 

2.

Information Rights

 

2.1

For the purpose of exercising the Proxy Rights hereunder, the Assignee has the right to know all relevant information about Party C’s company operations, business, customers, finances, employees, etc. and to consult the relevant information of Party C, and Party C shall fully cooperate in this regard.

 

3.

Exercise of the Proxy Rights

 

3.1

Party B will provide full assistance to the Assignee in exercising the Proxy Rights, including the signing of relevant legal documents in time (including but not limited to the resolutions of the shareholders’ meeting that the Assignee has made, or the Letter of Entrustment that clarifies the scope of the specific authorization (if relevant laws and regulations or articles of association or other normative documents require)) when necessary (for example, to meet the requirements of government departments for approval, registration and filing of documents or the requirements of laws and regulations, normative documents, articles of association or the instructions or orders of other government departments).

 

3.2

Party B hereby irrevocably agrees that when the Assignee makes a written request related to the exercise of the Proxy Rights, Party B shall, within three (3) days after receiving the written request, take action in accordance with the written request to satisfy the requirements of the Assignee for the exercise of Proxy Rights.

 

3.3

If, at any time during the term hereof, it is unable to grant or exercise the Proxy Rights hereunder for any reason (other than the breach of contract by Party B or Party C), the Parties shall immediately seek alternatives that are most similar to the provisions that cannot be executed, and sign a supplemental agreement to modify or adjust the provisions of this Agreement when necessary, so as to ensure the achievement of the purpose of this Agreement.


4.

Exemption and Indemnity

 

4.1

The Parties acknowledge that, under no circumstances should the Assignee be required to assume any responsibility or make any financial or other compensation to the other Parties or any third party for the exercise of the Proxy Rights hereunder.

 

4.2

Party B and Party C agree to indemnify and hold Party A harmless from all losses suffered or possible to be suffered by Party A due to the exercise of the Proxy Rights by Party A and/or the party designated by Party A, including but not limited to any loss caused by the litigation, recovery, arbitration or claim brought by any third party against Party A or any loss caused by the administrative investigations and punishments by government agencies, except for the loss caused by the Assignee’s intentional or gross negligence.

 

5.

Representations and Warranties

 

5.1

Party B hereby represents and warrants that:

 

  (1)

It has full and independent legal status and legal capacity and has obtained the appropriate authorization to sign, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can independently act as a subject of litigation.

 

  (2)

It has full rights and authorization to execute and deliver this Agreement and other documents relating to the transaction as contemplated in this Agreement, and it also has full right and authorization to complete the transaction stipulated in this Agreement. The Agreement is duly and properly signed and delivered by it. The Agreement constitutes a legal, binding obligation of it and may be enforced against it in accordance with the terms of hereof.

 

  (3)

At the time of the entry into force of this Agreement, it is one of Party C’s legal shareholders registered in the register of shareholders through industrial and commercial registration, and there is no third party right in the Proxy Rights, except for those under this Agreement, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Call Option Agreement. In accordance with this Agreement, the Assignee may fully exercise the Proxy Rights in accordance with the Party C’s articles of association valid at that time.

 

  (4)

The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the completion of the transactions hereunder will not violate the Laws of China and will not violate any agreement, contract or other arrangement with any third party that is binding on it.

 

5.2

Party A and Party C hereby represent and warrant respectively that:


  (1)

It is a limited liability company that is properly registered and legally existing in accordance with the laws of its registered place and has independent legal personality; it has full and independent legal status and legal capacity to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and can independently act as a subject of litigation.

 

  (2)

It fully has the internal corporate rights and authorization to execute and deliver this Agreement and other documents relating to the transaction as contemplated hereunder, and it also has full right and authorization to complete the transaction stipulated herein.

 

5.3

Party C further represents and warrants that:

 

  (1)

At the time of the entry into force of this Agreement, Party B is one of Party C’s legal shareholders registered in the register of shareholders through industrial and commercial registration. There is no third party right in the Proxy Rights, except for those hereunder, the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Call Option Agreement. In accordance with this Agreement, the Assignee may fully exercise the Proxy Rights in accordance with the Party C’s articles of association valid at that time.

 

  (2)

The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the completion of the transactions hereunder will not violate the Laws of China, or the articles of association, regulations and rules or other organizational documents of any of the parties, and will not violate any agreement, contract or other arrangement with any third party that is binding on it.

 

6.

Transfer

Party A shall have the right to assign or transfer this Agreement and/or its rights hereunder to any other person or entity at its own discretion without sending prior notice to, or obtaining prior consent from, Party B or Party C.

 

7.

Term

 

7.1

Subject to the fact that Party B or its successor or the transferee of Party C’s equity at that time is the shareholder of Party C, this Agreement shall come into force and irrevocably remain valid from the date of execution unless Party A otherwise instructs to the contrary in writing or early terminates this Agreement in accordance with Article 7.2 or Article 8 hereof. Once Party A notifies Party B in writing to terminate this Agreement in whole or in part, or to change the Assignee, Party B will immediately withdraw the delegation and authorization made to Party A and the Assignee hereunder, and, follow Party A’s written instructions to immediately sign a letter of proxy in the form specified in the Appendix I, to make the authorization and delegation to the other person or subject designated by Party A with the content the same as that of this Agreement. The original agreement will be terminated automatically after the entry into force of the agreement.


7.2

Once it is permitted by the Laws of China that Party A, or its overseas parent company, or its subsidiary directly or indirectly controlled by it to directly hold the equity of Party C and legally engage in the business of Party C, this Agreement shall automatically terminate on the day when Party A is formally registered as the sole shareholder of Party C.

 

8.

Liability for Breach

 

8.1

The Parties agree and acknowledge that any Party (the “Breaching Party”)’s breach of any agreement made hereunder or failure or delay in fulfilling any of its obligations hereunder shall constitute a breach of contract (the “Breach”), and any of the non-breaching parties (the “Non-breaching Parties”) shall have the right to require the Breaching Party to cure the Breach or take remedial measures within a reasonable period of time. If the Breaching Party fails to cure the Breach or take remedial measures within a reasonable period of time or within ten (10) days after the other Party’s notice in writing and request to remedy, then

 

  (1)

if Party B or Party C is the Breaching Party, any of the Non-breaching Parties is entitled to unilaterally terminate this Agreement immediately and demand damages from the Breaching Party.

 

  (2)

if Party A is the Breaching Party, any of the Non-breaching Parties shall exempt Party A’ liability of for damages. Unless otherwise stipulated by the Laws of China, the Non-breaching Party is not entitled to unilaterally terminate or rescind this Agreement in any case.

 

8.2

Notwithstanding other provisions of this Agreement, the validity of this Article 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.

 

9.

Confidentiality

The Parties agree that, this Agreement, its contents and any oral or written information exchanged in connection with this Agreement shall be confidential information. Party B and Party C shall keep all such information and shall not disclose any relevant information to any third party without the written consent of Party A, except for: (a) such information known to the public (but not disclosed by any of the receiving Parties); (b) information required by applicable law or any rules or requirements of the stock exchange; or (c) the information that Party B and Party C needs to disclose to its legal or financial consultants in connection with the transactions hereunder, and such legal or financial consultants shall also be subject to the duty of confidentiality similar to the obligations in this Article. The disclosure of any confidential information by any personnel or institutions employed by Party B and Party C shall be deemed as the disclosure of such confidential information by Party B and Party C, and Party B and Party C shall bear legal liability for the breach. This Article shall survive after the termination hereof for any reason.


10.

Governing Law and Dispute Settlement

 

10.1

The execution, validity, interpretation, performance, amendment and termination hereof or hereto, and disputes settlement hereunder shall be governed by the Laws of China.

 

10.2

In case of any dispute arising from the interpretation and performance hereof, the Parties shall first settle the dispute through negotiation in good faith. If the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the settlement of such dispute within thirty (30) days after the request of any Party through negotiation, any Party may submit the dispute to China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration in accordance with the applicable arbitration rules at that time. The arbitration shall be conducted in Beijing and the language of arbitration shall be Chinese. After the arbitral award takes effect, any Party shall have the right to apply to the court with jurisdiction for the enforcement of it. The arbitration award shall be final and binding upon the Parties. The arbitral tribunal may decide the compensation by the equity interests, assets or property interests of Party C for the losses caused to Party A due to the breach of contract by any other Party hereto, or order the compulsory relief or bankruptcy of Party C in respect of the relevant business or compulsory transfer of assets. When necessary, the arbitration institution is entitled to immediately stop the breach of contract by the Breaching Party before making the final award on the disputes between the Parties, or decide that the Breaching Party not conduct any action that may cause further losses of Party A.

 

10.3

In the event of any dispute arising from the interpretation, modification, supplement or performance hereof or hereto, or any dispute being arbitrated, except for the matters in dispute, the Parties hereto shall continue to exercise their respective rights and perform their respective obligations hereunder.

 

10.4

If, at any time after the date hereof, any laws, regulations and rules of China is enacted or changed, or any of their interpretation or application is changed, the following provisions shall apply: to the extent permitted by the Laws of China, (a) if the changed law or enacted provision is more favorable to any Party than the relevant laws, regulations, decrees or provisions in force on the date hereof (and the other Parties is not adversely affected), all Parties shall promptly apply for and make their best efforts to obtain the benefits arising from such changes or new regulations; or (b) if the changed law or enacted provision has adversely affected the rights and interests of any Party, whether directly or indirectly, this Agreement shall continue to be executed in accordance with the original terms. The Parties shall adopt all lawful means to obtain exemptions from compliance with such changes or provisions. If the adverse effect on the economic interests of any party cannot be solved in accordance with the provisions hereof, after any of the Affected Party notifies the other Parties, all Parties shall consult and make all necessary modifications hereto in a timely manner to maintain the economic interests of the Affected Party hereunder.


11.

Notice

 

11.1

All notices and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be delivered by hand or by prepaid registered mail, commercial express service or fax to the address and fax number of such Party as set forth in Appendix II hereto. Each notice shall be accompanied by a confirmation sent by e-mail. Under the following circumstances the notice is deemed to be validly served:

 

  (1)

If the notice is given by hand delivery, courier service or prepaid registered mail, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of receipt or rejection at the designated addressee.

 

  (2)

If the notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to have been served on the date of successful transmission (as evidenced by the automatically generated transmission confirmation).

 

11.2

Any Party may change the address of receiver, fax and/or email address at any time by giving notice to the other Parties in accordance with this Article.

 

12.

Amendment, Modification, Supplement and Counterpart

 

12.1

Any amendment, modification and supplement hereto shall be made in writing and shall enter into force upon signature or seal by the Parties and the completion of the government registration procedure, if applicable.

 

12.2

This Agreement shall be binding upon the successors and the permitted transferees of each Party.

 

12.3

This Agreement (except for any of its amendment, supplement or modification made in writing after the date hereof) shall constitute an entire agreement between the Parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior oral and written negotiations, representations and contracts with respect to the subject matter hereof.


12.4

Party A may, at its discretion, unilaterally and unconditionally terminate this Agreement by giving a written notice to Party B and Party C at any time without any liability, but Party B and Party C shall have no right to terminate this Agreement unilaterally.

 

12.5

If relevant stock exchange or other regulatory authority with jurisdiction proposes any amendment hereto, or relevant stock exchange listing rules or other relevant provisions require the amendment hereto, the Parties shall amend this Agreement accordingly.

 

12.6

This Agreement is made in nine (9) copies, with Party A and Party C each holding two (2) of them and each Party B holding one (1) of them which shall have the same legal effect.

(The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

Signature: /s/ Yiyang Yu

Name: Yiyang Yu

Title: Legal Representative


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B1: Lili Sun

Signature: /s/ Lili Sun


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B2: Zhen Ba

Signature: /s/ Zhen Ba


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B3: Shuyi Yang

Signature: /s/ Shuyi Yang


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B4: Tongtong Li

Signature: /s/ Tongtong Li


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party B5: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (Seal)

Signature: /s/ Shuyi Yang

Name: Shuyi Yang

Title: Designated Representative of the General Partner


(This is the signature page of the Power of Attorney only.)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Power of Attorney has been executed by the Parties on the date and at the place first written above.

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

Signature: /s/ Leslie Yu

Name: YU Leslie

Title: Legal Representative


Appendix I    Letter of Proxy

Date: August 23, 2019

[Shareholder name] (“Shareholder”) is the registered owner of [proportion] equity interest in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Company”). The Shareholder hereby irrevocably authorizes Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Assignee”) and its designated representative to exercise the Proxy Right as mentioned and defined in the Power of Attorney (the “Agreement”) signed by the Shareholder, the Company and the Assignee on August 23, 2019. Unless this Letter of Proxy is revoked in accordance with the terms of the Agreement, the validity of this Letter of Proxy shall continue until the expiration or early termination of the Agreement.

This Letter of Proxy shall enter into force concurrently with the Agreement and shall not be revoked.

 

[Shareholder] (Seal)
Signature:    

 

Name:

Title:

 


Appendix II

For the purpose of notification, the contact information of the Parties is as follows:

Party A: Beijing Quhuo Information Technology

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B1: Lili Sun

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B2: Zhen Ba

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B3: Shuyi Yang

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B4: Tongtong Li

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party B5: Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Party C: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

Address: [REDACTED]

Tel: [REDACTED]

Exhibit 10.9

Shareholder Undertaking Letter

I, Leslie Yu, a [REDACTED] citizen, with passport number of [REDACTED], (i) entrusted my spouse, Lili Sun (ID number [REDACTED]), to hold registered capital of RMB629,662.95 in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Quhuo Technology”) with a corresponding 25.7264% equity interest in Quhuo Technology; and (ii) entrusted Lili Sun to sign the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Quhuo Technology on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

In order to promote and complete the listing of QUHUO LIMITED’s equity on the U.S. stock exchange, I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

Undertakings on death or other accidents

With respect to the equity interest of Quhuo Technology held by me and all the carried interests (collectively, the “Equity”), if I die, lose civil capacity or fall under any other circumstances leading to my loss of the ability to fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements, the Equity held by me and all the carried interests shall be transferred gratuitously and unconditionally to Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. or any natural person or legal person designated by Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. within the scope permitted by the laws of China, and all rights enjoyed and obligations assumed by me in Quhuo Technology shall continue to be enjoyed and assumed by the designated natural or legal person.

 

2.

Confirmations and undertakings on divorce

 

(1)

I confirm that the aforesaid Equity and all the carried interests are not the joint property of me and my spouse, and that my spouse does not own and cannot dispose of such property;

 

(2)

My exercising the right with respect to management and other voting matters of Quhuo Technology by holding the aforesaid Equity will not be affected by my spouse; and

 

(3)

In case of divorce between me and my spouse, I shall take all actions to ensure the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements. I undertake that I will not have any action or move that may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.


3.

Confirmations and undertakings on conflicts of interest

 

(1)

I will not have any act or omission which may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, thereby leading to or possibly leading to conflicts of interest with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and/or QUHUO LIMITED and its subsidiaries.

 

(2)

If I have a conflict of interest with QUHUO LIMITED or its subsidiaries in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, I will safeguard the legitimate interests of Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. under the Quhuo VIE Agreements and follow the instructions of QUHUO LIMITED.

This undertaking letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

My spouse Lili Sun confirms the above contents.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Shareholder Undertaking Letter)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

  Leslie Yu
Date:   August 23, 2019

 

Signature:  

/s/ Lili Sun

  Lili Sun
Date:   August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.10

Shareholder Undertaking Letter

I, Shuyi Yang, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED], (i) hold registered capital of RMB611,354.35 in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Quhuo Technology”) with a corresponding 24.9784% equity interest in Quhuo Technology; and (ii) signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Quhuo Technology on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

In order to promote and complete the listing of QUHUO LIMITED’s equity on the U.S. stock exchange, I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

Undertakings on death or other accidents

With respect to the equity interest of Quhuo Technology held by me and all the carried interests (collectively, the “Equity”), if I die, lose civil capacity or fall under any other circumstances leading to my loss of the ability to fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements, the Equity held by me and all the carried interests shall be transferred gratuitously and unconditionally to Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. or any natural person or legal person designated by Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. within the scope permitted by the laws of China, and all rights enjoyed and obligations assumed by me in Quhuo Technology shall continue to be enjoyed and assumed by the designated natural or legal person.

 

2.

Confirmations and undertakings on divorce

 

(1)

I confirm that the aforesaid Equity and all the carried interests are not the joint property of me and my spouse, and that my spouse does not own and cannot dispose of such property;

 

(2)

My exercising the right with respect to management and other voting matters of Quhuo Technology by holding the aforesaid Equity will not be affected by my spouse; and

 

(3)

In case of divorce between me and my spouse, I shall take all actions to ensure the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements. I undertake that I will not have any action or move that may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.


3.

Confirmations and undertakings on conflicts of interest

 

(1)

I will not have any act or omission which may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, thereby leading to or possibly leading to conflicts of interest with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and/or QUHUO LIMITED and its subsidiaries.

 

(2)

If I have a conflict of interest with QUHUO LIMITED or its subsidiaries in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, I will safeguard the legitimate interests of Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. under the Quhuo VIE Agreements and follow the instructions of QUHUO LIMITED.

This undertaking letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

My spouse Lili Sun confirms the above contents.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Shareholder Undertaking Letter)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Shuyi Yang

  Shuyi Yang
Date:   August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.11

Shareholder Undertaking Letter

I, Zhen Ba, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED], (i) hold registered capital of RMB236,302.87 in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Quhuo Technology”) with a corresponding 9.6547% equity interest in Quhuo Technology; and (ii) signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Quhuo Technology on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

In order to promote and complete the listing of QUHUO LIMITED’s equity on the U.S. stock exchange, I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

Undertakings on death or other accidents

With respect to the equity interest of Quhuo Technology held by me and all the carried interests (collectively, the “Equity”), if I die, lose civil capacity or fall under any other circumstances leading to my loss of the ability to fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements, the Equity held by me and all the carried interests shall be transferred gratuitously and unconditionally to Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. or any natural person or legal person designated by Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. within the scope permitted by the laws of China, and all rights enjoyed and obligations assumed by me in Quhuo Technology shall continue to be enjoyed and assumed by the designated natural or legal person.

 

2.

Confirmations and undertakings on divorce

 

(1)

I confirm that the aforesaid Equity and all the carried interests are not the joint property of me and my spouse, and that my spouse does not own and cannot dispose of such property;

 

(2)

My exercising the right with respect to management and other voting matters of Quhuo Technology by holding the aforesaid Equity will not be affected by my spouse; and

 

(3)

In case of divorce between me and my spouse, I shall take all actions to ensure the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements. I undertake that I will not have any action or move that may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.


3.

Confirmations and undertakings on conflicts of interest

 

(1)

I will not have any act or omission which may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, thereby leading to or possibly leading to conflicts of interest with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and/or QUHUO LIMITED and its subsidiaries.

 

(2)

If I have a conflict of interest with QUHUO LIMITED or its subsidiaries in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, I will safeguard the legitimate interests of Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. under the Quhuo VIE Agreements and follow the instructions of QUHUO LIMITED.

This undertaking letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

My spouse Lili Sun confirms the above contents.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Shareholder Undertaking Letter)

 

Signature:   /s/ Zhen Ba
  Zhen Ba
Date:   August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.12

Shareholder Undertaking Letter

I, Tongtong Li, a [REDACTED] citizen, with ID number of [REDACTED], (i) hold registered capital of RMB 19,956.36 in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Quhuo Technology”) with a corresponding 0.8154% equity interest in Quhuo Technology; and (ii) signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Quhuo Technology on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

In order to promote and complete the listing of QUHUO LIMITED’s equity on the U.S. stock exchange, I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

Undertakings on death or other accidents

With respect to the equity interest of Quhuo Technology held by me and all the carried interests (collectively, the “Equity”), if I die, lose civil capacity or fall under any other circumstances leading to my loss of the ability to fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements, the Equity held by me and all the carried interests shall be transferred gratuitously and unconditionally to Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. or any natural person or legal person designated by Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. within the scope permitted by the laws of China, and all rights enjoyed and obligations assumed by me in Quhuo Technology shall continue to be enjoyed and assumed by the designated natural or legal person.

 

2.

Confirmations and undertakings on divorce

 

(1)

I confirm that the aforesaid Equity and all the carried interests are not the joint property of me and my spouse, and that my spouse does not own and cannot dispose of such property;

 

(2)

My exercising the right with respect to management and other voting matters of Quhuo Technology by holding the aforesaid Equity will not be affected by my spouse; and

 

(3)

In case of divorce between me and my spouse, I shall take all actions to ensure the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements. I undertake that I will not have any action or move that may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.


3.

Confirmations and undertakings on conflicts of interest

 

(1)

I will not have any act or omission which may contravene the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, thereby leading to or possibly leading to conflicts of interest with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and/or QUHUO LIMITED and its subsidiaries.

 

(2)

If I have a conflict of interest with QUHUO LIMITED or its subsidiaries in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements, I will safeguard the legitimate interests of Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. under the Quhuo VIE Agreements and follow the instructions of QUHUO LIMITED.

This undertaking letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

My spouse Lili Sun confirms the above contents.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

(Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank)


(This is the signature page of the Shareholder Undertaking Letter)

 

Signature:  

/s/ Tongtong Li

  Tongtong Li
Date:   August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.13

Confirmation Letter

I, Leslie Yu, a [REDACTED] citizen, with passport number of [REDACTED], as the actual controller of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (“Quhuo Technology”), hereby confirm as follows:

 

1.

The registered capital in the amount of RMB629,662.95 in Quhuo Technology and the corresponding 25.7264% equity interest in Quhuo Technology are held by my spouse Lili Sun (ID card number: [REDACTED]) on my behalf.

 

2.

The Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement between Lili Sun, as a nominal shareholder of Quhuo Technology, and other shareholders (the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”) are signed by Lili Sun with my authorization, and represent my true intention. The equity interest in Quhuo Technology held by Lili Sun under the Quhuo VIE Agreements is my personal property, not the joint property of Lili Sun and me.

 

3.

There is no dispute between me and Lili Sun with respect to the aforesaid equity holding and the signing of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

4.

Any representation, warranty, undertaking or statement of Lili Sun in the Quhuo VIE Agreements is made by Lili Sun on my behalf with my authorization, and I will bear the liability for breach of contract by Lili Sun under the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

5.

As a person acting in concert with Shuyi Yang, Zhen Ba and Ningbo Maiken Investment Management LLP (“Ningbo Maiken”), I agree that Shuyi Yang, Zhen Ba and Ningbo Maiken sign and perform the obligations under Quhuo VIE Agreements with other shareholders of Quhuo Technology.

 

Confirmed by: Leslie Yu
Signature:  

/s/ Leslie Yu

Date: August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.14

Spousal Consent Letter

I, Lili Sun, with ID number of [REDACTED], am the legal spouse of Leslie Yu (passport number [REDACTED]).

To my knowledge: (i) Leslie Yu entrusted me to hold 25.7264% equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.; and (ii) Leslie Yu entrusted me to sign the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

The equity of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. that Leslie Yu entrusted me to hold (the “Equity”) and all rights and interests carried by it are personal assets of Leslie Yu, and not joint property of Leslie Yu and me. I do not enjoy any rights and interests of the Equity, nor will I raise any claim or file any lawsuits with respect to such Equity or any interest carried by it in the future;

 

2.

The Equity will be disposed of in accordance with the Quhuo VIE Agreements that Leslie Yu entrusted me to sign. I undertake that I will fully cooperate at any time in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

3.

I undertake that I have never participated, and will not actually participate, in the management or other voting matters of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

 

4.

I undertake and warrant that in no event I will have any action or move, whether direct or indirect, active or passive, which may contradict the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements; and

 

5.

I further undertake that if I actually acquire any equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (including but not limited to the equity held by me on behalf of Leslie Yu) for any reason, I shall be bound by the Quhuo VIE Agreements and fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements as a shareholder of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., and for this purpose, I will sign a series of written documents in the same form and with the same content as that of the Quhuo VIE Agreements at any time the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. requests.

This consent letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

 

Signature:  

/s/ Lili Sun

Date: August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.15

Spousal Consent Letter

I, Xiangxin Luo, with ID number of [REDACTED], am the legal spouse of Shuyi Yang (ID number of [REDACTED]).

To my knowledge: (i) Shuyi Yang holds 24.9784% equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.; and (ii) Shuyi Yang signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

The equity of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. held by Shuyi Yang (the “Equity”) and all rights and interests carried by it are personal assets of Shuyi Yang, and not joint property of Shuyi Yang and me. I do not enjoy any rights and interests of the Equity, nor will I raise any claim or file any lawsuits with respect to such Equity or any interest carried by it in the future;

 

2.

The Equity will be disposed of in accordance with the Quhuo VIE Agreements signed by Shuyi Yang. I undertake that I will fully cooperate at any time in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

3.

I undertake that I have never participated, and will not actually participate, in the management or other voting matters of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

 

4.

I further undertake and warrant that in no event I will have any action or move, whether direct or indirect, active or passive, which may contradict the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements; and

 

5.

I further undertake that if I acquire any equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. for any reason, I shall be bound by the Quhuo VIE Agreements and fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements as a shareholder of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., and for this purpose, I will sign a series of written documents in the same form and with the same content as that of the Quhuo VIE Agreements at any time the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. requests.

This consent letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

 

Signature:   /s/ Xiangxin Luo
Date: August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.16

Spousal Consent Letter

I, Song Gao, with ID number of [REDACTED], am the legal spouse of Zhen Ba (ID number of [REDACTED]).

To my knowledge: (i) Zhen Ba holds 9.6547% equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.; and (ii) Zhen Ba signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

The equity of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. held by Zhen Ba (the “Equity”) and all rights and interests carried by it are personal assets of Zhen Ba, and not joint property of Zhen Ba and me. I do not enjoy any rights and interests of the Equity, nor will I raise any claim or file any lawsuits with respect to such Equity or any interest carried by it in the future;

 

2.

The Equity will be disposed of in accordance with the Quhuo VIE Agreements signed by Zhen Ba. I undertake that I will fully cooperate at any time in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

3.

I undertake that I have never participated, and will not actually participate, in the management or other voting matters of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

 

4.

I further undertake and warrant that in no event I will have any action or move, whether direct or indirect, active or passive, which may contradict the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements; and

 

5.

I further undertake that if I acquire any equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. for any reason, I shall be bound by the Quhuo VIE Agreements and fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements as a shareholder of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., and for this purpose, I will sign a series of written documents in the same form and with the same content as that of the Quhuo VIE Agreements at any time the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. requests.

This consent letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

 

Signature:  

/s/ Song Gao

Date: August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.17

Spousal Consent Letter

I, Haiyan Li, with ID number of [REDACTED], am the legal spouse of Tongtong Li (ID number of [REDACTED]).

To my knowledge: (i) Tongtong Li holds 0.8154% equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.; and (ii) Tongtong Li signed the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, the Power of Attorney and the Equity Interest Pledge Agreement with Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. and other shareholders of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. on August 23, 2019 (The foregoing agreements and any subsequent written amendment, supplement or confirmation (if any) made by the parties thereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Quhuo VIE Agreements”).

I hereby confirm and irrevocably undertake that:

 

1.

The equity of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. held by Tongtong Li (the “Equity”) and all rights and interests carried by it are personal assets of Tongtong Li, and not joint property of Tongtong Li and me. I do not enjoy any rights and interests of the Equity, nor will I raise any claim or file any lawsuits with respect to such Equity or any interest carried by it in the future;

 

2.

The Equity will be disposed of in accordance with the Quhuo VIE Agreements signed by Tongtong Li. I undertake that I will fully cooperate at any time in the performance of the Quhuo VIE Agreements.

 

3.

I undertake that I have never participated, and will not actually participate, in the management or other voting matters of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

 

4.

I further undertake and warrant that in no event I will have any action or move, whether direct or indirect, active or passive, which may contradict the purpose or intention of the Quhuo VIE Agreements; and

 

5.

I further undertake that if I acquire any equity in Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. for any reason, I shall be bound by the Quhuo VIE Agreements and fulfil my obligations under the Quhuo VIE Agreements as a shareholder of Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., and for this purpose, I will sign a series of written documents in the same form and with the same content as that of the Quhuo VIE Agreements at any time the Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. requests.

This consent letter shall enter into force immediately upon signature by me and shall remain in force.

I hereby make the above undertakings.

 

Signature:  

/s/ Haiyan Li

Date: August 23, 2019

Exhibit 10.18

August 23, 2019

To: Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (the “VIE Entity”)

To Whom It May Concern:

To ensure the cash flow requirements of the VIE Entity’s operations are met and/or to set off any loss accrued during such operations, the undersigned, QUHUO LIMITED (the “Company”), is obligated and hereby undertakes to provide unlimited financial support to the VIE Entity, to the extent permissible under the applicable laws and regulations of the PRC and the Cayman Islands whether or not any such operational loss is actually incurred. The form of financial support shall include, but not limited to, extension of cash, entrusted loans and borrowings. The Company will not request repayment of the loans or borrowings if the VIE Entity or its shareholders do not have sufficient funds or are unable to repay.

The undersigned agrees and acknowledges such undertaking shall be irrevocable and continuously valid from the date hereof until the earlier of (1) the date on which all of the equity interests of the VIE Entity have been acquired directly or indirectly by the Company or its designated representative (individual or legal person); or (2) the date of unilateral termination by the Company, at its sole and absolution discretion, by giving thirty (30) days prior written notice to the VIE Entity of its intention to terminate this letter.

Please confirm receipt of this letter by returning a signed copy of this letter to the undersigned.

 

QUHUO LIMITED

/s/ Leslie Yu

Name:   Leslie Yu
Title:   Authorized Signatory

Exhibit 10.19

SPECIFIC TERMS IN THIS EXHIBIT HAVE BEEN OMITTED PURSUANT TO ITEM 601(B)(10)(IV) OF REGULATION S-K UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, BECAUSE THEY BOTH ARE NOT MATERIAL AND WOULD LIKELY CAUSE COMPETITIVE HARM TO THE REGISTRANT IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED. THE TERMS HAVE BEEN MARKED AT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE WITH THREE ASTERISKS [***].

Delivery Service Agreement

Party A: Shanghai Sankuaizhisong Technology Co., Ltd.

Party B:

Party A and Party B, following the principle of mutual benefit and through friendly negotiation, reach an agreement in accordance with the Contract Law of the People’s Republic of China on matters related to the delivery services to be provided by Party B as follows.

Article 1    Contact Information and Settlement Information of both Parties

1.1    The contact information, functions and powers of both Parties are as follows:

1.1.1    Contact information of Party A:

Tel: [***]

E-mail: [***]

1.1.2    Contact information of Party B:

Contact Person and Safety Director:

Tel:

E-mail:

Address:

1.1.3    Functions and Powers

1.1.3.1    The functions and contact person(s) of relevant department of Party A shall be subject to that announced in the system.

1.1.3.2    Party B confirms that the above Contract information is true and effective, and can serves as an effective way of contact between both Parties during the period of cooperation. Party B hereby authorizes its contact person to receive relevant letters from Party A and handle matters related to the cooperation hereunder on behalf of Party B. The contact person shall have the right to make corresponding commitments to Party A. Party B hereby acknowledges and assumes corresponding responsibilities for all actions, commitments and acknowledgement of the contact person during the term hereof. [***] If Party B intends to change the contact information of Party B or the [***] Intrasystem Accounts of Person in Charge, it shall send a written notice to Party A 15 business days in advance and both Parties shall separately sign a written supplementary Contract thereon. Otherwise, Party A shall have the right to regard the contact information and Intrasystem Accounts of Persons in Charge of Party B as agreed herein as still valid, and Party B shall be solely liable for any consequences and losses arising therefrom.

 

1 / 22


1.2

The invoice information of Party A is as follows:

Company Name: [***]

Taxpayer’s ID: [***]

Address: [***]

Opening Bank: [***]

Bank Account: [***]

Invoicing Items: [***]

Invoice Type: [***]

1.3    Party A/Party A’s Affiliates shall pay the settlement amount to Party B’s Qiandaibao account (account number: [***]) in accordance with the provisions of this Contract. The Qiandaibao account is a third-party payment account opened by Party B in Qiandai Information Tech., Ltd. [***]

Article 2    Term of Contract

This Contract shall be valid                     . Both Parties may negotiate the renewal separately upon the expiration hereof.

Article 3    Definitions

3.1    Meituan: the online service platforms for Merchants to display delivery products and conduct delivery business, including but not limited to [***].

3.2    [***]

3.2.1    [***]

3.2.2    [***]

 

2 / 22


3.2.3    [***]

3.2.4    [***]

3.3    [***]

3.4    Designated Delivery Partner: refers to Party B; the Parties acknowledge that both the “Franchisee” in the system and the “Designated Delivery Partner” herein refer to the Party B, who has agreed to undertake the delivery service hereunder.

3.5    Merchants: any natural persons, legal persons and other organizations that display delivery products or other products/services or provide Users with delivery products or other products or services through Meituan, or the products or services operated by other subjects who have cooperative and associated relationship with Meituan (the “Third Party”).

3.6    Users: the consumers who accept and agree with relevant rules, regulations and specifications etc. of Meituan and any Third Party, and reach orders with Merchants through Meituan or Third Party.

3.7    Meituan Delivery Orders: the Delivery Orders accepted by Party B which contain the information of delivery products purchased and returned by the Users, contact information, delivery address, transaction amount of the Users, etc. of Party A.

3.8    [***]

3.9    [***]

3.10    Delivery Service Fee: the service fee paid by Party A to Party B after Party B distributes delivery products, other products or goods to the place designated in the order information as required by the Users.

3.11    Deposit: the Deposit for performance guarantee paid by Party B to Party A including but not limited to ensure that Party B abides by this Contract and the subsequent agreements on outlets cooperation, and performs its obligations under this Contract, appendices, subsequent outlets contracts, and relevant rules, official letters, notices and specifications published in Party A’s system. The Deposit shall not be used as an advance payment of any other amount, but only as a guarantee for Party B’s performance of its obligations in the foregoing documents and the good cooperation between both Parties.

 

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3.12    [***]

3.13    [***]

3.14    Qualification: Party B’s possession of the license, approval and other legal business qualifications to meet relevant requirements of providing the services hereunder, including but not limited to valid business license, organization code certificate, tax registration certificate, business license of logistics delivery industry and other relevant certificates and licenses stipulated by laws and regulations.

3.15    [***]

3.16    Party A’s Affiliates: all relevant subjects affiliated to Meituan Dianping, including but not limited to operation subjects of Party A and Meituan, any legal persons or other organizations they directly or indirectly control, or directly or indirectly controlled by them, or under joint control with them by any Third Party.

3.17    [***]

 

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Article 4    Cooperation Scope and Delivery Areas

4.1    Party B shall establish the Outlets and provide delivery services and carry out operations in the delivery areas as agreed by both Parties, including:

4.1.1    to provide delivery service within the agreed delivery areas (subject to the delivery areas displayed in the system). The delivery service undertaken by Party B shall cover the Delivery Orders of Party A and Third Parties.

4.1.2    to form a dedicated delivery team based on the standards and auxiliary facilities promised to Party A.

4.1.3    to indemnify and hold Party A harmless against all employment risks or personal injury (death, disability and medical treatment) and property losses suffered by any third party during the delivery services.

4.14    to handle Users’ complaints caused by the delivery of Party B and bear the liability for compensation as agreed.

4.15    other matters required by Party B for the cooperation hereunder.

4.2    Delivery areas: Party B shall provide the delivery service within the delivery areas designated by Party A (subject to those displayed in system of Party A or stipulated in this Contract).

4.2.1    In case of any change in the Outlets information of Party B, Party B shall send a written notice to Party A in a timely manner. Both Parties may enter into a supplementary Contract separately in written or electronic form regarding the information of the cooperation Outlets and the Deposit.

4.2.2    [***]

4.3    Party A makes no commitment on Party B’s exclusive operation rights within the cooperation delivery areas, and it has the right to introduce other designated delivery partners in the delivery areas.

4.4    [***]

 

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Article 5    Rights and Obligations of both Parties

5.1     Rights and Obligations of Party A

5.1.1     Party A shall pay the Delivery Service Fee to Party B regularly as agreed herein.

5.1.2    Party A shall ensure that the delivery products or goods entrusted to Party B are those allowed to circulate by the state.

5.1.3     Party A shall have the right to collect the Deposit from Party B and adjust the amount of Deposit based on the performance of Party B. The specific amount of Deposit shall be subject to the subsequent Outlets cooperation Contract signed by both Parties. Any change of the Deposit amount shall be subject to that announced in the system.

5.1.4     Party A shall have the right to supervise and inspect whether the delivery service provided by Party B conforms to the standards agreed herein. If Party B fails to meet relevant standards, Party A shall have the right to propose rectification opinions and give warnings require Party B to make rectification within a time limit, and impose penalties for breach of Contract.

5.1.5    Party A shall have the right to talk with Party B regarding any non-compliance or non-performance in the delivery service provided by Party B. If Party B fails to make any improvement after several talks, Party A shall send a notice to Party B 7 business days in advance [***] to change the cooperation areas and scopes between both Parties through emails or System Tools. All problems arising therefrom shall be borne and solved by Party B, and have nothing to do with Party A. [***] If Party B breaches the provisions of Article 5.2 hereof, Party A shall have the right to notify Party B to terminate this Contract at any time without any liability.

5.1.6    If Party A finds any data fraud of Party B, including but not limited to the false personnel, the false delivery, the false praise, the false good rating etc., Party A shall have the right to deduct the Delivery Service Fee and the penalty for breach related to the order based on the consequences caused by the behaviors, and reduce the star rating of the Outlet concerned in that month to one-star until the termination of cooperation.

5.1.7    [***]

 

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5.1.8    All relevant rights regarding the logos of Party A and Party A’s Affiliates (including but not limited to the word mark of “美团”, “美团外卖”, logo of Meituan and all trademarks and service marks that may be involved herein) shall belong to Party A. If both Parties terminate the cooperation, Party B shall return or destroy all materials bearing the logos of Party A and Party A’s Affiliates, and provide relevant certificates and lists as required by Party A.

5.1.9     Party A shall have the right to check whether the logos printed/used by Party A and Party A’s Affiliates on the products/materials used or advertised by Party B conforms to the authorized requirements of Party A. In case of any violation of the use of the authorized content, Party B shall immediately and completely stop the use or give up the advertisement, and agree to correct such behavior in accordance with relevant provisions hereof.

5.1.10    Party A shall have the right to audit the Delivery Orders, service fee, payment of wages of delivery service personnel, delivery time limit and other services of Party B upon reasonable notice to Party B to determine whether Party B actually performs its obligations hereunder in accordance with the relevant terms and standards hereof. Party A or any Third Party designated by Party A shall have right to inspect and copy relevant accounts, account books, financial statements, records and relevant internal management system of Party B or send personnel to the Outlets of Party B for audit in normal working hours after giving a notice 2 days in advance. Party B and Party B’s personnel shall provide necessary cooperation for such inspection and auditing. Otherwise, Party A shall deduct the Deposit, the Delivery Service Fee to be paid and terminate the cooperation without assuming any responsibility. Unless otherwise agreed by both Parties, Party B shall keep all accounts, account books, financial statements, records and relevant internal management system related to the service during the term hereof and within three years after the termination hereof.

5.2    Rights and Obligations of Party B

5.2.1    Party B shall ensure that it is a legal person or a commercial entity duly incorporated and existing under the laws of China and is capable of assuming all legal responsibilities with all necessary rights and abilities to perform this Contract. Party B shall have relevant Qualifications to carry out the delivery service hereunder, including but not limited to business license for legal person, food operation permit and Qualification for ordinary VAT payer etc. Party B undertakes that the relevant Qualifications shall remain valid during the term of cooperation as agreed herein; otherwise Party A shall have the right to deduct the Delivery Service Fee of Party B to be paid and require Party B to make relevant rectifications. Party B shall immediately obtain relevant licenses as required by relevant government authorities or due to update or change of laws and regulations or relevant policies.

5.2.2    Party B shall send a written notice to Party A 15 business days in advance in case of [***], otherwise Party A shall have the right to deduct, in its own discretion, the Delivery Service Fee of Party B to be paid and require Party B to pay additional Deposit until the termination of cooperation and the deduction of all Deposit.

5.2.3    [***]

 

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5.2.4    Party B shall abide by relevant service quality requirements [***].

5.2.5    Party B shall provide Party A with the delivery service in accordance with the service standards and deliver the products under the Delivery Orders to the place designated by the orders. [***]

5.2.6    The delivery service provided by Party B shall conform to the provisions of national laws, regulations and rules. Party B shall indemnify and hold Party A harmless against any complaints, claims, economic losses and other relevant consequences of Users or Third Parties due to any personal injury, property losses and safety problems of such Users or Third Parties during the delivery service of Party B. If Party A actually pays the foregoing expenses for any reason, Party B acknowledges that Party A shall have the right not only to deduct the Delivery Service Fee or the Deposit to be paid, but also terminate this Contract and all cooperation Outlets of both Parties based on the seriousness of the breach.

5.2.7    Party B shall manage the delivery service personnel involved in the performance hereof and ensure that such delivery service personnel are configured in accordance with the service quality requirements, and provide/complete the delivery service in accordance with the service standards agreed herein. There is no labor, labor service or labor dispatch relationship between the delivery service/other personnel Party B and Party A/ Party A’s Affiliates/ Party A’s cooperation partners. Any employment problems, including but not limited to industrial injury, accident, traffic accident, infringement to any Third Party, or administrative punishment by relevant administrative authority due to the violation of the rules, incurred by the delivery service personnel of Party B during the service shall be borne by Party B. Party A shall have the right to claim further compensate or terminate this cooperation in case of any losses, compensation claims or punishments of Party A caused by Party B or Party B’s delivery service personnel.

5.2.8    Party B undertakes to establish a legal and compliant employment relationship with its delivery service personnel and perform relevant obligations, including but not limited to paying reasonable wages, social insurance and other benefits required by laws and regulations to its delivery service personnel based on the corresponding labor relationship. [***] The delivery service personnel employed by Party B shall hold health certificates and ensure that the health certificates remain valid during the service period of the labor relationship established between the delivery service personnel and Party B.

5.2.9    Party B shall not entrust any Third Party/organization/unit with the delivery services agreed herein without authorization. Party B undertakes to provide good delivery services to maintain the brand reputation, reputation and good image of Party A/ Party A’s platform/ Party A’s Affiliates/platform of Party A’s Affiliates, otherwise Party A shall have the right to deduct the Delivery Service Fee of Party to be paid and required Party B to pay additional Deposit until the termination of cooperation and the deduction of all Deposit.

 

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5.2.10    If Party B fails to make satisfactory rectifications within the specified rectification period after Party A propose the rectification opinions, Party A shall have the right to deduct the outstanding Delivery Service Fee of Party B and require Party B to pay additional Deposit, or suspend the operation until Party B makes sufficient rectifications within a time limit. If Party B fails to meet relevant rectification standards within a time limit, Party A shall have the right to notify Party B to terminate the cooperation or add new designated delivery partners within the delivery areas as agreed herein. If Party B fails to withdraw from the Outlets, or the service quality of the Outlets operated by Party B is worse during the period of the notice of termination to the Outlets takeover, Party A shall have the right to deduct the Delivery Service Fee of Party B to be paid and all Deposit.

5.2.11    [***]

5.2.12    Party B undertakes that the delivery service and quality shall not be affected [***]. If Party A suffers any losses or further compensation or punishments, it shall have the right to claim compensation to Party B and terminate the cooperation accordingly.

5.2.13    [***] If Party A holds that Party B does not meet the said requirements, it shall have the right to require Party B in writing or by email to make rectifications with a time limit. If Party B fails to make rectifications or the rectifications fails to meet relevant standards, Party A shall have the right to terminate the cooperation without assuming any liabilities for breach.

5.2.14    If the delivery service personnel of Party B leaves the company, Party B shall retrieve the delivery equipment and related materials held by the delivery service personnel with Meituan, Party A and its related logos (hereinafter referred to as “Related Logos of Party A”), including but not limited to the electric vehicle safety helmet, work clothes, delivery boxes, etc. Party B shall indemnify and hold Party A harmless against any liabilities and disputes if the resigned personnel of Party B continue to use materials bearing the Related Logos of Party A, or provide delivery services to any Third Party in the name of Party A or Party A’s Affiliates. Party B shall compensate Party A for all losses thus incurred thereby and Party A has the right to hold Party B liable therefor.

 

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5.2.15    If Party B needs to use the marks of Party A during the performance hereof, the use scope and content shall be approved by Party A in writing. Party B shall record any non-logo use of logos at any time. Where any use of Party A’s logos, including facade design, flyer printing and other advertising activities of Party B, will be deemed to represent Party A by any Third Party, such activities shall be authorized by Party A in writing and the use of such logos shall be based on the content of authorization [***]. Meanwhile, if Party A adjusts the logos based on its own development and business needs, Party B shall purchase and replace the logos through the purchase channel provided by Party A, and the purchase expense shall be borne by Party B.

5.2.16    [***]

5.2.17    [***]

5.2.18    [***]

 

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5.3    Party B confirms that, upon cooperating and signing this Contract with Party A, it is fully aware of and warrants that, the following circumstance will not occur during the term hereof, otherwise Party A has the right to deduct the outstanding Delivery Service Fee of Party B and require Party B to pay additional Deposit until the termination of cooperation and deduction of all Deposit. The foregoing circumstances shall include but not limited to:

5.3.1    The company, subsidiaries, affiliated companies of Party B and their legal representatives, spouse of such representatives and direct relatives, controlling shareholders, actual controllers, in order to increase the delivery service share, fraudulently sign the Delivery Service Contract with Party A again by establishing another company independently or by share investment or share entrustment arrangement or by establish a new company that shares the same management team and person in charge with Party B.

5.3.2    The main personnel of Party B (including but not limited to the shareholders, legal representative, directors, managers, business owners or other relevant principals), etc. and their close relatives have direct and collateral blood relationship with Party A’s employees.

5.4    Party B shall not evade the definition of Party B’s Affiliates in a disguised way and act in a manner detrimental to the interests of Party A, including but not limited to authorizing directly or indirectly Party B’s Affiliates to recruit the current and former employees of Party A and Party A’s Affiliates, [***], engaging, in the name of Party A and Party A’s Affiliates, in personnel recruitment, financial product instalment arrangement, lending, and other activities that are not allowed to occur in this Contract [***]; otherwise Party A shall have the right to not only deduct all Deposit of Party B and the outstanding Delivery Service Fee, but also terminate all cooperation with Party B without assuming any responsibility. All problems and disputes thus incurred shall be borne by Party B and Party A reserves the right to hold Party B liable.

5.5    Without written consent of Party A, Party B’ s Affiliates shall not use the corresponding logos of Party A or Party A’s Affiliates, otherwise Party A shall have the right to deduct, in its own discretion, all Deposit, the outstanding Delivery Service Fee of Party B and have the right to hold Party B and Party B’s Affiliates liable.

Article 6    Deposit

6.1    [***]

6.2    [***]

6.3    [***]

6.3.1    [***]

 

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6.3.2    [***]

6.3.3    [***]

6.3.4.     [***]

6.3.5    [***]

6.3.6    [***]

6.3.7    [***]

6.3.8    [***]

6.4    [***]

6.5    [***]

6.6    [***]

6.7    [***]

Article 7    Settlement

7.1    Settlement of Delivery Service Fees and Rewards/Punishments Amount

7.1.1    Settlement: [***]

 

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7.1.1.1    Change of Settlement Standard: [***]

7.1.1.2    [***]

7.1.2    Settlement Basis: [***]

7.1.3    Settlement Process: [***]

7.1.4    Settlement Period: [***]

7.1.5    Settlement Method: [***]

7.2     In case of weekends and statutory holidays, the Settlement will be postponed to the next working day.

7.3     Requirements for Invoicing Amount: [***]

7.3.1    [***]

 

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7.3.2    [***]

7.3.3    [***]

Article 8    Liability for Breach

8.1    If Party B committed a breach during its performance of this Contract, including but not limited to the following acts, Party A shall have the right to not only require Party B to pay additional Deposit or immediately rescind this Contract and cancel all cooperative Outlets, but also deduct relevant amount from the outstanding Delivery Service Fee, the Deposit or investigate other liabilities of Party B in accordance with the provisions of this Contract. [***] If Party B has any objection to the deduction, it shall raise the same in writing and provide relevant evidences within 3 working days after Party A makes the deduction. Otherwise, it shall be deemed that Party B agrees with Party A’s deduction of the Delivery Service Fee or the Deposit.

8.1.1    Party B rescinds this Contract without giving Party A a written notice one month in advance.

8.1.2    The services provided by Party B infringe upon the rights and interests of Users or Third Parties, who claim compensation in connection therewith.

8.1.3    The information provided by Party B about Qualifications and certificates is not true.

8.1.4    Party B acts in violation of the laws and regulations of China.

8.1.5    Party B commits malicious acts, such as embezzlement of Others’ accounts, disclosure of Others’ personal information, malicious harassment, disclosure or publicity of Party A’s commercial information and trade secrets, etc.

8.1.6    Party B commits other actions which lead to the failure of normal performance of this Contract or the breach of any provisions of this Contract.

8.1.7    Party B enters into any Contract or engages in any activity with any Third Party, or commits any acts damaging Party A’s rights and interests, both in the name of Party A/Party A’s Affiliate /Party A’s cooperation partners without authorization

8.1.8    Party B commits other acts in breach of any undertakings and guarantees made hereunder.

Article 9    Confidentiality

9.1    During the performance of the Contract, both Parties shall keep confidential the contents of this Contract and all information about the business secrets of the other Party it obtains, including [***], and shall be liable for compensation in case of any loss caused to the other Party by any disclosure, publicity or improper use of such business secrets.

 

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9.2    Party B understands and acknowledges that its account number in the [***] is the only effective way to log in the system, so it shall take good care of the account and the password. Both Parties will deem all operations through the account and password as that of Party B, or, that of a Third Party legally authorized by Party B. Party A cannot, and will not, verity the identity of the logging-in person. [***] Party B shall rectify in accordance with Party A’s requirements; if Party B fails to rectify or the situation does not improve after rectification, Party A has the right to ban the account and ask Party B to bear the liability for compensation.

9.3    After the termination or rescission of this Contract, Party B shall return all confidential documents and relevant materials of Party A, destroy any outer packing or publicity materials with Party A’s logo, and shall not use Party A’s logo or other materials or handbooks to which Party A has legitimate rights and interests.

9.4    Party B shall not crawl, intercept or download any information in the system by technical means (including but not limited to crawler software, etc.) for any purpose.

9.5    Without prior written consent of Party A, Party B shall not disclose to any Third Party, or upload to the cloud space or server, hard disk or software of any Third Party, any data, parameters and information [***] in the [***] for storage, dissemination, etc. Otherwise, Party A shall have the right to investigate the legal liability of Party B and terminate the cooperation.

9.6    Party B shall keep confidential all kinds of confidential information that in the [***] and that Party A discloses or Party B obtains during the period of cooperation, and shall take appropriate protective measures, including but not limited to the following:

9.6.1    to control the access to confidential information (at the technical and physical levels) to limit the access only to relevant authorized personnel or relevant applications.

9.6.2    to avoid public storage or processing of confidential information of the disclosing Party on the information platforms of Third Parties (such as platforms like web disks, websites and blogs for storing information).

9.7    The security of technical platforms for storing confidential information (including websites, application systems, operating systems, servers and databases, etc) should be ensured.

9.8    Encryption security measures that meet national and regulatory requirements should be taken for the transmission and storage of relevant designated confidential information (such as Users’ information and order information, etc).

9.9    If Party A finds that Party B has problems such as lack of protective measures, abuse of data and serious leakage of confidential information, etc., Party A shall have the right to investigate Party B’s corresponding liability, and claim compensation for all actual losses and adverse effects resulting therefrom.

 

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9.10    Reporting and appeal

Email for Reporting:     [***]

Email for Appeal:         [***]

9.11    Party B’s breach of this confidentiality clause will constitute a fundamental breach of this Contract. In such case, Party A shall be entitled to unilaterally terminate this Contract, deduct the outstanding Delivery Service Fee of Party B, and hold the Deposit paid by Party B.

9.12    The foregoing confidentiality obligation shall survive the termination of this Contract.

Article 10    Termination of Contract

10.1    This Contract shall be terminated at the expiration of the term of this Contract, or at the occurrence of other circumstances under which this Contract shall be terminated as agreed upon herein.

10.2    This Contract will be terminated automatically if any delivery Outlet of Party B has not been operated for 30 days after the signing of this Contract.

10.3    Either Party may terminate this Contract during the term hereof for any reason by serving the other Party written notice without any liability for breach 30 days in advance. However, if the termination is proposed by Party B, it shall ensure that relevant delivery service is completed on schedule and with required quality within the foregoing 30 days; otherwise Party A shall have the right to deduct the outstanding Delivery Service Fee and the Deposit of Party B.

10.4    Where Party B commits any breach of Contract as stipulated herein, Party A shall have the right to notify Party B to terminate this Contract at any time without any liability.

10.5    [***]

10.6    Within 20 working days from the date of rescission or termination of this Contract, Party B shall unconditionally and immediately return to Party A all the items authorized by Party A to be used in the franchised delivery Outlets, including equipment and articles, relevant documents and manuals, materials and computer software, etc. that borrowed by Party A to Party B. If a return is not possible, Party B shall destroy them under the supervision of Party A, with destruction records signed and kept by both Parties respectively.

10.7    The appendixes hereto shall be terminated or rescinded accordingly after the termination or rescission of this Contract.

Article 11    Force Majeure

11.1    “Force Majeure” used herein refers to any unforeseen, unavoidable and insurmountable objective conditions, such as floods, earthquakes, wars, government injunctions, changes in laws and regulations. Force Majeure shall not include traffic conditions or traffic accidents caused by Party B’s violation of traffic regulations.

11.2    The Party claiming Force Majeure shall notify the other Party in an effective manner immediately upon the occurrence of Force Majeure, and provide the other Party with the certificate of Force Majeure issued by relevant government departments within 15 working days after the occurrence of Force Majeure.

 

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11.3    Both Parties shall not be liable for breach of Contract for any non-performance or delayed performance of this Contract due to Force Majeure, and any subsequent matters shall be settled by both Parties through mutual consultation.

Article 12    Dispute Settlement

Any dispute arising during the execution and performance of this Contract between both Parties shall be settled through friendly negotiation first. If such negotiation fails, both Parties agree to submit it to the people’s court with jurisdiction in the place where Party A is located for Settlement.

Article 13    Anti-commercial Bribery

13.1    Both Party A and Party B hereby guarantee to eradicate all kinds of commercial bribery to prevent it from hindering the normal cooperation between both Parties.

13.2    Neither Party A nor Party B shall claim, accept, provide or give any benefit other than those stipulated herein, including but not limited to kickback, hidden kickback, cash, shopping cards, physical objects, negotiable securities, tourism or other intangible interests, etc. to the other Party or any of its directors, officers, employees or other related persons.

13.3    Both Parties shall strictly prohibit their respective directors, executives, employees or other related persons form committing any commercial bribery.

13.4    Party A and Party B hereby represent and warrant respectively that it (or any of its representatives) did not, or will not, give, offer or promise to give cash or any valuables to any staff member of the other Party or any intermediary (including but not limited to agents or relatives and friends of the foregoing persons) for the purpose of obtaining or retaining any business or commercial interests in connection with this Contract.

13.5    In case of any loss suffered by the other Party due to either Party (or any of its directors, officers, employees or other related persons)’s violation of Articles 13.2, 13.3 and 13.4 above, such Party shall be liable for compensate the other. The term “other related persons” as mentioned in this article refers to those who have direct or indirect interests with a Party except for the directors, officers and employees of that Party, including but not limited to relatives and friends of the said persons.

Article 14    Personal Information Protection; Non-agency Relationship

14.1    In the process of providing the service hereunder and using Party A’s [***], Party B shall take necessary measures to protect User’s personal information and consumption information. Without prior consent of Users and Party A, Party B and its staff shall not disclose them to any Third Party unless it is required by laws and regulations, nor shall Party B and its staff collect and sort out the foregoing information or conduct transactions with the foregoing information.

14.2    The purpose of this Contract is to clarify the rights and obligations of both Parties, and establish a cooperative relationship rather than an principal-agency relationship between both Parties. Party B and its staff members shall not declare itself as Party A and Party A’s personnel, and the use of the [***] and materials and uniform clothing provided by Party A to Party B’s staff members and its cooperation partners and related partners shall not form a labor, principal-agency or representative relations with Party A. Otherwise, all liabilities arising therefrom shall be borne by Party B and have nothing to do with Party A, and any losses suffered by Party A shall be compensated by Party B.

Article 15    Miscellaneous

15.1    Any unspecified matter herein shall be agreed upon by both Parties through friendly negotiation with a supplementary Contract signed, which shall have the same legal effect as this Contract.

 

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15.2    This Contract shall come into force upon being signed and sealed by both Parties.

15.3    If Party A and Party B have signed other Contracts regarding the delivery service, such as service Contract (delivery) and supplementary Contract, both Parties agree that after this Contract comes into force, all previously signed Contracts shall be automatically invalid. If the Contract is not renewed in a timely manner, but both Parties continue to perform the contents hereof, it shall be deemed that the Contract is automatically renewed until a new Contract is signed or both Parties terminate the cooperation.

15.4    This Contract is severable, and if any provision hereof is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable by a court with competent jurisdiction, such judgment shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the other provisions hereof.

15.5    Nothing herein shall be construed to constitute or imply a partnership, joint venture, agency, trust or other relationship between the Parties hereto. Neither Party shall have or claim to have the right to enter into any commitments on behalf of the other Party.

15.6    [***]

15.7    Any employee of Party A shall not make any commitment to Party B. If there is any commitment, it shall be subject to the written confirmation affixed with the official seal of Party A. Otherwise, any written commitment without Party A’s seal shall have no legal binding effect on Party A.

15.8    If Party B fails to deliver the order normally or the order delivery process is interrupted due to the system, website and application maintenance of Party A, Party A shall not be deemed to have breached the Contract, nor shall it assume any responsibility.

15.9    [***]

 

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15.10    Date of delivery and date of service for various ways of notification:

15.10.1    Any notice sent by registered mail or express/commercial courier shall be deemed to be delivered on the date of mailing specified in the postmark/express receipt. Any notice send by e-mail shall be deemed to be delivered at the time of sending as recorded in the sender’s e-mail system.

15.10.2    Any notice sent by mail shall be deemed to be successfully served on the 4th day after mailing. Any notice sent by designated person, express/commercial courier shall be deemed to be successfully served on the next day of sending. Any notice sent by e-mail shall be deemed to successfully served at the time of sending unless there is evidence to the contrary that the e-mail has been returned.

(No body text below)

Party A: Shanghai Sankuaizhisong Technology Co., Ltd. (Seal)

Date of Signature:

Party B:

Date of Signature:

 

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Schedule I

Service Specification for Designated Delivery Partners

 


Schedule II

Cooperation for Intensive Delivery Business

 


Schedule III

Entrusted Materials Purchasing

 

Exhibit 10.20

SPECIFIC TERMS IN THIS EXHIBIT HAVE BEEN OMITTED PURSUANT TO ITEM 601(B)(10)(IV) OF REGULATION S-K UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, BECAUSE THEY BOTH ARE NOT MATERIAL AND WOULD LIKELY CAUSE COMPETITIVE HARM TO THE REGISTRANT IF PUBLICLY DISCLOSED. THE TERMS HAVE BEEN MARKED AT THE APPROPRIATE PLACE WITH THREE ASTERISKS [***].

Agreement No.:

Minos ID:

Fengniao Delivery Cooperation Agreement

Execution Date:                     

 

1


Fengniao Delivery Cooperation Agreement

Party A: Hangzhou Lazhasi Information Technology Co., Ltd.

(hereinafter referred to as “Party A”)

Registration No./Unified Social Credit Code: [***]

Phone: [***]

Address: [***]

Party B:

(hereinafter refered to as “Party B”)

Name of Administrator (minos):

Phone of Administrator (minos):

Business License Number:

Phone:

Address:

In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China and on the basis of equality, free will, fairness and good faith, Party A and Party B reach the following agreement upon friendly negotiation for mutual observance.

Any reference to “Ele.me” in this Agreement shall mean the online platform operated by Hangzhou Lazhasi Information Technology Co., Ltd. Party A has been authorized by “Ele.me” to enter into this Agreement with Party B with respect to the “Fengniao Delivery” business. Any reference to “Fengniao Delivery” hereinafter or in the “Rules of Party A” shall mean Hangzhou Lazhasi Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Any reference to “Fengniao Delivery Business” herein shall include, without limitation, the delivery orders received from the main site of Ele.me and those sent via push notification on the open platform, etc.

The term “Downward Penetration” used herein shall mean that the latest price list will be shown on the dispatching station for the Supplier to click to confirm and continue to carry out its business.

 

2


Article 1 Contents of Cooperation

This Agreement shall be valid for one year from                      to                     . Party B shall have a priority right to renew this Agreement by submitting a written request and obtaining the consent of Party A within [30] days before the validity hereof expires.

Party A authorizes Party B to use the “Fengniao Delivery” series of products (hereinafter referred to as “Party A’s Products”) to carry out the “Fengniao Delivery” business in Beijing. The specific grid/site/number of delivery orders undertaken by Party B in the above geographical area shall be separately agreed upon by the Parties, and Party A has the discretion to determine the allocation of such grid/site/orders according to its own operational needs. Party B shall be responsible for the immediate delivery services, and Party A shall provide product support, administrative assistance, payment settlement and other services.

Party B shall provide delivery services for the restaurants according to the relevant provisions of the Delivery Agency Service Specifications (hereinafter referred to as the “Service Specifications”; any update thereof will be subject to notifications by Party A to Party B via email) and the Rules on Punishment for Violation of the Delivery Agency Service Specifications (hereinafter referred to as the “Rules on Punishment”; any update thereof will be subject to notifications by Party A to Party B via email).

Without the written consent of Party A, Party B shall not modify the Service Specifications or otherwise reach any agreement inconsistent with the Service Specifications with any restaurant. Moreover, Party A shall have the right to, whenever necessary for business operations, revise the Service Specifications by further notice to Party B via email, and Party B shall cooperate in the implementation of such revision. Otherwise, Party A may refuse to provide the Fengniao Products-related services set forth herein as necessary for Party B to render the delivery services, and all legal consequences resulting therefrom shall be borne solely by Party B.

With the rapid development of the Internet, the terms set out herein cannot completely enumerate and cover all rights and obligations of the Parties, and it cannot be guaranteed that the existing agreements will fully meet the future development needs. Therefore, Party B acknowledges and agrees that the Delivery Agency Service Specifications, the Rules on Punishment for Violation of the Delivery Agency Service Specifications and other rules published by the Fengniao Delivery Platform shall each be a supplementary agreement to, form an integral part of, and have the same legal effect as, this Agreement.

Article 2 Rights and Obligations of Party A

1. Party A shall provide Party B with the Fengniao Products and other additional services as necessary for the delivery business. Party A shall have the right to make improvements in the Fengniao Delivery Platform and the related software services whenever and wherever appropriate at its sole discretion, and Party B shall cooperate in this respect. To ensure the normal operation of Party A’s system, Party A may shut down its system for maintenance either regularly or irregularly.

 

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2. Party A shall offer to Party B trainings and instructions in relation to the Products and the delivery business, and shall provide timely guidance on any product technical problem raised by Party B.

3. [***]

4. Party A has the right to develop agreements and rules governing the various activities conducted by Party B while rendering delivery services on the Fengniao Delivery Platform, including but not limited to the relevant rules, implementation regulations, specifications, investment promotion standards, interpretations, notices, the service specifications and KPI of any given project, and other contents that Party A notifies Party B of via email (hereinafter referred to as the “Rules of Party A”), and to exercise the related rights, and Party B warrants to abide by such rules. Party A also has the right to supervise and manage the cooperative business conducted by Party B, mainly including the following:

(1) Determining if Party B conducts its business within the agreed scope and area;

(2) Determining if Party B carries out its business according to the last updated “Rules of Party A” (including but not limited to the Service Specifications and the Rules on Punishment);

(3) Conducting regular assessment of Party B’s employees; Party A has the right to require Party B to replace any employee that fails to meet Party A’ assessment requirements within [5] days.

5. Party A has the right to supervise or determine the liabilities for any dispute arising from the delivery services provided by Party B to any restaurant according to the Service Specifications and other rules made and published by Party A. In case of any liability for compensation or losses not due to any reason attributable to the restaurant, Party A shall pay compensation to the restaurant first and reserves the right to hold Party B liable for the relevant economic and legal responsibilities.

6. To guarantee the best experience for the restaurants on the Fengniao Delivery Platform in using Party B’s delivery services, Party A shall have the right to conduct real-time monitoring and regular assessment of the delivery services provided by Party B to the restaurants according to the Rules on Punishment and other business operating procedures and requirements that Party A has developed and notified Party B of via email, thereby ensuring that Party B’s delivery services meet the requirements of the Fengniao Delivery Platform or Party A. If Party A considers that Party B has violated the Rules on Punishment and other relevant service specifications or rules, Party A shall have the right to require Party B to pay liquidated damages to Party A according to the amount of penalty corresponding to the relevant punishment items as provided for in the Rules on Punishment, and to terminate this Agreement unilaterally, while Party B shall pay compensation for any losses caused to Party A. Party B agrees to authorize Party A to deduct the amount of liquidated damages payable by Party B to Party A or the economic losses incurred by Party A from the delivery service fees payable to Party B through the Fengniao Delivery Platform or from the deposit already paid by Party B.

 

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7. Party A has the right to display, compile or otherwise appropriately use the relevant information of Party B shown on the Fengniao Delivery Platform.

8. In case of any losses incurred by Party A, Party B or any third party due to any reason attributable to Party B or Party B’s employees (including but not limited to all employees that have entered into a Labor or Employment Contract or established the de facto labor or employment relationship with Party B; collectively, “Party B’s Employees”), Party B shall respond actively to deal with such losses and assume the relevant responsibilities. If Party B fails to bear the relevant responsibilities as required by law under any of the following circumstances, Party A shall have the right to handle such circumstance (including but not limited to making any payment) on behalf of Party B and then seek recovery from Party B:

8.1 Party B or Party B’s Employees cause any personal injury or property damage to any third party in the course of business operation/work;

8.2 Party A’s reputation is affected by any complaint or strike by Party B’s Employees due to any delayed or deferred payment of or deduction from salaries and other event caused by the poor management, subcontracting, withdrawal or other acts by Party B;

8.3 Party B neglects to perform the statutory obligation to pay statutory compensation for its failure to sign Labor Contracts with its employees, its failure to pay social insurance contributions/taxes for its employees, or other employment activities against the law;

8.4 Party B’s Employees cause any personal injury, property damage or spiritual damage to any third party due to any misconduct in the course of providing the meal delivery services (including but not limited to harassment or abuse of any third party, etc.);

8.5 Party B fails to timely fulfill its statutory obligations arising from any personal injury or property damage caused by any of Party B’s Employees in the course of providing the delivery services;

8.6 Party A’s image is undermined for any reason attributable to Party B or Party B’s Employees, leading to any public opinion risk or legal dispute, and Party B refuses to cooperate on or assist with the handling of such risk or dispute, or fails to handle such risk or dispute properly within the time limit required by Party A;

8.7 In any litigation case occuring for any reason attributable to Party B or any of Party B’s Employees, Party B or such employee, the identify of whom has been verified, refuses to appear in court despite being required to do so, or has appeared in court but refuses to assume the relevant statutory responsibilities, thereby resulting in any award/judgment that requires Party A’s platform to assume any responsibility;

8.8 Party B fails to actively and timely assume any other responsibility that shall be borne by Party B as provided by law.

 

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8.9 If Party A has made any payment on behalf of Party B or incurred any losses in any of the above cases, Party A shall have the right to take necessary steps to make up for such losses, including but not limited to withholding or deducting the deposit paid by Party B and the delivery service fee obtained by Party B through the Fengniao Delivery Platform. If the deposit or delivery service fee is insufficient to compensate for the losses incurred by Party A, Party A shall have the right to claim further compensation from Party B.

Article 3 Rights and Obligations of Party B

1. Party B has the legal qualification and right to provide various delivery services, and Party B’s delivery services shall comply with the provisions of the national laws, regulations, rules and our company to ensure that Party B and Party B’s Employees meet the qualification requirements of Party A for the execution and performance hereof.

2. Party B shall furnish to Party A, among others, the real name, address and effective contact information of Party B (either a company or an individual), as well as the original and photocopy of any relevant business license or permit for operation obtained according to law, and shall ensure the authenticity and validity of such materials provided.

3. In the event of any change in the name, address, effective contact information, licenses or any other information of Party B, Party B shall give written notice to Party A within [3] working days, and any losses incurred by Party A or Party B due to Party B’s failure to do so shall be borne by Party B. If any change occurs in Party B’s ownership, actual controller, legal representative and other aspects relating to Party B’s right to operate, Party A shall have the right to reassess the qualification of Party B as agent and, if Party B fails the reassessment, to terminate this Agreement unilaterally.

4. Party B shall not violate the various “Rules of Party A” last updated by Party A, and shall ensure the safety and quality of delivery of food and other items pursuant to the detailed requirements set out in the Service Specifications. Party B warrants to provide the restaurants with delivery services in compliance with the standards stipulated in the Service Specifications and the Rules on Punishment, and to assume the liability for breach of contract towards the restaurants/Platform and compensate for any losses caused to the restaurants/Platform for any violation committed in the course of provision of services in accordance with this Agreement, the Service Specifications or the Rules on Punishment.

5. Party B shall not violate the confidentiality provisions.

6. Party B shall promptly deal with any customer complaint, remedy any losses caused by such complaint and notify Party A of the remedy results, and compensate Party A for any actual economic losses incurred thereby.

7. Party A requires that Party B should provide VAT invoices, and Party B shall issue the corresponding invoices that comply with the relevant laws and regulations as required in Article 5 hereof.

8. Party B shall purchase the employer’s liability insurance or the accident insurance for Party B’s delivery personnel in a timely manner. There exists no labor or employment relationship between Party B’s delivery personnel and Party A.

 

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9. Party B shall not provide any form of improper benefits to the employees or consultants of Party A or its affiliated companies, including but not limited to any of the cases listed below; otherwise, Party B agrees that Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement immediately and to deduct all the deposit paid by Party A.

9.1 Party B and Party B’s Employees shall not offer any bribe or bribe in disguise to Party A’s affiliates in any way.

9.2 Party B and Party B’s Employees shall not offer any form of “cash, marketable securities and payment instruments” or “communication devices, vehicles, cultural products of non-minimal value and other valuables (worth over RMB100)” by way of gift to Party B’s business staff members.

9.3 Party B and Party B’s Employees shall not arrange for Party A’s affiliates to participate in any travel, costly entertainment, conference tourism at scenic spots and other similar activities.

9.4 Party B and Party B’s Employees shall not provide or facilitate job opportunities for the relatives and friends of Party A’s affiliates, or pay any fees that shall be borne by such persons individually.

9.5 Party B shall not take advantage of its capacity as supplier to offer any bribe or bribe in disguise to Party A’s affiliates or their main relatives.

10. Party B shall not engage in any connected transaction with, or be deemed as an affiliate of, Party A or the employees or consultants of Party A’s affiliated companies, including but not limited to any of the cases listed below; otherwise, Party B agrees that Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement immediately and deduct all the deposit paid by Party B.

10.1 Party B shall be deemed an affiliate if:

10.1.1 Any existing employee of Party A and Party B have any directly or indirectly related person in the Fengniao Delivery Business;

10.1.2 Any existing employee of Party A and (or) his/her main relative are/is the main investor of Party B;

10.1.3 Any existing employee of Party A holds a concurrent post in Party B;

10.1.4 Any main relative of any existing employee of Party A works for or holds a post in Party B;

10.2 A connected transaction shall be deemed to have occurred if:

10.2.1 Any affiliate is directly or indirectly involved in the platform positioning, bidding or other benefits-related businesses of the Parties, and takes advantage of its official authority to seek personal gains in a way that undermines the interests of the Parties and the principle of arm’s length transaction.

 

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11. Party B is strictly prohibited from making inquiries of any data not related to Party B’s operations from Party A, including but not limited to Party A’s nationwide delivery data, the data of Party A’s transaction platform, etc. Party B is also strictly prohibited from making inquiries of the information of any competitive partner from Party A, including but not limited to the basic information of other suppliers, the grid information, the operational data, etc.

12. Party B shall not use Party A’s Products in any illegal way, and shall promptly notify Party A of any infringement or any suspected or expected infringement, imitation, illegal use or improper use of Party A’s Products.

13. Party B warrants not to package, alter or change Party A’s Products or businesses by using shell applications, creating derivative works and any other means, or to call or activate Party A’s Products or businesses by using any third-party product or business; otherwise, Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement without paying any fees arising therefrom. Party B shall not use any improper means to obtain any order data or information of the platform of Party A and its affiliated companies (including but not limited to the logistics order information), etc.

14. Party B shall not use Party A’s Products independently or jointly with any other software to engage in any business activity, including but not limited to the selling (or causing the selling), licensing (or causing the licensing) and/or distribution (or causing the distribution) of any product.

Article 4 Deposit

1. Party B shall pay a deposit in the following amount when signing the Cooperation Agreement for delivery agency services with Party A:

 

[***]

2. [***]

3. [***]

 

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4. [***]

5. [***]

Party A’s account name: [***]

Account number: [***]

Bank: [***]

6. [***]

Article 5 Period, Conditions and Methods of Settlement

1. Settlement Period

[***]

2. Conditions for Settlement

[***]

 

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3. Methods of Settlement

[***]

Party B’s account name: [***]

Account number: [***]

Bank: [***]

4. Invoice Issuance

[***]

5. Settlement Dispute

[***]

Article 6 Liability for Breach of Contract

1. If Party B violates any of the terms hereof, Party A shall have the right to directly deduct the amount of liquidated damages from the delivery service fees obtained by Party B through the Fengniao Delivery Platform [***]. [***] In the event of any material violation on the part of Party B, Party A shall have the right to terminate this Agreement immediately without returning the deposit and to hold Party B liable for the necessary legal responsibilities.

2. Party B shall strictly abide by the latest “Rules of Party A” as notified by Party A via email. If Party B violates any of the “Rules of Party A”, Party A shall have the right to impose punishment on Party B accordingly, and Party B shall remedy such violation in a timely manner. In the event of any material violation on the part of Party B, Party A shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement and reserves the right to claim compensation from Party B for the losses incurred.

 

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3. [***]

4. Any losses incurred by Party A, Party B itself or any third party as a result of any violation by Party B of paragraph 10 of Article 3 hereof shall be borne by Party B, and Party A reserves the right to seek recovery from Party B.

5. [***]

6. If Party B is found to have defrauded Party A of any delivery fees by click farming, make false statement on its delivery capacity or any other acts, Party A shall have the right, depending on the number of violations committed by Party B, to terminate this Agreement unilaterally and require Party B to compensate for the relevant losses caused, and may, in serious cases, confiscate the deposit.

7. If any dispute arises between the Parties as a result of any losses caused by Party B’s violation to Party A, then all costs arising from the arbitration or litigation of such dispute, including but not limited to the attorney’s fees, litigation fees, travel expenses, etc., shall be borne by Party B.

Article 7 Disclaimer

1. If the performance hereof is rendered impossible by any earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire, war, computer virus, design flaw in any software tool, cyber-attack, telecommunication or communication failure, change in policies or laws or any other force majeure event, neither party shall be liable to pay any compensation for part or all of the economic losses incurred by either party due to such force majeure event.

2. In the event of any interruption of normal services caused by maintenance shutdown, technical detection and other similar activities performed by Party A on its website on a regular or irregular basis, Party A shall not be deemed to have violated this Agreement and shall accept no responsibility as long as it has provided the relevant evidence.

Article 8 Dispute Resolution

1. If any dispute arises between the Parties with respect to this Agreement during the performance hereof, the Parties shall resolve such dispute through negotiation on the basis of the principles of good faith, fairness and reasonableness. If the dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation, the Parties may file a lawsuit in the people’s court in Putuo District, Shanghai City, i.e. the domicile of Party A.

 

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2. The breaching party or the party held mainly responsible for any dispute hereunder shall bear the attorney’s fees, travel expenses, case acceptance fees, etc. incurred by the other party in connection with the arbitration or litigation activities.

3. After any dispute occurs, unless it becomes impossible to perform this Agreement due to the violation by either party, or mediation has been conducted for termination of cooperation, otherwise the non-breaching party shall have the discretion to decide whether to continue to perform this Agreement depending on the circumstances.

Article 9 Dissolution and Termination of Cooperation Agreement

1. To protect the benefits of the Parties, Party A may dissolve or terminate this Agreement according to the provisions of the laws and Party A’s rules and regulations.

2. Unless the conditions for termination as provided by law have been satisfied or Party B gives notice to and obtains the written consent of Party A [30] days in advance, Party B may not terminate this Agreement unilaterally on any ground during the validity hereof.

3. If no written renewal request is submitted by Party B to Party A one month before the validity hereof expires, this Cooperation Agreement shall terminate automatically from the expiration date hereof. [***]

4. Any written notice that shall be given between the Parties shall be deemed served when the relevant written material or document is delivered to the notified person at the address as agreed by the Parties.

Article 10 Confidentiality Agreement

1. Party B shall treat as strictly confidential the information of Party A and its affiliated companies and the private information of users obtained during the performance hereof, including but not limited to the relevant terms hereof, the rules for settlement of fees, flow diversion data, etc., and shall not divulge or convey such confidential information to any third party or use or permit any third party to use the same except for the purposes hereof.

2. Party B shall keep confidential the Cooperation Agreement, experience and methodology provided by Party A and all information and intellectual property rights obtained by Party B in the course of performance hereof, and may not transfer or convey the same to others without permission or make disclosure thereof to any third party.

3. Any commercial, marketing, technical, operational data or other materials obtained by Party B from Party A in connection with or arising out of this Agreement shall be kept confidential.

 

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Article 11 Miscellaneous

1. It is agreed that the cooperation between the Parties does not constitute any labor relationship between Party A and Party B’s Employees, and all responsibilities for any accident occurring in the course of performance of work by Party B’s Employees, including but not limited to any personal injury or property damage incurred by Party A, any third party or Party B itself, shall be borne solely by Party B.

2. This Agreement shall become effective after it is signed and sealed by the Parties [***].

3. If Party B has ceased operations or has been taken over for poor management or other reasons, it shall give written notice to Party A so that the Parties can decide through negotiation whether to continue to perform this Agreement or assign this Agreement to another partner; otherwise, Party B shall be deemed in breach of this Agreement and shall compensate for any losses caused to Party A as provided in paragraph 4 of Article 6 “Liability for Breach of Contract” hereof.

4. [***]

5. [***]

6. Service of Notices:

6.1 Party B agrees that Party A may notify Party B via email of any update in the Delivery Agency Service Specifications, the Rules on Punishment for Violation of the Delivery Agency Service Specifications, and the various corporate rules and regulations and regulatory documents made by Party A according to the operational needs of the delivery business as agreed in the Original Agreement. If Party B fails to raise any objection within 3 days from the date the email is sent, Party B shall be deemed to have accepted the contents of such email. If Party B has any objection to the contents of the email sent in the above manner, it shall raise such objection to Party A via email or in writing within 3 days from the date the email is sent, and such objection shall be otherwise resolved by the Parties through negotiation.

 

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6.2 The business email addresses of the Parties:

Party A’s business email: [***]

Party B’s business email:

6.3 If Party B needs to change the above email address, it shall give 5 working days’ prior written notice to Party A, and any losses resulting from Party B’s failure to give such notice timely shall be borne by Party B.

7. [***]

Article 12 Supplementary Provisions

1. If during the validity hereof, either party needs to change its contact person, contact information, address or any other information, it shall give [5] working days’ prior written notice to the other party, and any losses resulting from the party’s failure to give such notice timely shall be borne by such party.

2. The Parties may make supplementary provisions for any matters uncovered herein through negotiation according to the actual situation and in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. The supplementary provisions shall have the same legal effect as those set forth herein.

3. This Agreement shall not be used as the basis for any economic activities conducted by Party B for any purpose other than as set out herein.

4. Without prejudice to the rights and interest of Party B hereunder, Party A may transfer all or part of its rights and obligations hereunder to its affiliated companies according to any business adjustment, in which case Party A will give prior notice to Party B.

 

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The above terms have been made known to the Parties. (END OF BODY TEXT)

 

Party A (seal):    Party B (seal):
Authorized representative (signature):    Authorized representative (signature):
Phone:    Phone:
Execution date:    Execution date:

 

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Entrusted Payment Agreement for Fengniao Delivery Supplier

Agreement No.:

Party A: Hangzhou Lazhasi Information Technology Co., Ltd

Party B:

Any reference to “Supplier” hereinafter shall mean “Party B”.

MINOS ID of Supplier:

The Parties hereby reach the following agreement with respect to Party B’s engagement of Party A or its affiliated companies to pay part of the labor remuneration directly to the delivery riders of Party B and to pay premiums of the insurance purchased by Party B directly to the insurance companies.

I. Introduction to Fengniao Application (Team Edition)

The Fengniao Application (Team Edition) is a mobile-based information platform provided by Party A’s affiliated company to Party B for use by Party B’s delivery riders, who may pick up the Fengniao delivery orders through the Application.

II. Introduction to Rider Wallet

[***]

III. Details of Engagement

[***]

 

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IV. Clarification of Labor Relationship

[***]

V. Effectiveness and Miscellaneous

1. This Agreement shall form an integral part of, and have the same legal effect as, the Original Agreement. The terms of the Original Agreement other than those modified hereby shall continue to apply and be binding upon the Parties.

2. In the event of any conflict between this Agreement and the Original Agreement, this Agreement shall prevail.

3. This Agreement shall become effective from the date of signature and seal by the Parties, and shall remain valid during the period of cooperation between the Parties. This Agreement is made in two copies; each party shall hold one copy and both copies shall be equally authentic,

(END OF BODY TEXT)

 

Party A:    Party B:
Signature (seal):    Signature (seal):
Authorized representative:    Authorized representative:
Date:    Date:

 

2

Exhibit 10.21

FORM OF EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is entered into as of                    , 20    by and between Quhuo Limited (the “Company”), an exempted company duly incorporated and validly existing under the law of the Cayman Islands, and            ([Passport/ID] Number            ), an individual (the “Executive”). The term “Company” as used herein with respect to all obligations of the Executive hereunder shall be deemed to include the Company and all of its direct or indirect parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, or subsidiaries or affiliates of its parent companies (collectively, the “Group”).

RECITALS

A. The Company desires to employ the Executive and to assure itself of the services of the Executive during the term of Employment (as defined below).

B. The Executive desires to be employed by the Company during the term of Employment and under the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

AGREEMENT

The parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1.

POSITION

The Executive hereby accepts a position of            (the “Employment”) of the Company.

 

2.

TERM

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the initial term of the Employment shall be            years, commencing on                    , 20    (the “Effective Date”), until                    , 20    unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Upon expiration of the initial            -year term, the Employment shall be automatically extended for successive one-year terms unless either party gives the other party hereto a prior written notice to terminate the Employment prior to the expiration of such one-year term or unless terminated earlier pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.

 

3.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Executive’s duties at the Company will include all jobs assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. If the Executive is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, the Executive’s duties will include all jobs assigned by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”).

The Executive shall devote all of his/her working time, attention and skills to the performance of his/her duties at the Company and shall faithfully and diligently serve the Company in accordance with this Agreement and the guidelines, policies and procedures of the Company approved from time to time by the Board.

The Executive shall use his/her best efforts to perform his/her duties hereunder. The Executive shall not, without the prior written consent of the Board, become an employee of any entity other than the Company and any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company, and shall not be concerned or interested in the business or entity that competes with that carried on by the Company (any such business or entity, a “Competitor”), provided that nothing in this clause shall preclude the Executive from holding any shares or other securities of any Competitor that is listed on any securities exchange or recognized securities market anywhere. The Executive shall notify the Company in writing of his/her interest in such shares or securities in a timely manner and with such details and particulars as the Company may reasonably require.


4.

NO BREACH OF CONTRACT

The Executive hereby represents to the Company that: (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Executive and the performance by the Executive of the Executive’s duties hereunder shall not constitute a breach of, or otherwise contravene, the terms of any other agreement or policy to which the Executive is a party or otherwise bound, except for agreements that are required to be entered into by and between the Executive and any member of the Group pursuant to applicable law of the jurisdiction where the Executive is based, if any; (ii) that the Executive has no information (including, without limitation, confidential information and trade secrets) relating to any other person or entity which would prevent, or be violated by, the Executive entering into this Agreement or carrying out his/her duties hereunder; and (iii) that the Executive is not bound by any confidentiality, trade secret or similar agreement (other than this) with any other person or entity except for other member(s) of the Group, as the case may be.

 

5.

LOCATION

The Executive will be based in                , China or any other location as requested by the Company during the term of this Agreement.

 

6.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

 

  a)

Cash Compensation. The Executive’s cash compensation (inclusive of the statutory welfare reserves that the Company is required to set aside for the Executive under applicable law) shall be provided by the Company pursuant to Schedule A hereto, subject to annual review and adjustment by the Company or the compensation committee of the Board (or the Board itself, before the formation of the compensation committee).

 

  b)

Equity Incentives. To the extent the Company adopts and maintains a share incentive plan, the Executive will be eligible for participating in such plan pursuant to the terms thereof as determined by the Company.

 

  c)

Benefits. The Executive is eligible for participation in any standard employee benefit plan of the Company that currently exists or may be adopted by the Company in the future, including, but not limited to, any retirement plan, and travel/holiday policy.

 

7.

TERMINATION OF THE AGREEMENT

 

  a)

By the Company. The Company may terminate the Employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, if (i) the Executive is convicted or pleads guilty to a felony or to an act of fraud, misappropriation or embezzlement, (ii) the Executive has been negligent or acted dishonestly to the detriment of the Company, (iii) the Executive has engaged in actions amounting to misconduct or failed to perform his/her duties hereunder and such failure continues after the Executive is afforded a reasonable opportunity to cure such failure, (iv) the Executive has died, or (v) the Executive has a disability which shall mean a physical or mental impairment which, as reasonably determined by the Board, renders the Executive unable to perform the essential functions of his/her employment with the Company, even with reasonable accommodation that does not impose an undue hardship on the Company, for more than 180 days in any 12-month period, unless a longer period is required by applicable law, in which case that longer period would apply.


In addition, the Company may terminate the Employment without cause, at any time, upon one-month prior written notice to the Executive. Upon termination without cause, the Company shall provide the Executive with a severance payment in cash in an amount equal to the Executive’s 3-month salary at the then current rate. Under such circumstance, the Executive agrees not to make any further claims for compensation for loss of office, accrued remuneration, fees, wrongful dismissal or any other claim whatsoever against the Company or its subsidiaries or the respective officers or employees of any of them.

 

  b)

By the Executive. If there is a material and substantial reduction in the Executive’s existing authority and responsibilities, the Executive may resign upon one-month prior written notice to the Company. In addition, the Executive may resign prior to the expiration of the Agreement if such resignation is approved by the Board or an alternative arrangement with respect to the Employment is agreed to by the Board.

 

  c)

Notice of Termination. Any termination of the Executive’s employment under this Agreement shall be communicated by written notice of termination from the terminating party to the other party. The notice of termination shall indicate the specific provision(s) of this Agreement relied upon in effecting the termination.

 

8.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND NONDISCLOSURE

 

  a)

Confidentiality and Non-disclosure. In the course of the Executive’s services, the Executive may have access to the Company and/or the Company’s customer/supplier’s and/or prospective customer/supplier’s trade secrets and confidential information, including but not limited to those embodied in memoranda, manuals, letters or other documents, computer disks, tapes or other information storage devices, hardware, or other media or vehicles, pertaining to the Company and/or the Company’s customer/supplier’s and/or prospective customer/supplier’s business. All such trade secrets and confidential information are considered confidential. All materials containing any such trade secret and confidential information are the property of the Company and/or the Company’s customer/supplier and/or prospective customer/supplier, and shall be returned to the Company and/or the Company’s customer/supplier and/or prospective customer/supplier upon expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement. The Executive shall not directly or indirectly disclose or use any such trade secret or confidential information, except as required in the performance of the Executive’s duties in connection with the Employment, or pursuant to applicable law.

 

  b)

Trade Secrets. During and after the Employment, the Executive shall hold the Trade Secrets in strict confidence; the Executive shall not disclose these Trade Secrets to anyone except other employees of the Company who have a need to know the Trade Secrets in connection with the Company’s business. The Executive shall not use the Trade Secrets other than for the benefits of the Company.


Trade Secrets” means information deemed confidential by the Company, treated by the Company or which the Executive know or ought reasonably to have known to be confidential, and trade secrets, including without limitation designs, processes, pricing policies, methods, inventions, conceptions, technology, technical data, financial information, corporate structure and know-how, relating to the business and affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries, affiliates and business associates, whether embodied in memoranda, manuals, letters or other documents, computer disks, tapes or other information storage devices, hardware, or other media or vehicles. Trade Secrets do not include information generally known or released to public domain through no fault of yours.

 

  c)

Former Employer Information. The Executive agrees that he or she has not and will not, during the term of his/her employment, (i) improperly use or disclose any proprietary information or trade secrets of any former employer or other person or entity with which the Executive has an agreement or duty to keep in confidence information acquired by Executive, if any, or (ii) bring into the premises of Company any document or confidential or proprietary information belonging to such former employer, person or entity unless consented to in writing by such former employer, person or entity. The Executive will indemnify the Company and hold it harmless from and against all claims, liabilities, damages and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of suit, arising out of or in connection with any violation of the foregoing.

 

  d)

Third Party Information. The Executive recognizes that the Company may have received, and in the future may receive, from third parties their confidential or proprietary information subject to a duty on the Company’s part to maintain the confidentiality of such information and to use it only for certain limited purposes. The Executive agrees that the Executive owes the Company and such third parties, during the Executive’s employment by the Company and thereafter, a duty to hold all such confidential or proprietary information in the strictest confidence and not to disclose it to any person or firm and to use it in a manner consistent with, and for the limited purposes permitted by, the Company’s agreement with such third party.

This Section 8 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 8, the Company shall have right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.

 

9.

INVENTIONS

 

  a)

Inventions Retained and Licensed. The Executive has attached hereto, as Schedule B, a list describing all inventions, ideas, improvements, designs and discoveries, whether or not patentable and whether or not reduced to practice, original works of authorship and trade secrets made or conceived by or belonging to the Executive (whether made solely by the Executive or jointly with others) that (i) were developed by Executive prior to the Executive’s employment by the Company (collectively, “Prior Inventions”), (ii) relate to the Company’ actual or proposed business, products or research and development, and (iii) are not assigned to the Company hereunder; or, if no such list is attached, the Executive represents that there are no such Prior Inventions. Except to the extent set forth in Schedule B, the Executive hereby acknowledges that, if in the course of his/her service for the Company, the Executive incorporates into a Company product, process or machine a Prior Invention owned by the Executive or in which he has an interest, the Company is hereby granted and shall have a nonexclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right and license (which may be freely transferred by the Company to any other person or entity) to make, have made, modify, use, sell, sublicense and otherwise distribute such Prior Invention as part of or in connection with such product, process or machine.


  b)

Disclosure and Assignment of Inventions. The Executive understands that the Company engages in research and development and other activities in connection with its business and that, as an essential part of the Employment, the Executive is expected to make new contributions to and create inventions of value for the Company.

From and after the Effective Date, the Executive shall disclose in confidence to the Company all inventions, improvements, designs, original works of authorship, formulas, processes, compositions of matter, computer software programs, databases, mask works and trade secrets (collectively, the “Inventions”), which the Executive may solely or jointly conceive or develop or reduce to practice, or cause to be conceived or developed or reduced to practice, during the period of the Executive’s Employment at the Company. The Executive acknowledges that copyrightable works prepared by the Executive within the scope of and during the period of the Executive’s Employment with the Company are “works for hire” and that the Company will be considered the author thereof. The Executive agrees that all the Inventions shall be the sole and exclusive property of the Company and the Executive hereby assign all his/her right, title and interest in and to any and all of the Inventions to the Company or its successor in interest without further consideration.

 

  c)

Patent and Copyright Registration. The Executive agrees to assist the Company in every proper way to obtain for the Company and enforce patents, copyrights, mask work rights, trade secret rights, and other legal protection for the Inventions. The Executive will execute any documents that the Company may reasonably request for use in obtaining or enforcing such patents, copyrights, mask work rights, trade secrets and other legal protections. The Executive’s obligations under this paragraph will continue beyond the termination of the Employment with the Company, provided that the Company will reasonably compensate the Executive after such termination for time or expenses actually spent by the Executive at the Company’s request on such assistance. The Executive appoints the Secretary of the Company as the Executive’s attorney-in-fact to execute documents on the Executive’s behalf for this purpose.

 

  d)

Return of Confidential Material. In the event of the Executive’s termination of employment with the Company for any reason whatsoever, Executive agrees promptly to surrender and deliver to the Company all records, materials, equipment, drawings, documents and data of any nature pertaining to any confidential information or to his/her employment, and Executive will not retain or take with him or her any tangible materials or electronically stored data, containing or pertaining to any confidential information that Executive may produce, acquire or obtain access to during the course of his/her employment.

This Section 9 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 9, the Company shall have right to seek remedies permissible under applicable law.


10.

CONFLICTING EMPLOYMENT.

The Executive hereby agrees that, during the term of his/her employment with the Company, he will not engage in any other employment, occupation, consulting or other business activity related to the business in which the Company is now involved or becomes involved during the term of the Executive’s employment, nor will the Executive engage in any other activities that conflict with his/her obligations to the Company without the prior written consent of the Company.

 

11.

NON-COMPETITION AND NON-SOLICITATION

In consideration of the compensation provided to the Executive by the Company hereunder, the adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged by the parties hereto, the Executive agree that during the term of the Employment and for a period of two years following the termination of the Employment for whatever reason:

 

  a)

The Executive will not approach clients, customers or contacts of the Company or other persons or entities introduced to the Executive in the Executive’s capacity as a representative of the Company for the purposes of doing business with such persons or entities which will harm the business relationship between the Company and such persons and/or entities;

 

  b)

unless expressly consented to by the Company, the Executive will not assume employment with or provide services as a director or otherwise for any Competitor, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, in any Competitor; and

 

  c)

unless expressly consented to by the Company, the Executive will not seek directly or indirectly, by the offer of alternative employment or other inducement whatsoever, to solicit the services of any employee of the Company employed as at or after the date of such termination, or in the year preceding such termination.

The provisions contained in Section 11 are considered reasonable by the Executive and the Company. In the event that any such provisions should be found to be void under applicable laws but would be valid if some part thereof was deleted or the period or area of application reduced, such provisions shall apply with such modification as may be necessary to make them valid and effective.

This Section 11 shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason. In the event the Executive breaches this Section 11, the Executive acknowledges that there will be no adequate remedy at law, and the Company shall be entitled to injunctive relief and/or a decree for specific performance, and such other relief as may be proper (including monetary damages if appropriate). In any event, the Company shall have right to seek all remedies permissible under applicable law.

 

12.

WITHHOLDING TAXES

Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, the Company may withhold (or cause there to be withheld, as the case may be) from any amounts otherwise due or payable under or pursuant to this Agreement such national, provincial, local or any other income, employment, or other taxes as may be required to be withheld pursuant to any applicable law or regulation.


13.

ASSIGNMENT

This Agreement is personal in its nature and neither of the parties hereto shall, without the consent of the other, assign or transfer this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder; provided, however, that (i) the Company may assign or transfer this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder to any member of the Group without such consent, and (ii) in the event of a merger, consolidation, or transfer or sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the company with or to any other individual(s) or entity, this Agreement shall, subject to the provisions hereof, be binding upon and inure to the benefit of such successor and such successor shall discharge and perform all the promises, covenants, duties, and obligations of the Company hereunder.

 

14.

SEVERABILITY

If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Agreement which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications and to this end the provisions of this Agreement are declared to be severable.

 

15.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the Executive and the Company regarding the terms of the Employment and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous oral or written agreements concerning such subject matter. The Executive acknowledges that he has not entered into this Agreement in reliance upon any representation, warranty or undertaking which is not set forth in this Agreement. Any amendment to this Agreement must be in writing and signed by the Executive and the Company.

 

16.

GOVERNING LAW

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of the State of New York, USA, without regard to the conflicts of law principles.

 

17.

AMENDMENT

This Agreement may not be amended, modified or changed (in whole or in part), except by a formal, definitive written agreement expressly referring to this Agreement, which agreement is executed by both of the parties hereto.

 

18.

WAIVER

Neither the failure nor any delay on the part of a party to exercise any right, remedy, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege preclude any other or further exercise of the same or of any right, remedy, power or privilege, nor shall any waiver of any right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any occurrence be construed as a waiver of such right, remedy, power or privilege with respect to any other occurrence. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and is signed by the party asserted to have granted such waiver.


19.

NOTICES

All notices, requests, demands and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given and made if (i) delivered by hand, (ii) otherwise delivered against receipt therefor, (iii) sent by a recognized courier with next-day or second-day delivery to the last known address of the other party; or (iv) sent by e-mail with confirmation of receipt.

 

20.

COUNTERPARTS

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original as against any party whose signature appears thereon, and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. This Agreement shall become binding when one or more counterparts hereof, individually or taken together, shall bear the signatures of all of the parties reflected hereon as the signatories. Photographic copies of such signed counterparts may be used in lieu of the originals for any purpose.

 

21.

NO INTERPRETATION AGAINST DRAFTER

Each party recognizes that this Agreement is a legally binding contract and acknowledges that such party has had the opportunity to consult with legal counsel of choice. In any construction of the terms of this Agreement, the same shall not be construed against either party on the basis of that party being the drafter of such terms.

[Remainder of this page has been intentionally left blank.]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as of the date first written above.

 

Quhuo Limited

By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

Executive

Signature:

 

 

Name:

 


Schedule A

Cash Compensation

 

     Amount      Pay Period  

Base Salary

                                       

Cash Bonus

     


Schedule B

List of Prior Inventions

 

Title

   Date    Identifying Number
or Brief Description

 

No inventions or improvements

 

Additional Sheets Attached

 

Signature of Executive:

 

Print Name of Executive:

 

Date:

Exhibit 10.22

INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT

THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT, dated as of                      , 2020 (this “Agreement”),

BETWEEN:

 

(1)      QUHUO LIMITED, a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”); and
(2)     

                          

   (the “Indemnitee”).   

WHEREAS, the Company wishes for the Indemnitee to serve on its Board of Directors (the “Board”) or as an officer of the Company and wishes to provide the Indemnitee with specific contractual assurance of the Indemnitee’s rights to indemnification against litigation risks and expenses arising from his position as a Director or Officer (as defined below) to the full extent permitted by applicable law;

WHEREAS, in order to induce and encourage highly experienced and capable persons such as the Indemnitee to serve as a Director or Officer of the Company, the Board of Directors has determined, that this Agreement is not only reasonable and prudent, but necessary to promote and ensure the best interests of the Company and its shareholders; and

WHEREAS, the Indemnitee is relying upon the rights afforded under this Agreement in serving as a Director or Officer.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, covenants and agreements contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby agree as follows:

 

1.

INTERPRETATION

1.1 In this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, the following words and expressions shall have the following meanings:

 

Business Day    means any day, except Saturday, Sunday and any day which shall be a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the United States are generally authorized or required by law or governmental action to close.
“Corporate Status”    means the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, employee, agent, or fiduciary of the Company or any other Group Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of any other company, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other entity or enterprise.
Director    means a member of the Board.


Disinterested Director    means a Director of the Company who is not or was not a party to a Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
Disinterested Shareholder    means a Shareholder of the Company who is not or was not a party to a proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by the Indemnitee.
Expenses    means all fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Proceeding (as defined below), including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees, disbursements and retainers (including, without limitation, any such fees, disbursements and retainers incurred by the Indemnitee pursuant to clause 6 of this Agreement), fees and disbursements of expert witnesses, private investigators and professional advisors (including, without limitation, accountants and investment bankers), court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, travel expenses, duplicating, printing and binding costs, telephone and fax transmission charges, postage, delivery services, secretarial services and other disbursements and expenses.
Group Companies    means the Company, each subsidiary of the Company, and each variable interest entity of the Company and each of its subsidiaries (wherever incorporated or organized).
Independent Counsel    means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, who is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither is presently, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or the Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party; or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s right to indemnification under this Agreement.
Officer    means an officer of the Company.
Parties    means the parties to this Agreement, together, and “Party” means any one of them.
Proceeding    means any threatened, pending or completed action, claim, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, administrative hearing, appeal or any other proceeding whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or investigative, and whether formal or informal, including any proceeding initiated by Indemnitee pursuant to clause 6 of this Agreement to enforce the Indemnitee’s rights hereunder.

 

1.2

In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:

 

  1.2.1

references to statutory provisions shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended or re-enacted, or as their application is modified by other provisions from time to time, and shall include references to any provisions of which they are re-enactments (whether with or without modification);


  1.2.2

references to clauses are references to clauses hereof; references to sub-clauses are, unless otherwise stated, references to sub-clauses of the clause in which the reference appears;

 

  1.2.3

references to the singular shall include the plural and vice versa, and references to the masculine shall include the feminine and/or neuter and vice versa; and

 

  1.2.4

references to “persons” shall include companies, partnerships, associations and bodies of persons, whether incorporated or unincorporated.

 

2.

AGREEMENT TO SERVE

In consideration of the Company’s covenants and commitments hereunder, Indemnitee agrees to serve as a Director or Officer of the Company (as applicable). This Agreement does not create or otherwise establish any right or obligation on the part of Indemnitee to be, or to continue to be elected or appointed, a Director or Officer of the Company or any other Group Company, and does not create an employment contract between the Company and Indemnitee.

 

3.

INDEMNITY OF DIRECTOR/OFFICER

 

3.1

Subject to clause 10, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party, to any Proceeding, including a Proceeding brought by or in the right of the Company, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status or by reason of anything done or not done by Indemnitee in such capacity. Subject to clause 10, pursuant to this sub-clause 3.1, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against: (i) all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf; and (ii) all liabilities, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement, in each case in connection with such Proceeding (including, but not limited to, the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal thereof).

 

3.2

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement other than clause 10, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in defending any Proceedings referred to in clause 3.1 in which judgment is given in his favor or in which he is acquitted.

 

3.3

Subject to clause 10, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee for such portion of the Expenses, witness fees, liabilities, damages, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and any other amounts that Indemnitee becomes legally obligated to pay in connection with any Proceeding referred to in clause 3.1, in respect of which Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder, even if Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder for the total amount thereof.

 

4.

INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS

Subject to clause 10, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding, Indemnitee shall be indemnified by the Company against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection therewith.


5.

DETERMINATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO INDEMNIFICATION

 

5.1

The Indemnitee shall request indemnification pursuant to this Agreement by notice in writing to the secretary or the chief executive officer of the Company. The secretary or chief executive officer shall, promptly upon receipt of Indemnitee’s request for indemnification, advise in writing the Board or such other person or persons empowered to make the determination as provided in sub-clause 5.2 that Indemnitee has made such request for indemnification. Subject to clause 10, upon making such request for indemnification, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to indemnification hereunder, and the Company shall have the burden of proof in the making of any determination contrary to such presumption.

 

5.2

Upon written request by Indemnitee for indemnification pursuant to sub-clause 3.1, the entitlement of the Indemnitee to indemnification pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be determined by the following person or persons, who shall be empowered to make such determination:

 

  5.2.1

the Board, by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors; or

 

  5.2.2

if such vote is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, if such Disinterested Directors so direct by majority vote, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee; or

 

  5.2.3

by a majority vote of Disinterested Shareholders.

 

5.3

For purposes of sub-clause 5.2, Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board and approved by Indemnitee. Upon failure of the Board to so select such Independent Counsel, or upon failure of Indemnitee to so approve, such Independent Counsel shall be selected by a single arbitrator pursuant to the rules of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. Such determination of entitlement to indemnification shall be made not later than twenty days after receipt by the Company of a written request for indemnification. Such request shall include the documentation and information that is necessary for such determination, and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee. Subject to clause 10, any Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with Indemnitee’s request for indemnification hereunder shall be borne by the Company, irrespective of the outcome of the determination of Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification. If the person or persons making such determination shall determine that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification as to a portion (but not all) of the application for indemnification, such persons may reasonably prorate such partial indemnification among such claims, issues or matters in respect of which indemnification is requested.


6.

ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES

All reasonable Expenses incurred by Indemnitee (including attorneys’ fees, retainers and advances of disbursements required of Indemnitee) shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of any Proceeding at the request of Indemnitee as promptly as possible, and in any event within twenty business days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee, requesting such advance or advances from time to time. Expenses for which Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification hereunder include, among others, those incurred in connection with any Proceeding brought by Indemnitee seeking an adjudication or award in arbitration pursuant to this Agreement. Such statement or statements shall reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection therewith and shall include or be accompanied by an undertaking by or on behalf of Indemnitee to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified against such Expenses by the Company, pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise. Subject to clause 10, the Company shall have the burden of proof in any determination under this clause 6. No amounts advanced hereunder shall be deemed an extension of credit by the Company to Indemnitee.

 

7.

REMEDIES OF INDEMNITEE IN CASES OF DETERMINATION NOT TO INDEMNIFY OR TO ADVANCE EXPENSES

 

7.1

In the event that: (a) a determination is made that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification hereunder; (b) payment has not been timely made following a determination of entitlement to indemnification pursuant to clause 5; or (c) Expenses are not advanced pursuant to clause 6, Indemnitee shall be entitled to petition any court of competent jurisdiction for a determination of Indemnitee’s entitlement to such indemnification or advance.

 

7.2

Alternatively to sub-clause 7.1, Indemnitee, at Indemnitee’s option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre for arbitration in Hong Kong. The arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time of the initiation of the arbitration, which rules are deemed to be incorporated by reference into this subsection. The Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration.

 

7.3

A judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this clause 7 shall be made de novo and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of a determination otherwise made hereunder (if so made) that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification. Subject to clause 10, if a determination is made pursuant to the terms of clause 5 that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company shall be bound by such determination and is precluded from asserting that such determination has not been made or that the procedure by which such determination was made is not valid, binding or enforceable. If the court or arbitrator shall determine that Indemnitee is entitled to any indemnification hereunder, the Company shall pay all reasonable Expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements) actually incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such adjudication or arbitration (including, but not limited to, any appellate proceedings).

 

8.

OTHER RIGHTS TO INDEMNIFICATION

The indemnification and advancement of Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other right to which Indemnitee may now or in the future be entitled under any provision of the Company’s articles of association, any agreement, vote of shareholders, the Board or Disinterested Directors, provision of law, or otherwise; provided, however, that: (a) this Agreement supersedes any other agreement that has been entered into by the Company with the Indemnitee which has as its principal purpose the indemnification of Indemnitee; and (b) where the Company may indemnify the Indemnitee pursuant to either this Agreement or the articles of association of the Company, the Company may indemnify the Indemnitee under either this Agreement or the articles of association, but the Indemnitee shall, in no case, be indemnified by the Company in respect of any Expense, liability or cost of any type, in each case for which payment has been actually made to Indemnitee under any insurance policy, indemnity clause, article, by-law or agreement, except in respect of any Expenses in excess of the actual payment made.


9.

ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND OTHER EXPENSES TO ENFORCE AGREEMENT

In the event that Indemnitee is subject to or intervenes in any Proceeding in which the validity or enforceability of this Agreement is at issue, or seeks an adjudication or award in arbitration to enforce Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Agreement, Indemnitee, if Indemnitee prevails in whole or in part in such action, shall be entitled to recover from the Company, and shall be indemnified by the Company against, any actual Expenses for attorneys’ fees and disbursements reasonably incurred by Indemnitee, provided that in bringing such action, Indemnitee acted in good faith.

 

10.

LIMITATION OF INDEMNIFICATION

Notwithstanding any other terms of this Agreement, nothing herein shall require the Company to indemnify the Indemnitee against any liability arising directly as a result of fraud or dishonesty by the Indemnitee, violate of any applicable laws and regulations or breach of its fiduciary duties, as determined in a final judgment of a court or arbitral body of competent jurisdiction.

 

11.

LIABILITY INSURANCE

To the extent the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies, in accordance with its or their terms, to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any Company director or officer.

 

12.

DURATION OF AGREEMENT

This Agreement shall apply with respect to Indemnitee’s occupation of any of the position(s) described in the definition of “Corporate Status” in sub-clause 1.1 hereof: (i) prior to the date of this Agreement; and (ii) with respect to all periods of such service from and after the date of this Agreement, even if the Indemnitee shall have ceased to occupy such positions(s).

 

13.

NOTICE OF PROCEEDINGS BY INDEMNITEE

 

13.1

Indemnitee agrees promptly to notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding which may be subject to indemnification hereunder; provided, however, that the failure to so notify the Company will not relieve the Company from any liability it may have to Indemnitee, except to the extent that such failure materially prejudices the Company’s ability to defend such claim. With respect to any such Proceeding as to which Indemnitee notifies the Company of the commencement thereof:

 

  13.1.1

the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense; and


  13.1.2

except as otherwise provided below, to the extent that it may wish, the Company, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, will be entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to Indemnitee of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense thereof, other than reasonable costs of investigation or as otherwise provided below. Indemnitee shall have the right to employ Indemnitee’s own counsel in such Proceeding, but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense thereof shall be at the expense of Indemnitee and not subject to indemnification hereunder, unless (a) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company; (b) in the reasonable opinion of counsel to Indemnitee, there is or may be a conflict of interest between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of the defense of such Proceeding; or (c) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of such action, in each of which cases, subject to clause 10, the fees and expenses of counsel shall be borne by the Company.

 

13.2

Neither the Company nor the Indemnitee shall settle any claim without the prior written consent of the other (which shall not be unreasonably withheld).

 

14.

NOTICES

Any notice required to be given hereunder shall be in writing in the English language and shall be served by sending the same by prepaid recorded post, facsimile or by delivering the same by hand to the address of the Party or Parties in question as set out below (or such other address as such Party or Parties shall notify the other Parties of in accordance with this clause). Any notice sent by post as provided in this clause shall be deemed to have been served five Business Days after despatch, and any notice sent by facsimile as provided in this clause shall be deemed to have been served at the time of despatch; and in proving the service of the same, it will be sufficient to prove in the case of a letter that such letter was properly stamped, addressed and placed in the post; and in the case of a facsimile, that such facsimile was duly despatched to a current facsimile number of the addressee.

Company

Attn: Chief executive officer

Address: 3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building Chaoyang District

Email: leslie@meishisong.cn

Indemnitee

Name:

Address:

Email:

 

15.

MISCELLANEOUS

 

15.1

Notwithstanding any expiration or termination of this Agreement, such expiration or termination shall not operate to affect such of the provisions hereof as are expressed or intended to remain in full force and effect.

 

15.2

If any of the clauses, conditions, covenants or restrictions of this Agreement or any deed or document emanating from it shall be found to be void but would be valid if some part thereof were deleted or modified, then such clause, condition, covenant or restriction shall apply with such deletion or modification as may be necessary to make it valid and effective so as to give effect as nearly as possible to the intent manifested by such clause, condition, covenant or restriction.


15.3

This Agreement shall be binding upon the Company and its successors and assigns (including any transferee of all or substantially all of its assets and any successor or resulting company by merger, amalgamation or operation of law) and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s spouse, assigns, heirs, estate, devises, executors, administrators or other legal representatives.

 

15.4

This Agreement constitutes the whole agreement between the Parties relating to its subject matter and supersedes any prior indemnification arrangement between the Company and Indemnitee.

 

15.5

No provision in this Agreement may be amended unless such amendment is agreed to in writing, signed by the Indemnitee and by a duly authorized officer of the Company. No waiver by either Party of any breach by the other Party of any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other Party shall be deemed a waiver of a similar or dissimilar condition or provision at the same or any prior or subsequent time. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by the Indemnitee or a duly authorized officer of the Company, as the case may be.

 

15.6

The headings in this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of this Agreement.

 

15.7

This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which, when executed and delivered, shall constitute an original, and all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

15.8

The terms and conditions of this Agreement and the rights of the parties hereunder shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (the “Hong Kong”).


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Indemnification Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

INDEMNITEE
 

 

Name:

 

QUHUO LIMITED
 

 

Name:
Title:

Exhibit 10.23

QUHUO LIMITED

2019 SHARE INCENTIVE PLAN

ARTICLE 1

PURPOSE

The purpose of the 2019 Share Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) of QUHUO LIMITED is to promote the success and enhance the value of QUHUO LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), by linking the personal interests of the members of the Board, Employees, Consultants and other individuals as the Committee may authorize and approve, to those of the Company’s shareholders and, by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance, to generate superior returns to the Company’s shareholders. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of recipients of share incentives hereunder upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operation is largely dependent.

ARTICLE 2

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.

2.1    “Applicable Laws” means the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under applicable provisions of the corporate, securities, tax and other laws, rules, regulations and government orders, and the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, of any jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents therein.

2.2    “Award” means an Option, Restricted Share or Restricted Share Unit award granted to a Participant pursuant to the Plan.

2.3    “Award Agreement” means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium.

2.4    “Award Pool” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a).

2.5    “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.6    “Cause” with respect to a Participant means (unless otherwise expressly provided in the applicable Award Agreement, or another applicable contract with the Participant that defines such term for purposes of determining the effect that a “for cause” termination has on the Participant’s Awards) a termination of employment or service based upon a finding by the Service Recipient, acting in good faith and based on its reasonable belief at the time, that the Participant:


(a)    has been negligent in the discharge of his or her duties to the Service Recipient, has refused to perform stated or assigned duties or is incompetent in or (other than by reason of a disability or analogous condition) incapable of performing those duties, has conducted any gross negligence that result in material adverse effect on the business, financial or other aspects of the Service Recipient;

(b)    has been dishonest or committed or engaged in an act of theft, embezzlement or fraud, a breach of confidentiality, an unauthorized disclosure or use of inside information, customer lists, trade secrets or other confidential information;

(c)    has breached a fiduciary duty, or willfully and materially violated any other duty, law, rule, regulation or policy of the Service Recipient; or has been convicted of, or plead guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony or misdemeanor (other than minor traffic violations or similar offenses);

(d)    has materially breached any of the provisions of any agreement with the Service Recipient, has committed any criminal activities in violation of laws and regulations;

(e)    has engaged in unfair competition with, or otherwise acted intentionally in a manner injurious to the reputation, business or assets of, the Service Recipient,;

(f)    has improperly induced a vendor or customer to break or terminate any contract with the Service Recipient or induced a principal for whom the Service Recipient acts as agent to terminate such agency relationship;

(g)    has transferred, sold, exchanged, pledged or mortgaged, guarantees or created any encumbrance on the Awards or the underlying shares in connection with the Awards granted to him or her without the prior written consent of the Service Recipient;

(h)    has been employed by any competitors of the Service Recipient without prior written consent of the Service Recipient, has engaged in any profitable activities or business other than those assigned by the Service Recipient without the prior written consent of the Service Recipient; or

(i)    has engaged any other activities that are in violation of laws and regulations or injurious to the reputation, business or assets of the Service Recipient.

A termination for Cause shall be deemed to occur (subject to reinstatement upon a contrary final determination by the Committee) on the date on which the Service Recipient first delivers written notice to the Participant of a finding of termination for Cause.

2.7    “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of the United States, as amended.

2.8    “Committee” means the Board or a committee of the Board described in Article 10.

2.9    “Consultant” means any consultant or adviser if: (a) the consultant or adviser renders bona fide services to a Service Recipient; (b) the services rendered by the consultant or adviser are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities; and (c) the consultant or adviser is a natural person who has contracted directly with the Service Recipient to render such services.

 

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2.10     “Corporate Transaction”, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means any of the following transactions, provided, however, that the Committee shall determine under (d) and (e) whether multiple transactions are related, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive:

(a)    an amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation or scheme of arrangement (i) in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the jurisdiction in which the Company is incorporated or (ii) following which the holders of the voting securities of the Company do not continue to hold more than 50% of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the surviving entity;

(b)    the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company;

(c)    the complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company;

(d)    any reverse takeover or series of related transactions culminating in a reverse takeover (including, but not limited to, a tender offer followed by a reverse takeover) in which the Company is the surviving entity but (A) the Company’s equity securities outstanding immediately prior to such takeover are converted or exchanged by virtue of the takeover into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or otherwise, or (B) in which securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities are transferred to a person or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such takeover or the initial transaction culminating in such takeover, but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction; or

(e)    acquisition in a single or series of related transactions by any person or related group of persons (other than the Company or by a Company-sponsored employee benefit plan) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) of securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities but excluding any such transaction or series of related transactions that the Committee determines shall not be a Corporate Transaction.

2.11     “Disability”, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, means that the Participant qualifies to receive long-term disability payments under the Service Recipient’s long-term disability insurance program, as it may be amended from time to time, to which the Participant provides services regardless of whether the Participant is covered by such policy. If the Service Recipient to which the Participant provides service does not have a long-term disability plan in place, “Disability” means that a Participant is unable to carry out the responsibilities and functions of the position held by the Participant by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment for a period of not less than ninety (90) consecutive days. A Participant will not be considered to have incurred a Disability unless he or she furnishes proof of such impairment sufficient to satisfy the Committee in its discretion.

2.12    “Effective Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11.1.

 

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2.13    “Employee” means any person, including an officer or a member of the Board of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, who is in the employment of a Service Recipient, subject to the control and direction of the Service Recipient as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method of performance. The payment of a director’s fee by a Service Recipient shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Service Recipient.

2.14    “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 of the United States, as amended.

2.15    “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of Shares determined as follows:

(a)    If the Shares are listed on one or more established stock exchanges or national market systems, including without limitation, The New York Stock Exchange and The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such shares (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on the principal exchange or system on which the Shares are listed (as determined by the Committee) on the date of determination (or, if no closing sales price or closing bid was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last trading date such closing sales price or closing bid was reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Committee deems reliable;

(b)    If the Shares are regularly quoted on an automated quotation system (including the OTC Bulletin Board) or by a recognized securities dealer, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such shares as quoted on such system or by such securities dealer on the date of determination, but if selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a Share shall be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Shares on the date of determination (or, if no such prices were reported on that date, on the last date such prices were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Committee deems reliable; or

(c)    In the absence of an established market for the Shares of the type described in (a) and (b), above, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Committee in good faith and in its discretion by reference to (i) the placing price of the latest private placement of the Shares and the development of the Company’s business operations and the general economic and market conditions since such latest private placement, (ii) other third party transactions involving the Shares and the development of the Company’s business operation and the general economic and market conditions since such sale, (iii) an independent valuation of the Shares, or (iv) such other methodologies or information as the Committee determines to be indicative of Fair Market Value and relevant.

2.16    “Incentive Share Option” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.

2.17    “Independent Director” means (i) before the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are listed on a stock exchange, a member of the Board who is a Non-Employee Director; and (ii) after the Shares or other securities representing the Shares are listed on a stock exchange, a member of the Board who meets the independence standards under the applicable corporate governance rules of the stock exchange.

2.18    “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who qualifies as a “Non-Employee Director” as defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) of the Exchange Act, or any successor definition adopted by the Board.

 

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2.19    “Non-Qualified Share Option” means an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Share Option.

2.20    “Option” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 5 of the Plan to purchase a specified number of Shares at a specified price during specified time periods. An Option may be either an Incentive Share Option or a Non-Qualified Share Option.

2.21    “Participant” means a person who, as a member of the Board, Consultant or Employee, or other individuals as the Committee may authorize and approve, has been granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.

2.22    “Parent” means a parent corporation under Section 424(e) of the Code.

2.23    “Plan” means this 2019 Share Incentive Plan of QUHUO LIMITED, as it may be amended from time to time.

2.24    “Related Entity” means any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company, a Parent or Subsidiary of the Company holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or indirectly, but which is not a Subsidiary and which the Board designates as a Related Entity for purposes of the Plan.

2.25    “Restricted Share” means a Share awarded to a Participant pursuant to Article 6 that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture.

2.26    “Restricted Share Unit” means the right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 7 to receive a Share at a future date.

2.27    “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933 of the United States, as amended.

2.28    “Service Recipient” means the Company, any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company and any Related Entity to which a Participant provides services as an Employee, a Consultant, or a Director.

2.29    “Share” means the ordinary shares of the Company, par value US$0.0001 per share, and such other securities of the Company that may be substituted for Shares pursuant to Article 9.

2.30    “Subsidiary” means any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the outstanding voting shares or voting power is beneficially owned or controlled directly or indirectly by the Company.

2.31    “Trading Date” means the closing of the first sale to the general public of the Shares pursuant to a registration statement filed with and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act.

 

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ARTICLE 3

SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

3.1    Number of Shares.

(a)    Subject to the provisions of Article 9 and Section 3.1(b), the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including Incentive Share Options) under the Plan (the “Award Pool”) shall be 9,502,550, representing 19.55% of the total outstanding Shares of the Company on an as-converted basis as of the date hereof.

(b)    To the extent that an Award terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any Shares subject to the Award shall again be available for the grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. To the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, Shares issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity acquired in any form or combination by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company shall not be counted against Shares available for grant pursuant to the Plan. Shares delivered by the Participant or withheld by the Company upon the exercise of any Award under the Plan, in payment of the exercise price thereof or tax withholding thereon, may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). If any Restricted Shares are forfeited by the Participant or repurchased by the Company, such Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded hereunder, subject to the limitations of Section 3.1(a). Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no Shares may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Share Option to fail to qualify as an Incentive Share Option under Section 422 of the Code.

3.2     Shares Distributed. Any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of the issuance of authorized and unissued Shares, or the transfer of treasury shares (subject to Applicable Laws) or Shares purchased by the Company on the open market. Additionally, in the discretion of the Committee, American Depository Shares in an amount equal to the number of Shares which otherwise would be distributed pursuant to an Award may be distributed in lieu of Shares in settlement of any Award. If the number of Shares represented by an American Depository Share is other than on a one-to-one basis, the limitations of Section 3.1 shall be adjusted to reflect the distribution of American Depository Shares in lieu of Shares.

ARTICLE 4

ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION

4.1     Eligibility. Those eligible to participate in this Plan include Employees, Consultants, and all members of the Board, and other individuals, as determined, authorized and approved by the Committee.

4.2     Participation. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from among all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award. No individual shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.

4.3     Jurisdictions. In order to assure the viability of Awards granted to Participants in various jurisdictions, the Committee may provide for such special terms as it may consider necessary or appropriate to accommodate differences in local law, tax policy, or custom applicable in the jurisdiction in which the Participant resides, is employed, operates or is incorporated. Moreover, the Committee may approve such supplements to, or amendments, restatements, or alternative versions of, the Plan as it may consider necessary or appropriate for such purposes without thereby affecting the terms of the Plan as in effect for any other purpose; provided, however, that no such supplements, amendments, restatements, or alternative versions shall increase the share limitations contained in Section 3.1 of the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate any Applicable Laws.

 

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ARTICLE 5

OPTIONS

5.1     General. The Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following terms and conditions:

(a)    Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share subject to an Option shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement which may be a fixed or variable price related to the Fair Market Value of the Shares. The exercise price per Share subject to an Option may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the Committee, the determination of which shall be final, binding and conclusive. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent not prohibited by Applicable Laws or any exchange rule, a downward adjustment of the exercise prices of Options mentioned in the preceding sentence shall be effective without the approval of the Company’s shareholders or the approval of the affected Participants. No adjustment shall be made to the exercise price of Options if it will result in the exercise price falling below the then par value of the Shares.

(b)    Time and Conditions of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part, including exercise prior to vesting; provided that the term of any Option granted under the Plan shall not exceed ten years, except as provided in Section 12.1. The Committee shall also determine any conditions, if any, that must be satisfied before all or part of an Option may be exercised.

(c)    Payment. The Committee shall determine the methods by which the exercise price of an Option may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation (i) cash or check denominated in U.S. Dollars, (ii) to the extent permissible under the Applicable Laws, cash or check in Chinese Renminbi, (iii) cash or check denominated in any other local currency as approved by the Committee, (iv) Shares held for such period of time as may be required by the Committee in order to avoid adverse financial accounting consequences and having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Option or exercised portion thereof, (v) after the Trading Date the delivery of a notice that the Participant has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to Shares then issuable upon exercise of the Option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the Option exercise price; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale, (vi) other property acceptable to the Committee with a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price, or (vii) any combination of the foregoing. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant who is a member of the Board or an “executive officer” of the Company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act shall be permitted to pay the exercise price of an Option in any method which would violate Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

(d)    Evidence of Grant. All Options shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement between the Company and the Participant. The Award Agreement shall include such additional provisions as may be specified by the Committee.

 

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(e)    Effects of Termination of Employment or Service on Options. Termination of employment or service shall have the following effects on Options granted to the Participants:

(i)    Dismissal for Cause. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participant’s employment by or service to the Service Recipient is terminated by the Service Recipient for Cause, the Participant’s Options will terminate upon such termination, whether or not the Option is then vested and/or exercisable;

(ii)    Retirement, Death or Disability. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participant’s employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates as a result of the Participant’s retirement, death or Disability:

 

  (a)

the Participant (or his or her legal representative or beneficiary, in the case of the Participant’s Disability or death or retirement, respectively), will have until the date that is six months after the Participant’s termination of Employment to exercise the Participant’s Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s termination of Employment on account of death or Disability or retirement;

 

  (b)

the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participant’s termination of Employment or service on account of death or Disability or retirement; and

 

  (c)

the Options, to the extent exercisable for the six-month period following the Participant’s termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the six-month period.

(iii)    Other Terminations of Employment or Service. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, if a Participant’s employment by or service to the Service Recipient terminates for any reason other than a termination by the Service Recipient for Cause or because of the Participant’s death or Disability, such as, termination due to expiration of employment, resignation without Cause, or reallocation of the Participants’ duties by the Company:

 

  (a)

the Participant will have until the date that is 90 days after the Participant’s termination of Employment or service to exercise his or her Options (or portion thereof) to the extent that such Options were vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s termination of Employment or service;

 

  (b)

the Options, to the extent not vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s termination of Employment or service, shall terminate upon the Participant’s termination of Employment or service; and

 

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  (c)

the Options, to the extent exercisable for the 90-day period following the Participant’s termination of Employment or service and not exercised during such period, shall terminate at the close of business on the last day of the 90-day period.

5.2     Incentive Share Options. Incentive Share Options may be granted to Employees of the Company, a Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Incentive Share Options may not be granted to Employees of a Related Entity or to Independent Directors or Consultants. The terms of any Incentive Share Options granted pursuant to the Plan, in addition to the requirements of Section 5.1, must comply with the following additional provisions of this Section 5.2:

(a)    Individual Dollar Limitation. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the Option is granted) of all Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000 or such other limitation as imposed by Section 422(d) of the Code, or any successor provision. To the extent that Incentive Share Options are first exercisable by a Participant in excess of such limitation, the excess shall be considered Non-Qualified Share Options.

(b)    Exercise Price. The exercise price of an Incentive Share Option shall be equal to the Fair Market Value on the date of grant. However, the exercise price of any Incentive Share Option granted to any individual who, at the date of grant, owns Shares possessing more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company may not be less than 110% of Fair Market Value on the date of grant and such Option may not be exercisable for more than five years from the date of grant.

(c)    Transfer Restriction. The Participant shall give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of Shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Share Option within (i) two years from the date of grant of such Incentive Share Option or (ii) one year after the transfer of such Shares to the Participant.

(d)    Expiration of Incentive Share Options. No Award of an Incentive Share Option may be made pursuant to this Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.

(e)    Right to Exercise. During a Participant’s lifetime, an Incentive Share Option may be exercised only by the Participant.

ARTICLE 6

RESTRICTED SHARES

6.1     Grant of Restricted Shares. The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Shares to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Shares to be granted to each Participant.

6.2     Restricted Shares Award Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the period of restriction, the number of Restricted Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, Restricted Shares shall be held by the Company as escrow agent until the restrictions on such Restricted Shares have lapsed.

 

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6.3     Issuance and Restrictions. Restricted Shares shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote Restricted Shares or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Share). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, pursuant to such circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.

6.4     Forfeiture/Repurchase. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Shares that are at that time subject to restrictions shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however, the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Shares.

6.5     Certificates for Restricted Shares. Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Shares are registered in the name of the Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Shares, and the Company may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.

6.6     Removal of Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in this Article 6, Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the period of restriction. The Committee, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions shall lapse or be removed. After the restrictions have lapsed, the Participant shall be entitled to have any legend or legends under Section 6.5 removed from his or her Share certificate, and the Shares shall be freely transferable by the Participant, subject to applicable legal restrictions. The Committee (in its discretion) may establish procedures regarding the release of Shares from escrow and the removal of legends, as necessary or appropriate to minimize administrative burdens on the Company.

ARTICLE 7

RESTRICTED SHARE UNITS

7.1     Grant of Restricted Share Units. The Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Share Units to Participants as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine. The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the number of Restricted Share Units to be granted to each Participant.

7.2     Restricted Share Units Award Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Share Units shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify any vesting conditions, the number of Restricted Share Units granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine.

 

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7.3     Performance Objectives and Other Terms. The Committee, in its discretion, may set performance objectives or other vesting criteria which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of Restricted Share Units that will be paid out to the Participants.

7.4     Form and Timing of Payment of Restricted Share Units. At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted Share Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable. Upon vesting, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay Restricted Share Units in the form of cash, in Shares or in a combination thereof.

7.5     Forfeiture/Repurchase. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Share Units that are at that time unvested or non-exercised shall be forfeited or repurchased in accordance with the Award Agreement; provided, however, the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Share Unit Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture and repurchase conditions relating to Restricted Share Units.

ARTICLE 8

PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS

8.1     Award Agreement. Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include the term of an Award, the provisions applicable in the event the Participant’s employment or service terminates, and the Company’s authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an Award.

8.2     No Transferability; Limited Exception to Transfer Restrictions.

8.2.1    Limits on Transfer. Unless otherwise expressly provided in (or pursuant to) this Section 8.2, by applicable law and by the Award Agreement, as the same may be amended:

 

  (a)

all Awards are non-transferable and will not be subject in any manner to sale, transfer, anticipation, alienation, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or charge;

 

  (b)

Awards will be exercised only by the Participant; and

 

  (c)

amounts payable or shares issuable pursuant to an Award will be delivered only to (or for the account of), and, in the case of Shares, registered in the name of, the Participant.

In addition, the shares shall be subject to the restrictions set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

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8.2.2    Further Exceptions to Limits on Transfer. The exercise and transfer restrictions in Section 8.2.1 will not apply to:

 

  (a)

transfers to the Company or a Subsidiary;

 

  (b)

transfers by gift to “immediate family” as that term is defined in SEC Rule 16a-1(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act;

 

  (c)

the designation of a beneficiary to receive benefits if the Participant dies or, if the Participant has died, transfers to or exercises by the Participant’s beneficiary, or, in the absence of a validly designated beneficiary, transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution; or

 

  (d)

if the Participant has suffered a disability, permitted transfers or exercises on behalf of the Participant by the Participant’s duly authorized legal representative; or

 

  (e)

subject to the prior approval of the Committee or an executive officer or director of the Company authorized by the Committee, transfer to one or more natural persons who are the Participant’s family members or entities owned and controlled by the Participant and/or the Participant’s family members, including but not limited to trusts or other entities whose beneficiaries or beneficial owners are the Participant and/or the Participant’s family members, or to such other persons or entities as may be expressly approved by the Committee, pursuant to such conditions and procedures as the Committee or may establish. Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the condition that the Committee receives evidence satisfactory to it that the transfer is being made for estate and/or tax planning purposes and on a basis consistent with the Company’s lawful issue of securities.

Notwithstanding anything else in this Section 8.2.2 to the contrary, but subject to compliance with all applicable laws, Incentive Share Options, Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units will be subject to any and all transfer restrictions under the Code applicable to such Awards or necessary to maintain the intended tax consequences of such Awards. Notwithstanding clause (b) above but subject to compliance with all applicable laws, any contemplated transfer by gift to “immediate family” as referenced in clause (b) above is subject to the condition precedent that the transfer be approved by the Administrator in order for it to be effective.

8.3     Beneficiaries. Notwithstanding Section 8.2, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the Committee, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participant’s death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. If the Participant is married and resides in a community property state, a designation of a person other than the Participant’s spouse as his or her beneficiary with respect to more than 50% of the Participant’s interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written consent of the Participant’s spouse. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Participant’s will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time provided the change or revocation is filed with the Committee.

 

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8.4     Share Certificates. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates evidencing the Shares pursuant to the exercise of any Award, unless and until the Committee has determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance and delivery of such certificates is in compliance with all Applicable Laws, regulations of governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any exchange on which the Shares are listed or traded. All Share certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan are subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to comply all Applicable Laws, and the rules of any national securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted, or traded. The Committee may place legends on any Share certificate to reference restrictions applicable to the Shares. In addition to the terms and conditions provided herein, the Committee may require that a Participant make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Committee, in its discretion, deems advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or requirements. The Committee shall have the right to require any Participant to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement or exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the discretion of the Committee.

8.5     Paperless Administration. Subject to Applicable Laws, the Committee may make Awards, provide applicable disclosure and procedures for exercise of Awards by an internet website or interactive voice response system for the paperless administration of Awards.

8.6     Foreign Currency. A Participant may be required to provide evidence that any currency used to pay the exercise price of any Award were acquired and taken out of the jurisdiction in which the Participant resides in accordance with Applicable Laws, including foreign exchange control laws and regulations. In the event the exercise price for an Award is paid in Chinese Renminbi or other foreign currency, as permitted by the Committee, the amount payable will be determined by conversion from U.S. dollars at the official rate promulgated by the People’s Bank of China for Chinese Renminbi, or for jurisdictions other than the Peoples Republic of China, the exchange rate as selected by the Committee on the date of exercise.

ARTICLE 9

CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE

9.1     Adjustments. In the event of any dividend, share subdivision, combination or exchange of Shares, amalgamation, arrangement or consolidation, spin-off, recapitalization or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to its shareholders, or any other change affecting the shares of Shares or the share price of a Share, the Committee shall make such proportionate adjustments, if any, as the Committee in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such change with respect to (a) the aggregate number and type of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Section 3.1); (b) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (c) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan.

 

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9.2     Corporate Transactions. Except as may otherwise be provided in any Award Agreement or any other written agreement entered into by and between the Company and a Participant, if the Committee anticipates the occurrence, or upon the occurrence, of a Corporate Transaction, the Committee may, in its sole discretion (without the need to seek approval from the Shareholders of the Company or the Participants, to the extent permitted by all Applicable Laws), provide for (i) any and all Awards outstanding hereunder to terminate at a specific time in the future and shall give each Participant the right to exercise the vested portion of such Awards during a period of time as the Committee shall determine, or (ii) the purchase of any Award for an amount of cash equal to the amount that could have been attained upon the exercise of such Award (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of such date the Committee determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (iii) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee in its sole discretion or the assumption of or substitution of such Award by the successor or surviving corporation, or a Parent or Subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of Shares and prices, or (iv) payment of Award in cash based on the value of Shares on the date of the Corporate Transaction plus reasonable interest on the Award through the date when such Award would otherwise be vested or have been paid in accordance with its original terms, if necessary to comply with Section 409A of the Code.

9.3     Outstanding Awards – Other Changes. In the event of any other change in the capitalization of the Company or corporate change other than those specifically referred to in this Article 9, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to Awards outstanding on the date on which such change occurs and in the per share grant or exercise price of each Award as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights.

9.4     No Other Rights. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no Participant shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of Shares of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger, or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or pursuant to action of the Committee under the Plan, no issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of shares subject to an Award or the grant or exercise price of any Award.

ARTICLE 10

ADMINISTRATION

10.1     Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Board or a committee of one or more members of the Board to whom the Board shall delegate the authority to grant or amend Awards to Participants other than any of the Committee members. Any grant or amendment of Awards to any Committee member shall then require an affirmative vote of a majority of the Board members who are not on the Committee.

10.2     Action by the Committee. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The acts of a majority of the members of the Committee present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved in writing by a majority of the Committee in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Committee. Each member of the Committee is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, the Company’s independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.

 

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10.3     Authority of the Committee. Subject to any specific designation in the Plan, the Committee has the exclusive power, authority and discretion (without the need to seek approval from the Shareholders of the Company or the Participants, to the extent permitted by all Applicable Laws) to:

(a)    designate Participants to receive Awards;

(b)    determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;

(c)    determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of Shares to which an Award will relate;

(d)    determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;

(e)    determine whether, to what extent, and pursuant to what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;

(f)    prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Participant;

(g)    decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;

(h)    establish, adopt, or revise any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;

(i)    interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan or any Award Agreement; and

(j)    make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan.

10.4     Decisions Binding. The Committee’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Committee with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on all parties.

 

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ARTICLE 11

EFFECTIVE AND EXPIRATION DATE

11.1    Effective Date. The Plan is effective as of the date it is adopted by the Board (the “Effective Date”).

11.2    Expiration Date. The Plan will expire on, and no Award may be granted pursuant to the Plan after, the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. Any Awards that are outstanding on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date shall remain in force according to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.

ARTICLE 12

AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION

12.1    Amendment, Modification, and Termination. With the prior approval of the Board (whether by way of general authorization or specific approval), at any time and from time to time, the Committee may terminate, amend or modify the Plan; provided, however, that (a) to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws, the Company shall obtain shareholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required, unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, and (b) unless the Company decides to follow home country practice, shareholder approval is required for any amendment to the Plan that (i) increases the number of Shares available under the Plan (other than any adjustment as provided by Article 9), or (ii) permits the Committee to extend the term of the Plan or the exercise period for an Option beyond ten years from the date of grant.

12.2    Awards Previously Granted. Except with respect to amendments made pursuant to Section 12.1, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted pursuant to the Plan without the prior written consent of the Participant.

ARTICLE 13

GENERAL PROVISIONS

13.1    No Rights to Awards. No Participant, employee, or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Committee is obligated to treat Participants, employees, and other persons uniformly.

13.2    No Shareholders Rights. No Award gives the Participant any of the rights of a Shareholder of the Company unless and until Shares are in fact issued to and registered in the name of such person in connection with such Award.

13.3    Taxes. No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Participant until such Participant has made arrangements acceptable to the Committee for the satisfaction of any income and employment tax withholding obligations under Applicable Laws. The Company or any Subsidiary shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy all applicable taxes (including the Participant’s payroll tax obligations) required or permitted by Applicable Laws to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Participant arising as a result of this Plan. The Committee may in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to elect to have the Company withhold Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the return of Shares) having a Fair Market Value equal to the sums required to be withheld. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the number of Shares which may be withheld with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of any Award (or which may be repurchased from the Participant of such Award after such Shares were acquired by the Participant from the Company) in order to satisfy any income and payroll tax liabilities applicable to the Participant with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of the Award shall, unless specifically approved by the Committee, be limited to the number of Shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or repurchase equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for the applicable income and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.

 

16


13.4    No Right to Employment or Services. Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Service Recipient to terminate any Participant’s employment or services at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employment or services of any Service Recipient.

13.5    Unfunded Status of Awards. The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Subsidiary.

13.6    Indemnification. To the extent allowable pursuant to Applicable Laws, each member of the Committee or of the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Company’s Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

13.7    Relationship to other Benefits. No payment pursuant to the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits pursuant to any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, welfare or other benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in writing in such other plan or an agreement thereunder.

13.8    Expenses. The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and its Subsidiaries.

13.9    Titles and Headings. The titles and headings of the Sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only and, in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

 

17


13.10    Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares shall be issued and the Committee shall determine, in its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or down as appropriate.

13.11    Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Plan, and any Award granted or awarded to any Participant who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including any amendment to Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule. To the extent permitted by the Applicable Laws, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such applicable exemptive rule.

13.12    Government and Other Regulations. The obligation of the Company to make payment of awards in Shares or otherwise shall be subject to all Applicable Laws, and to such approvals by government agencies as may be required. The Company shall be under no obligation to register any of the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan under the Securities Act or any other similar law in any applicable jurisdiction. If the Shares paid pursuant to the Plan may in certain circumstances be exempt from registration pursuant to the Securities Act or other Applicable Laws, the Company may restrict the transfer of such Shares in such manner as it deems advisable to ensure the availability of any such exemption.

13.13    Governing Law. The Plan and all Award Agreements shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the Cayman Islands.

13.14    Section 409A. To the extent that the Committee determines that any Award granted under the Plan is or may become subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and the Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and the U.S. Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretative guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulation or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that following the Effective Date the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance (including such Department of Treasury guidance as may be issued after the Effective Date), the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and related U.S. Department of Treasury guidance.

13.15    Appendices. Subject to Section 12.1, the Committee may approve such supplements, amendments or appendices to the Plan as it may consider necessary or appropriate for purposes of compliance with Applicable Laws or otherwise and such supplements, amendments or appendices shall be considered a part of the Plan.

 

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Exhibit 21.1

List of Subsidiaries and Affiliated Entities of Quhuo Limited

 

Subsidiaries

           Place of Incorporation        

Quhuo Investment Limited

   British Virgin Islands

Quhuo Technology Investment

   Hong Kong

Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

VIE

   Place of Incorporation

Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Subsidiaries of the VIE

   Place of Incorporation

Shanghai Quhuo Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Ningbo Xinying Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Nantong Runda Marketing Planning Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Shanghai Yijida Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Ningbo Desheng Wanchun Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Ningbo Quhuo Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Ningbo Dagong Network Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Jiangxi Youke Automobile Rental Service Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Shanghai Xianqiao Information Technology Co., Ltd.

   PRC

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption “Experts” and to the use of our report dated April 17, 2020 (except for Note 25, as to which the date is June 4, 2020), in the Registration Statement (Form F-1) and related Prospectus of Quhuo Limited dated June 4, 2020.

/s/ Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP

Shanghai, the People’s Republic of China

June 4, 2020

Exhibit 99.1

QUHUO LIMITED

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

 

 

(Adopted by the Board of Directors of Quhuo Limited (the “Company”), a Cayman Islands company, on June 4, 2020, effective upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statements on Form F-1 relating to the Company’s initial public offering)

 

INTRODUCTION

Purpose and Applicability

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (this “Code”) contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, consistent with the highest standards of business ethics, and is intended to qualify as a “code of ethics” within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, we adhere to these higher standards.

This Code is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:

 

   

honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships;

 

   

full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and in other public communications made by the Company;

 

   

compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations;

 

   

prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code; and

 

   

accountability for adherence to the Code.

This Code applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, whether they work for the Company on a full-time, part-time, consultative or temporary basis (each, an “employee” and collectively, the “employees” or “Company employees”). Certain provisions of the Code apply specifically to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, senior finance officer, controller, senior vice presidents, vice presidents and any other persons who perform similar functions for the Company (each, a “principal financial officer,” and collectively, the “principal financial officers”).

This Code has been adopted by the Board of the Company (the “Board”) and shall become effective (the “Effective Time”) upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 filed by the Company with the SEC relating to the Company’s initial public offering.


Seeking Help and Information

This Code is not intended to be a comprehensive rulebook and cannot address every situation that you may face. The Board has appointed the Company’s Chief Financial Officer as the Compliance Officer for the Company (the “Compliance Officer”). If you have any question or feel uncomfortable about a situation or have any doubts about whether it is consistent with the Company’s ethical standards, seek help. We encourage you to contact your supervisor for help first. If your supervisor cannot answer your question or if you do not feel comfortable contacting your supervisor, contact the Compliance Officer. You may remain anonymous and will not be required to reveal your identity in your communication to the Company.

Reporting Violations of the Code

All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of the laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. If you know of or suspect a violation of this Code, immediately report the conduct to your supervisor. Your supervisor will contact the Compliance Officer, who will work with you and your supervisor to investigate the matter. If you do not feel comfortable reporting the matter to your supervisor or you do not get a satisfactory response, you may contact the Compliance Officer directly. Employees making a report need not leave their name or other personal information and reasonable efforts will be used to conduct the investigation that follows from the report in a manner that protects the confidentiality and anonymity of the employee submitting the report. All reports of known or suspected violations of the law or this Code will be handled sensitively and with discretion. Your supervisor, the Compliance Officer and the Company will protect your confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with law and the Company’s need to investigate your report.

It is the Company policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to appropriate discipline, which may include termination of employment. This determination will be based upon the facts and circumstances of each particular situation. An employee accused of violating this Code will be given an opportunity to present his or her version of the events at issue prior to any determination of appropriate discipline. Employees who violate the law or this Code may expose themselves to substantial civil damages, criminal fines and prison terms. The Company may also face substantial fines and penalties and many incur damage to its reputation and standing in the community. Your conduct as a representative of the Company, if it does not comply with the law or with this Code, can result in serious consequences for both you and the Company.

Policy Against Retaliation

The Company prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, seeks help or reports known or suspected violations. Any reprisal or retaliation against an employee because the employee, in good faith, sought help or filed a report will be subject to disciplinary action, including potential termination of employment.

Waivers of the Code

Waivers of this Code for employees may be made only by an executive officer of the Company. Any waiver of this Code for our directors, executive officers or other principal financial officers may be made only by our Board of Directors or the appropriate committee of our Board of Directors and will be disclosed to the public as required by law or the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC.


CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Identifying Potential Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest can occur when an employee’s private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole. You should avoid any private interest that influences your ability to act in the interests of the Company or that makes it difficult to perform your work objectively and effectively.

Identifying potential conflicts of interest may not always be clear-cut. The following situations are examples of conflicts of interest:

 

   

Outside Employment. No employee should be employed by, serve as a director of, or provide any services not in his or her capacity as a Company employee to a company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company.

 

   

Improper Personal Benefits. No employee should obtain any material (as to him or her) personal benefits or favors because of his or her position with the Company. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.

 

   

Financial Interests. No employee should have a significant financial interest (ownership or otherwise) in any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. A “significant financial interest” means (i) ownership of greater than 1% of the equity of a material customer, supplier or competitor or (ii) an investment in a material customer, supplier or competitor that represents more than 5% of the total assets of the employee.

 

   

Loans or Other Financial Transactions. No employee should obtain loans or guarantees of personal obligations from, or enter into any other personal financial transaction with, any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. This guideline does not prohibit arms-length transactions with banks, brokerage firms or other financial institutions.

 

   

Service on Boards and Committees. No employee should serve on a board of directors or trustees or on a committee of any entity (whether profit or not-for-profit) whose interests reasonably would be expected to conflict with those of the Company.

 

   

Actions of Family Members. The actions of family members outside the workplace may also give rise to the conflicts of interest described above because they may influence an employee’s objectivity in making decisions on behalf of the Company. For purposes of this Code, “family members” include your spouse or life-partner, brothers, sisters and parents, in-laws and children whether such relationships are by blood or adoption.

For purposes of this Code, a company is a “material” customer if that company has made payments to the Company in the past year in excess of US$100,000 or 10% of the customer’s gross revenues, whichever is greater. A company is a “material” financial institution if the company has funded more than 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the financing transactions facilitated by the Company in the past year. A company is a “material” supplier if that company has received payments from the Company in the past year in excess of US$100,000 or 10% of the service provider or supplier’s gross revenues, whichever is greater. A company is a “material” competitor if that company competes in the Company’s line of business and has annual gross revenues from such line of business in excess of US$500,000. If you are uncertain whether a particular company is a material customer, financial institution, service provider, supplier or competitor, please contact the Compliance Officer for assistance.


Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

The Company requires that employees disclose any situations that reasonably would be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If you suspect that you have a conflict of interest, or something that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, you must report it to your supervisor or the Compliance Officer. Your supervisor and the Compliance Officer will work with you to determine whether you have a conflict of interest and, if so, how best to address it. Although conflicts of interest are not automatically prohibited, they are not desirable and may only be waived as described in “Waivers of the Code” above.

CORPORATE OPPORTUNITIES

As an employee of the Company, you have an obligation to advance the Company’s interests when the opportunity to do so arises. If you discover or are presented with a business opportunity through the use of corporate property, information or because of your position with the Company, you should first present the business opportunity to the Company before pursuing the opportunity in your individual capacity. No employee may use corporate property, information or his or her position with the Company for personal gain or should compete with the Company.

You should disclose to your supervisor the terms and conditions of each business opportunity covered by this Code that you wish to pursue. Your supervisor will contact the Compliance Officer and the appropriate management personnel to determine whether the Company wishes to pursue the business opportunity. If the Company waives its right to pursue the business opportunity, you may pursue the business opportunity on the same terms and conditions as originally proposed and consistent with the other ethical guidelines set forth in this Code.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Confidential Information and Company Property

Employees have access to a variety of confidential information while employed at the Company. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or, if disclosed, harmful to the Company or its customers. Every employee has a duty to respect and safeguard the confidentiality of the Company’s information and the information of our suppliers and customers, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. In addition, you must refrain from using any confidential information from any previous employment if, in doing so, you could reasonably be expected to breach your duty of confidentiality to your former employers. An employee’s obligation to protect confidential information continues after he or she leaves the Company. Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information could cause competitive harm to the Company or its customers and could result in legal liability to you and the Company.

Employees also have a duty to protect the Company’s intellectual property and other business assets. The intellectual property, business systems and the security of the Company property are critical to the Company.

Any questions or concerns regarding whether disclosure of Company information is legally mandated should be promptly referred to the Compliance Officer.


Safeguarding Confidential Information and Company Property

Care must be taken to safeguard and protect confidential information and Company property. Accordingly, the following measures should be adhered to:

 

   

The Company’s employees should conduct their business and social activities so as not to risk inadvertent disclosure of confidential information. For example, when not in use, confidential information should be secretly stored. Also, review of confidential documents or discussion of confidential subjects in public places (e.g., airplanes, trains, taxis, buses, etc.) should be conducted so as to prevent overhearing or other access by unauthorized persons.

 

   

Within the Company’s offices, confidential matters should not be discussed within hearing range of visitors or others not working on such matters.

 

   

Confidential matters should not be discussed with other employees not working on such matters or with friends or relatives including those living in the same household as a Company employee.

 

   

The Company’s employees are only to access, use and disclose confidential information that is necessary for them to have in the course of performing their duties. They are not to disclose confidential information to other employees or contractors at the Company unless it is necessary for those employees or contractors to have such confidential information in the course of their duties.

 

   

The Company’s files, personal computers, networks, software, internet access, internet browser programs, emails, voice mails and other business equipment (e.g. desks and cabinets) and resources are provided for business use and they are the exclusive property of the Company. Misuse of such Company property is not tolerated.

COMPETITION AND FAIR DEALING

All employees are obligated to deal fairly with fellow employees and with the Company’s customers, suppliers and competitors. Employees should not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair-dealing practice.

Relationships with Customers

Our business success depends upon our ability to foster lasting customer relationships. The Company is committed to dealing with customers fairly, honestly and with integrity. Specifically, you should keep the following guidelines in mind when dealing with customers:

 

   

Information we supply to customers should be accurate and complete to the best of our knowledge. Employees should not deliberately misrepresent information to customers.

 

   

Employees should not refuse to sell, service, or maintain products or services the Company has produced or provided simply because a customer is buying products or services from another supplier.

 

   

Customer entertainment should not exceed reasonable and customary business practice. Employees should not provide entertainment or other benefits that could be viewed as an inducement to or a reward for customer purchase decisions. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.


Relationships with Financial Institutions

The Company is committed to dealing with financial institutions fairly, honestly and with integrity. Employees should not deliberately misrepresent information to financial institutions.

Relationships with Service Providers and Suppliers

The Company deals fairly and honestly with its service providers and suppliers. This means that our relationships with service providers and suppliers are based on price, quality, service and reputation, among other factors. Employees dealing with service providers and suppliers should carefully guard their objectivity. Specifically, no employee should accept or solicit any personal benefit from a service provider or supplier or potential supplier that might compromise, or appear to compromise, their objective assessment of the service provider’s services and prices or supplier’s products and prices. Employees can give or accept promotional items of nominal value or moderately scaled entertainment within the limits of responsible and customary business practice. Please see “Gifts and Entertainment” below for additional guidelines in this area.

Relationships with Competitors

The Company is committed to free and open competition in the marketplace. Employees should avoid actions that would be contrary to laws governing competitive practices in the marketplace, including antitrust laws. Such actions include misappropriation and/or misuse of a competitor’s confidential information or making false statements about the competitor’s business and business practices.

PROTECTION AND USE OF COMPANY ASSETS

Employees should protect the Company’s assets and ensure their efficient use for legitimate business purposes only. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company’s profitability. The use of Company funds or assets, whether or not for personal gain, for any unlawful or improper purpose is prohibited.

To ensure the protection and proper use of the Company’s assets, each employee should:

 

   

Exercise reasonable care to prevent theft, damage or misuse of Company property.

 

   

Report the actual or suspected theft, damage or misuse of Company property to a supervisor.

 

   

Use the Company’s telephone system, other electronic communication services, written materials and other property primarily for business-related purposes.

 

   

Safeguard all electronic programs, data, communications and written materials from inadvertent access by others.

 

   

Use Company property only for legitimate business purposes, as authorized in connection with your job responsibilities.

Employees should be aware that Company property includes all data and communications transmitted or received to or by, or contained in, the Company’s electronic or telephonic systems. Company property also includes all written communications. Employees and other users of Company property should have no expectation of privacy with respect to these communications and data. To the extent permitted by law, the Company has the ability, and reserves the right, to monitor all electronic and telephonic communication. These communications may also be subject to disclosure to law enforcement or government officials.


GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The giving and receiving of gifts is a common business practice. Appropriate business gifts and entertainment are welcome courtesies designed to build relationships and understanding among business partners. However, gifts and entertainment should not compromise, or appear to compromise, your ability to make objective and fair business decisions.

It is your responsibility to use good judgment in this area. As a general rule, you may give or receive gifts or entertainment to or from customers or suppliers only if the gift or entertainment would not be viewed as an inducement to or reward for any particular business decision. All gifts and entertainment expenses should be properly accounted for on expense reports. The following specific examples may be helpful:

 

   

Meals and Entertainment. You may occasionally accept or give meals, refreshments or other entertainment if:

 

   

The items are of reasonable value;

 

   

The purpose of the meeting or attendance at the event is business related; and

 

   

The expenses would be paid by the Company as a reasonable business expense if not paid for by another party.

Entertainment of reasonable value may include food and tickets for sporting and cultural events if they are generally offered to other customers, suppliers or vendors.

 

   

Advertising and Promotional Materials. You may occasionally accept or give advertising or promotional materials of nominal value.

 

   

Personal Gifts. You may accept or give personal gifts of reasonable value that are related to recognized special occasions such as a graduation, promotion, new job, wedding, retirement or a holiday. A gift is also acceptable if it is based on a family or personal relationship and unrelated to the business involved between the individuals.

 

   

Gifts Rewarding Service or Accomplishment. You may accept a gift from a civic, charitable or religious organization specifically related to your service or accomplishment.

You must be particularly careful that gifts and entertainment are not construed as bribes, kickbacks or other improper payments. See “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” below for a more detailed discussion of our policies regarding giving or receiving gifts related to business transactions.

You should make every effort to refuse or return a gift that is beyond these permissible guidelines. If it would be inappropriate to refuse a gift or you are unable to return a gift, you should promptly report the gift to your supervisor. Your supervisor will bring the gift to the attention of the Compliance Officer, who may require you to donate the gift to an appropriate community organization. If you have any questions about whether it is permissible to accept a gift or something else of value, contact your supervisor or the Compliance Officer for additional guidance.


COMPANY RECORDS

Accurate and reliable records are crucial to our business. Our records are the basis of our earnings statements, financial reports and other disclosures to the public and guide our business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include booking information, payroll, timecards, travel and expense reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, measurement and performance records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of our business.

All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all material respects. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are inconsistent with our business practices and are prohibited. You are responsible for understanding and complying with our record keeping policy. Ask your supervisor if you have any questions.

ACCURACY OF FINANCIAL REPORTS AND OTHER PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

As a public company, we are subject to various securities laws, regulations and reporting obligations. These laws, regulations and obligations and our policies require the disclosure of accurate and complete information regarding the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.

It is essential that the Company’s financial records, including all filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) be accurate and timely. Accordingly, in addition to adhering to the conflict of interest policy and other policies and guidelines in this Code, the principal financial officers and other senior financial officers must take special care to exhibit integrity at all times and to instill this value within their organizations. In particular, these senior officers must ensure their conduct is honest and ethical that they abide by all public disclosure requirements by providing full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosures, and that they comply with all other applicable laws and regulations. These financial officers must also understand and strictly comply with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. and all standards, laws and regulations for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts.

In addition, U.S. federal securities law requires the Company to maintain proper internal books and records and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. The SEC has supplemented the statutory requirements by adopting rules that prohibit (1) any person from falsifying records or accounts subject to the above requirements and (2) officers or directors from making any materially false, misleading, or incomplete statement to an accountant in connection with an audit or any filing with the SEC. These provisions reflect the SEC’s intent to discourage officers, directors, and other persons with access to the Company’s books and records from taking action that might result in the communication of materially misleading financial information to the investing public.

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS

Each employee has an obligation to comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Company’s operations. These include, without limitation, laws covering bribery and kickbacks, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, information privacy, insider trading, illegal political contributions, antitrust prohibitions, foreign corrupt practices, offering or receiving gratuities, environmental hazards, employment discrimination or harassment, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information or misuse of corporate assets. You are expected to understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to your job position. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, you should seek advice from your supervisor or the Compliance Officer.


COMPLIANCE WITH INSIDER TRADING LAWS

The Company has an insider trading policy, which may be obtained from the Compliance Officer. The following is a summary of some of the general principles relevant to insider trading, and should be read in conjunction with the aforementioned specific policy.

Company employees are prohibited from trading in shares or other securities of the Company while in possession of material, nonpublic information about the Company. In addition, Company employees are prohibited from recommending, “tipping” or suggesting that anyone else buy or sell shares or other securities of the Company on the basis of material, nonpublic information. Company employees who obtain material nonpublic information about another company in the course of their employment are prohibited from trading in shares or securities of the other company while in possession of such information or “tipping” others to trade on the basis of such information. Violation of insider trading laws can result in severe fines and criminal penalties, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment.

Information is “non-public” if it has not been made generally available to the public by means of a press release or other means of widespread distribution. Information is “material” if a reasonable investor would consider it important in a decision to buy, hold or sell stock or other securities. As a rule of thumb, any information that would affect the value of stock or other securities should be considered material. Examples of information that is generally considered “material” include:

 

   

financial results or forecasts, or any information that indicates the Company’s financial results may exceed or fall short of forecasts or expectations;

 

   

important new products or services;

 

   

pending or contemplated acquisitions or dispositions, including mergers, tender offers or joint venture proposals;

 

   

possible management changes or changes of control;

 

   

pending or contemplated public or private sales of debt or equity securities;

 

   

acquisition or loss of a significant customer or contract;

 

   

significant write-offs;

 

   

initiation or settlement of significant litigation; and

 

   

changes in the Company’s auditors or a notification from its auditors that the Company may no longer rely on the auditor’s report.

The laws against insider trading are specific and complex. Any questions about information you may possess or about any dealings you have had in the Company’s securities should be promptly brought to the attention of the Compliance Officer.


PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS AND PREVENTION OF SELECTIVE DISCLOSURE

Public Communications Generally

The Company places a high value on its credibility and reputation in the community. What is written or said about the Company in the news media and investment community directly impacts our reputation, positively or negatively. Our policy is to provide timely, accurate and complete information in response to public requests (media, analysts, etc.), consistent with our obligations to maintain the confidentiality of competitive and proprietary information and to prevent selective disclosure of market-sensitive financial data. To ensure compliance with this policy, all news media or other public requests for information regarding the Company should be directed to the Company’s Investor Relations Department. The Investor Relations Department will work with you and the appropriate personnel to evaluate and coordinate a response to the request.

Prevention of Selective Disclosure

Preventing selective disclosure is necessary to comply with United States securities laws and to preserve the reputation and integrity of the Company as well as that of all persons affiliated with it. “Selective disclosure” occurs when any person provides potentially market-moving information to selected persons before the news is available to the investing public generally. Selective disclosure is a crime under United States law and the penalties for violating the law are severe.

The following guidelines have been established to avoid improper selective disclosure. Every employee is required to follow these procedures:

 

   

All contact by the Company with investment analysts, the press and/or members of the media shall be made through the chief executive officer, chief financial officer or persons designated by them (collectively, the “Media Contacts”).

 

   

Other than the Media Contacts, no officer, director or employee shall provide any information regarding the Company or its business to any investment analyst or member of the press or media.

 

   

All inquiries from third parties, such as industry analysts or members of the media, about the Company or its business should be directed to a Media Contact. All presentations to the investment community regarding the Company will be made by us under the direction of a Media Contact.

 

   

Other than the Media Contacts, any employee who is asked a question regarding the Company or its business by a member of the press or media shall respond with “No comment” and forward the inquiry to a Media Contact.

These procedures do not apply to the routine process of making previously released information regarding the Company available upon inquiries made by investors, investment analysts and members of the media.

Please contact the Compliance Officer if you have any questions about the scope or application of the Company’s policies regarding selective disclosure.

THE FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) prohibits the Company and its employees and agents from offering or giving money or any other item of value to win or retain business or to influence any act or decision of any governmental official, political party, candidate for political office or official of a public international organization. Stated more concisely, the FCPA prohibits the payment of bribes, kickbacks or other inducements to foreign officials. This prohibition also extends to payments to a sales representative or agent if there is reason to believe that the payment will be used indirectly for a prohibited payment to foreign officials. Violation of the FCPA is a crime that can result in severe fines and criminal penalties, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment.


Certain small facilitation payments to foreign officials may be permissible under the FCPA if customary in the country or locality and intended to secure routine governmental action. Governmental action is “routine” if it is ordinarily and commonly performed by a foreign official and does not involve the exercise of discretion. For instance, “routine” functions would include setting up a telephone line or expediting a shipment through customs. To ensure legal compliance, all facilitation payments must receive prior written approval from the Compliance Officer and must be clearly and accurately reported as a business expense.

ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Company is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its employees and to avoiding adverse impact and injury to the environment and the communities in which we do business. Company employees must comply with all applicable environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and Company standards. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the laws, regulations and policies that are relevant to your job. Failure to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations can result in civil and criminal liability against you and the Company, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment. You should contact the Compliance Officer if you have any questions about the laws, regulations and policies that apply to you.

Environment

All Company employees should strive to conserve resources and reduce waste and emissions through recycling and other energy conservation measures. You have a responsibility to promptly report any known or suspected violations of environmental laws or any events that may result in a discharge or emission of hazardous materials.

Health and Safety

The Company is committed not only to complying with all relevant health and safety laws, but also to conducting business in a manner that protects the safety of its employees. All employees are required to comply with all applicable health and safety laws, regulations and policies relevant to their jobs. If you have a concern about unsafe conditions or tasks that present a risk of injury to you, please report these concerns immediately to your supervisor or the human resources department.

EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

The Company pursues fair employment practices in every aspect of its business. The following is intended to be a summary of our employment policies and procedures. Copies of our detailed policies are available from the human resources department. Company employees must comply with all applicable labor and employment laws, including anti-discrimination laws and laws related to freedom of association, privacy and collective bargaining. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with the laws, regulations and policies that are relevant to your job. Failure to comply with labor and employment laws can result in civil and criminal liability against you and the Company, as well as disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including termination of employment. You should contact the Compliance Officer or the human resources department if you have any questions about the laws, regulations and policies that apply to you.


Harassment and Discrimination

The Company is committed to providing equal opportunity and fair treatment to all individuals on the basis of merit, without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status or other characteristic protected by law. The Company prohibits harassment in any form, whether physical or verbal and whether committed by supervisors, non-supervisory personnel or non-employees. Harassment may include, but is not limited to, offensive sexual flirtations, unwanted sexual advances or propositions, verbal abuse, sexually or racially degrading words, or the display in the workplace of sexually suggestive objects or pictures.

If you have any complaints about discrimination or harassment, report such conduct to your supervisor or the human resources department. All complaints will be treated with sensitivity and discretion. Your supervisor, the human resources department and the Company will protect your confidentiality to the extent possible, consistent with law and the Company’s need to investigate your concern. Where our investigation uncovers harassment or discrimination, we will take prompt corrective action, which may include disciplinary action by the Company, up to and including, termination of employment. The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, files a compliant.

Any member of management who has reason to believe that an employee has been the victim of harassment or discrimination or who receives a report of alleged harassment or discrimination is required to report it to the human resources department immediately.

CONCLUSION

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact your supervisor or the Compliance Officer. We expect all Company employees to adhere to these standards.

This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, as applied to the Company’s principal financial officers, shall be the Company’s “code of ethics” within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder.

This Code and the matters contained herein are neither a contract of employment nor a guarantee of continuing Company policy. We reserve the right to amend, supplement or discontinue this Code and the matters addressed herein, without prior notice, at any time.

Exhibit 99.2

 

LOGO

中国北京市建国门外大街甲  12 号新华保险大厦 6  100022

6/F, NCI Tower, A12 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Beijing 100022, China

电话 Tel: +86 10 6569 3399 传真 Fax: +86 10 6569 3838

电邮 Email: beijing@tongshang.com 网址 Web: www.tongshang.com

LEGAL OPINION

 

To:

Quhuo Limited

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street, Chaoyang District

Beijing, 100023

People’s Republic of China

June 4, 2020

Dear Sirs:

We are lawyers qualified in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and are qualified to issue opinions on the PRC Laws (as defined below). For the purpose of this legal opinion (this “Opinion”), the PRC does not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan.

We act as the PRC counsel to Quhuo Limited (the “Company”), a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, in connection with (a) the proposed initial public offering (the “Offering”) by the Company of American depositary shares (the “ADSs”), representing Class A ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 per share of the Company, in accordance with the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and (b) the Company’s proposed listing of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

In so acting, we have examined the Registration Statement, the originals or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of documents provided to us by the Company and such other documents, corporate records, certificates, approvals and other instruments as we have deemed necessary for the purpose of rendering this Opinion, including, without limitation, originals or copies of the agreements and certificates issued by PRC authorities and officers of the Company (the “Documents”).

In examining the Documents and for the purpose of giving this Opinion, we have assumed without further inquiry: (a) the genuineness of all the signatures, seals and chops, the authenticity of the Documents submitted to us as original and the conformity with authentic original documents submitted to us as copies and the authenticity of such originals; (b) the truthfulness, accuracy and completeness of the Documents, as well as the factual statements contained in the Documents; (c) that the Documents provided to us remain in full force and effect up to the date of this Opinion and that none of the Documents has been revoked, amended, varied or supplemented except as otherwise indicated such documents; (d) that information provided to us by the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries (as defined below) and the Variable Interest Entity (as defined below) in response to our enquiries for the purpose of this Opinion is true, accurate, complete and not misleading, and that the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries and the Variable Interest Entity have not withheld anything that, if disclosed to us, would reasonably cause us to alter this Opinion in whole or in part; (e) all Governmental Authorizations and other official statement or documentation are obtained by lawful means in due course; (f) that each of the parties other than PRC companies is duly organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization and/or incorporation (as the case may be); (g) that all parties other than then PRC companies have the requisite power and authority to enter into, execute, deliver and perform all the Documents to which they are parties and have duly executed, delivered, performed, and will duly perform their obligations under all the Documents to which they are parties; and (h) all documents submitted to us are legal, valid, binding and enforceable under all such laws as govern or relate to them other than PRC Laws.


For the purpose of rendering this Opinion, where important facts were not independently established to us, we have relied upon certificates issued by Governmental Authorities and representatives of the shareholders of the Company, the PRC Subsidiaries and the Variable Interest Entity with proper authority and upon representations, made in or pursuant to the Documents.

Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meanings described in the Registration Statement.

The following terms as used in this Opinion are defined as follows:

Contractual Arrangements” means the arrangements described under the caption “Contractual Arrangements” in the section “Corporate History and Structure” in the Registration Statement.

Governmental Authorities” means any national, provincial or local court, governmental agency or body, stock exchange authorities or any other regulator in the PRC.

Governmental Authorizations” means licenses, consents, authorizations, sanctions, permissions, declarations, approvals, orders, registrations, clearances, annual inspections, waivers, qualifications, certificates and permits from, and the reports to and filings with, PRC Governmental Authorities pursuant to any applicable PRC Laws.

M&A Rules” means the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC on August 8, 2006 and became effective on September 8, 2006, as amended by the Ministry of Commerce on June 22, 2009.

PRC Laws” means any and all officially published laws, regulations, statutes, rules, decrees, notices, and supreme court’s judicial interpretations currently in force and publicly available in the PRC as of the date hereof.


PRC Subsidiaries” means Beijing Quhuo Information Technology Co., Ltd. (北京趣活信息技术有限公司), or the “Beijing WFOE” and Shanghai Quhuoqushun Information Technology Co., Ltd. (上海趣活趣顺信息技术有限公司).

Prospectus” means the prospectus, including all amendments or supplements thereto, that forms part of the Registration Statement.

Variable Interest Entity” means Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd. (北京趣活科技有限公司).

Based upon and subject to the foregoing and the disclosures contained in the Registration Statement and the qualifications set out below, we are of the opinion that:

 

1.

The ownership structures of the PRC Subsidiaries and the Variable Interest Entity, both currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering, will not result in any violation of the PRC Laws.

 

2.

The contractual arrangements among the Beijing WFOE, the Variable Interest Entity and their shareholders governed by the PRC Laws both currently and immediately after giving effect to the Offering are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of the PRC Laws.

 

3.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the PRC Laws and future PRC laws and regulations, and there can be no assurance that the PRC authorities will not take a view that is contrary to or otherwise different from our opinion stated above.

 

4.

The M&A Rules purport, among other things, to require an offshore special purpose vehicles controlled by PRC companies or individuals and formed for overseas listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic interest held by such PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval from the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. Based on our understanding of the PRC Laws, the CSRC’s approval is not required for the approval of the listing and trading of the Company’s ADSs on the Nasdaq, because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings under the Prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; (ii) the PRC Subsidiaries were directly established as wholly foreign-owned enterprise, and the Company has not acquired any equity interest or assets of a PRC domestic company owned by PRC companies or individuals as defined under the M&A Rules that are the Company’s beneficial owners after the effective date of the M&A Rules; and (iii) no provision in the M&A Rules clearly classifies the contractual arrangements among the Beijing WFOE, the Variable Interest Entity and their shareholders as a type of transaction subject to the M&A Rules. However, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented and our opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.


5.

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against a company or its directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or the Cayman Islands.

 

6.

The statements set forth under the caption “Taxation” in the Registration Statement insofar as they constitute statements of PRC tax law, are accurate in all material respects.

 

7.

The statements in the Registration Statement under the headings “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Corporate History and Structure,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Dividend Policy,” “Business,” “Management,” “Related Party Transactions,” “Regulation,” “Taxation” and “Legal Matters” (other than the financial statements and related schedules and other financial data contained therein to which we express no opinion), to the extent such statements relate to matters of the PRC Laws or documents, agreements or proceedings governed by the PRC Laws, are true and accurate in all material respects, and fairly present and fairly summarize in all material respects the PRC Laws, documents, agreements or proceedings referred to therein, and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make the statements, in light of the circumstance under which they were made, misleading in any material respect.

This Opinion is subject to the following qualifications:

 

1.

This Opinion relates only to the PRC Laws and we express no opinion as to any other laws and regulations. There is no guarantee that any of the PRC Laws, or the interpretation thereof or enforcement thereof, will not be changed, amended or replaced in the immediate future or in the longer term with or without retrospective effect.

 

2.

We have not verified, and express no opinion on, the truthfulness, accuracy and completeness of all factual statements expressly made in the Documents.

 

3.

This Opinion is intended to be used in the context which is specifically referred to herein and each section should be looked on as a whole regarding the same subject matter and no part shall be extracted for interpretation separately from this Opinion.

 

4.

This Opinion is subject to the effects of (i) certain legal or statutory principles affecting the enforceability of contractual rights generally under the concepts of public interest, national security, good faith and fair dealing, applicable statutes of limitation, and the limitations by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditor’s rights generally; (ii) any circumstance in connection with formulation, execution or performance of any legal documents that would be deemed materially mistaken, clearly unconscionable or fraudulent; (iii) judicial discretion with respect to the availability of injunctive relief, the calculation of damages, and the entitlement of attorneys’ fees and other costs, and (iv) the discretion of any competent PRC legislative, administrative or judicial bodies in exercising their authority in connection with the interpretation, implementation and application of relevant PRC Laws.


This Opinion is rendered to you for the purpose hereof only, and save as provided herein, this Opinion shall not be quoted nor shall a copy be given to any person (apart from the addressee) without our express prior written consent except where such disclosure is required to be made by applicable law or is requested by the SEC or any other regulatory agencies.

We hereby consent to the use of this Opinion in, and the filing hereof as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and to the reference of our name under captions “Risk Factors,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Corporate History and Structure,” “Taxation,” “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we fall within the category of the person whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the regulations promulgated thereunder.

[The remainder of this page is intentionally left blank]


[Signature Page]

Yours sincerely,

Commerce & Finance Law Offices

/s/ Commerce & Finance Law Offices

Exhibit 99.3

Date: June 4, 2020

Quhuo Limited

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street

Chaoyang District, Beijing

People’s Republic of China

Re: Consent of Frost & Sullivan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We, Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co., understand that Quhuo Limited (the “Company”) plans to file a registration statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with its proposed initial public offering (the “Proposed IPO”).

We hereby consent to the use of and references to our name and the inclusion of information, data and statements from our research reports and amendments thereto (collectively, the “Reports”), and any subsequent amendments to the Reports, as well as the citation of our research reports and amendments thereto, (i) in the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto, as well as the prospectus included in the Registration Statement together with any prospectus supplement and related free writing prospectus, (ii) in any written correspondences with the SEC, (iii) in any other future filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, filings on Form 20-F, Form 6-K and other registration statements, (iv) in institutional and retail roadshows and other activities in connection with the Proposed IPO, (v) on the websites of the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and (vi) in other publicity materials in connection with the Proposed IPO.

We further hereby consent to the filing of this consent letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and any amendments thereto and as an exhibit to any other SEC Filings.

[Signature page follows]


Yours faithfully,

For and on behalf of

Frost & Sullivan (Beijing) Inc., Shanghai Branch Co.

 

/s/ Yves Wang

Name:   Yves Wang
Title:   Managing Director of China

 

[Signature Page to Consent Letter]

Exhibit 99.4

June 4, 2020

Quhuo Limited

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street

Chaoyang District, Beijing

People’s Republic of China

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to the reference of my name as a director of Quhuo Limited (the “Company”) in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of the Company and any amendments thereto, which indicate that I have accepted the nomination to become a director of the Company. I further agree that immediately upon the Securities and Exchange Commission’s declaration of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, I will serve as a member of the board of directors of the Company.

Sincerely yours,

 

/s/ LI Jingchun
 

 

Name: LI Jingchun

Exhibit 99.5

June 4, 2020

Quhuo Limited

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street

Chaoyang District, Beijing

People’s Republic of China

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to the reference of my name as a director of Quhuo Limited (the “Company”) in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of the Company and any amendments thereto, which indicate that I have accepted the nomination to become a director of the Company. I further agree that immediately upon the Securities and Exchange Commission’s declaration of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, I will serve as a member of the board of directors of the Company.

Sincerely yours,

 

/s/ ZHOU Jing
 

 

Name: ZHOU Jing

Exhibit 99.6

June 4, 2020

Quhuo Limited

3rd Floor, Block D, Tonghui Building

No. 1132 Huihe South Street

Chaoyang District, Beijing

People’s Republic of China

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, I hereby consent to the reference of my name as a director of Quhuo Limited (the “Company”) in the Registration Statement on Form F-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of the Company and any amendments thereto, which indicate that I have accepted the nomination to become a director of the Company. I further agree that immediately upon the Securities and Exchange Commission’s declaration of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, I will serve as a member of the board of directors of the Company.

Sincerely yours,

 

/s/ JIAO Jie
 

 

Name: JIAO Jie