Tencent Board Chairman Ma Huateng Wins Shenzhen City Technological Innovation Award

2007.08.09

Shenzhen August 9 2007 – Shenzhen City Technological Innovation Award ceremony took place at the Shenzhen Civics Center in the afternoon of August 9. Winners of the 2006 Mayor's Awards were announced in the ceremony. Tencent Board Chairman Ma Huateng Skyworth Board Chairman Zhang Xuebin and Han's Laser Board Chairman Gao Yunfeng won the RMB 1 million cash award.

Sponsored by the Shenzhen Municipality the Mayor's Awards represent Shenzhen's highest honor in technological innovation. Awards are judged by the following criteria: size of cash prizes availability of awards and excellence demonstrated by award candidates. The government seeks to reward technological industry-related individuals that have made outstanding contributions to commercializing high technology products and to generating substantial economic returns. The first awards were given out in the January of 2003. This year the municipal government made wide-ranging reforms to awards categories and judging guidelines. Cash prizes increased from RMB 8 million to RMB 20 million. This shows the level of important the government places on technological innovation.

In his award acceptance speech Tencent Board Chairman Ma Huateng expressed the honor he felt in receiving the Mayor's Award. Over the years the Shenzhen government has placed a great deal of importance on technological innovation and provided a favorable environment for the development of high technology enterprises. As a Shenzhen enterprise Tencent owes its success to government support.

Mr. Ma also announced that he will donate his cash award to the newly established Tencent Public Charity Foundation. The foundation will give thanks to the public's support of Tencent by undertaking corporate responsibility.

The three winners of this year's Mayor's Awards are all elite members of Shenzhen's business community. The companies they represent regularly enjoy media attention. Mr. Ma and other co-founders founded Tencent Inc. QQ alone has 590 million subscribers. In eight years Tencent has grown from an instant messaging program producer to a multifaceted Internet company that provides instant messaging online portal online gaming e-commerce and 3G mobile portal services. Operating under the guiding strategy of "Online Society" Tencent is committed to making innovations and providing users with the most cutting edge services. Tencent has become a role model and case study for many Internet-based enterprises.