Age: 48

Birthplace: Huizhou, Guangdong, China

Company Name: TCL CORPORATION ( TCL 集团股份有限公司 )

Ownership Type: Joint-venture

Industry: Manufacturing

Rank (ranked by the total sales revenue in 2004): 54

Headquarters' Location (Zip code): 8/F, TCL Industrial Building , No.6 ELing South Road HuiZhou , GuangDong , China ( 广东省惠州市鹅岭南路 6 号 TCL 工业大厦 (516001) )

Telephone: 86-752-2288333

Fax: 86-752-2278018

Total Revenue (2004): RMB 42.099 billion

Number of Employees (2004): 65,370

Net Profit (2004): RMB245.205 million

Registered Capital: RMB 2.586 billion

Total Asset (2004): RMB 30.735 billion

Total Issued Shares: 994,395,944 shares

Company website: www.tcl.com

Li Dongsheng was born in July of 1957 in Huizhou, Guangdong. From primary school to senior high school, his scores always ranked first in his class. Hoping to be a scholar someday, Li once modelled his life on Chen Jingrun, a well-known Chinese mathematician.

However, after entering the Radio Department of South China Science and Engineering College in 1978, he realized that many students had study habits superior to his. Li's scores were average.

When he graduated from college in 1982, Li gave up his academic ambitions. Instead of applying for postgraduate study, he decided to return to his hometown to do something practical.

At that time, the electronics industry in Huizhou was rather backward and there were not many career choices. Eventually, Li chose the newly-established TTK Household Electronic Appliances Co. (the predecessor of TCL), and became the company's 43rd employee. Together with another technician he took charge of repairing the shop's equipment.

His dedication and down-to-earth work style won recognition and praise from both leaders and co-workers.

One year later, the company decided to set up a tape workshop which was to introduce a set of equipments worth US$500,000. Li was appointed the leader of the preparatory group.

After six months of hard work and study with a foreign engineer, the equipment was put into operation, and Li was promoted to deputy director of the tape workshop.

In 1984, Li moved to Hong Kong to take charge of the company's overseas business. This not only put Li into the higher level of managerial work, but also exposed him to all kinds of overseas business partners. It was a great leap forward for Li's career.

In 1985, TCL began to develop telephones. Li was put in charge of the project. On its success, he was promoted to general manager of TCL Communication Equipment Co. Ltd. He was 28 at the time.

The year of 1986 saw the successful registration of the TCL trademark with the State Administration of Industry and Commence. It also witnessed the first crisis in Li's life.

Li's position as general manager was proving to be stressful.

Li really wished to do a good job, and he tried his best. But the position was too much for him. After nine months, Li decided to quit.

Li transferred to the Huizhou Industrial Development General Company and was appointed director of the Department of Project Introduction.

The following three years were a time of study and improvement for Li.

Thus, the development strategies of the diversified and internationalized operations that TCL implemented in the following years can be traced back to Li's experiences during those three years.

At the end of the ‘80s, TCL finished the process of primitive capital accumulation by producing telephone sets.

In 1990, Li was appointed deputy general manager of TCL Holdings Co. Ltd. in charge of several departments. This time he found the position was much easier for him, and everything went smoothly.

In 1993, Li became general manager of the reorganized TCL Electronics Group Co.

He took responsibility for expanding the enterprise's business into the fields of color televisions, audio-visual products, electrical accessories and computers, and he set up a nationwide distribution network.

In 1995, TCL made a huge profit from the sale of color TVs. The same year Li's long-time partner Jiang Zhiqi died in a car accident and Jiang's wife decided to sell their stock in the Great Wall Electronics Co.

The Great Wall Electronics Co. was one of TCL's major TV production bases. Li realized the importance of the sale and immediately arranged to buy the stocks.

Unfortunately a company listed in Hong Kong bought all the stocks from Ms. Jiang for 15 percent higher than Li was offering.

The Hong Kong company intended to control TCL through buying the stocks.

Just when Li was running out of hope, he learned that a color TV division in Shekou belonging to Hong Kong's Luk's Group was lying idle.

Li was excited by the possibilities. He set up a meeting with Luk's and made an offer for their TV division.

He proposed that Luk's accept stock in lieu of cash so that Li could use what funds he had available to build another production base.

The Luk's spent several days investigating Li's reputation and ability, but finally agreed to Li's proposal. TCL became the first State-owned enterprise to merge with a Hong Kong company and continue to use its own brand.

That year, TCL's sales in color TVs doubled.

In 1996, with the former chairman's retirement, Li succeeded as chairman of TCL.

In 1998, by cooperating with Taiwan's GVC Group, TCL-GVC Computer Co. was established, and TCL entered the IT industry.

In 1998, TCL was certified by the State Administration of Industry and Commence as a well-known brand name in China.

TCL Mobile Communication Co. was set up in March 1999. It soon became a backbone company for the TCL Group.

In 2000, the total sales of the TCL Group exceeded 20 billion yuan and its overseas sales reached US$514 million.