About this course

The level of China’s economic growth over the past 40 years cannot be described as anything less than astounding. With an economy less than 10% the size of the United States in 1978, it has since grown to become the world’s second largest economy (as measured by nominal GDP). Despite China’s importance to the global economy and to international business, many learners do not have the opportunity to study the country and its markets unless they enroll in specialized university coursework. Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management created this course to make the topic of China’s development more accessible through a collaboration with the World Bank’s Open Learning Campus.

Guanghua’s professors will unpack China’s development over five weeks, first giving an overview of China’s economic growth as context before addressing private equity, real estate financing, banking, the stock market, wealth management, and other topics associated with China’s financial markets. The final two weeks will focus on providing an overview of the business environment in China, including fintech, consumer characteristics, internet companies and the digital economy, and entrepreneurship and innovation. By the end of the course, learners should have a firm grasp of successes China has seen during its development as well as challenges it must still overcome.

The information provided in this course will be useful for learners involved in international business, economics, or finance; learners interested in Asia; and learners from the government sector looking for new ideas to apply in their own countries.

What you’ll learn

Economics and Finance

• China’s economic growth trajectory since the beginning of its reform and opening up period
• The evolution of China’s financial industry, including the role finance has played in economic growth, the importance of the banking sector, and the development of China’s stock market
• Sources and types of financing across the Chinese market, the private equity market, and real estate financing

Doing Business in China

• Context on the business landscape in China, including characteristics of Chinese enterprises, the entrepreneurial environment, and current state of innovation
• Trends in digitalization and the adoption of Fintech
• The emergence of e-commerce and the structure of China’s internet companies
• Factors influencing the behavior of Chinese consumers
• Management and leadership in a Chinese context