A preliminary study on the factors that contributed to the downfall of high-profile entrepreneurs during the Chinese economic reform

Through historical reviews and case studies, this research seeks to understand why some initially successful entrepreneurs have failed in the economic boom of past decades. Among various factors contributing to their downfalls are a unique political and business environment, fragile financial systems, traditional cultural influences and personal characteristics. Notwithstanding that these factors should be further tested through empirical studies, these high-profile entrepreneurs are oblivious but essential actors in the grand theater of China's economic transformation, and their failures have contributed to the swift development of Chinese entrepreneurship over the last thirty years.