China’s top 100: local cadres beat tech titans to dominate Communist Party reform honours list

Grass-roots Communist Party cadres outnumber entrepreneurs and scientists in a list of 100 individuals commended by the party for their “outstanding contributions” to the country’s economic reform.

The list, published by People’s Daily on Monday, was compiled to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up policy, which set the country on a path of unprecedented growth and economic liberalisation.

The list was released for public consultation and will be confirmed if there are no objections.

It includes many big names – from tech entrepreneurs and scientists to private businesspeople, economists and athletes – whose achievements mirrored some of the milestones of the country’s 40 years of development.

In all, 14 entrepreneurs from the mainland were nominated, including the founders of China’s three biggest internet companies – Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

But the biggest contingent – nearly one-quarter – was a group of obscure, low-ranking party cadres who spent decades working in either the countryside or state-owned industries.