目錄表
錯誤財年0001372920理財產品的短期投資採用替代定價來源,相應地分類爲二級計量。交易型證券的短期投資按金融機構報告的每日收盤價計價,屬於一級計量。可補償給員工的金額包括差旅和與商務有關的費用。預付租金是指與12個月以下的租賃有關的租金的預付。工作人員預付款提供給工作人員用於旅行和與商務有關的用途,並在發生時計入費用。2024年1月,集團以55,574美元的對價投資了從事房地產和滑雪場運營業務的泰宇管理公司。由於本集團於泰宇管理擁有重大影響力,並擁有泰宇管理35.0%的權益,故本集團根據ASC 323按權益法入賬。2019年8月,集團向從事培養邏輯思維能力的快樂種子公司投資6.4%股權。於2020年9月,本集團進一步認購額外1.6%的股權。由於被投資人持有的優先股可贖回並被確定爲債務證券,並按公允價值計量,因此本集團將投資計入可供出售投資。2015年5月,本集團投資海外租賃代理服務公司Uhozz,獲得10.0%股權,具有贖回和清算優先權。2018年3月,集團進一步認購15.2%的B系列優先股。由於被投資人持有的優先股可贖回,並被確定爲債務證券,並按公允價值計量,因此本集團將這項投資計入可供出售投資。其他可供出售投資是指截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日被歸類爲可供出售投資的幾項微不足道的個人投資。截至2022年5月31日、2023年5月31日和2024年5月31日的年度,長期投資的已實現收益分別爲18,068美元、零和零。截至2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度,本集團就該等投資分別錄得減值虧損46,442美元、2,901美元及11,693美元。2018年7月,教育產業基金成立。該基金有兩名普通合夥人,其中包括Mr.Yu投資的一家實體和一名無關的第三方。本集團以有限合夥人身份參與教育產業基金,並於2024年5月31日向教育產業基金投資44,272美元。由於本集團爲有限責任合夥人,並擁有教育產業基金36.3%的權益,故本集團根據ASC 323按權益法入賬。2019年6月,市場驅動的投資實體--VM EDU Fund I,LP.成立。本集團參與VM Edu Fund I,LP。作爲有限責任合夥人,他向VM Edu Fund I,LP投資了51,383美元。截至2024年5月31日。由於本集團爲有限責任合夥人,並擁有VM Edu Fund I,LP 49.7%的權益,故本集團根據權益會計方法(「ASC 323」)按權益法入賬投資。截至2024年5月31日,本集團通過投資於其他7家第三方公司的普通股或實體普通股,持有其6.9%至40.0%的股權。本集團按權益法覈算該等投資,因爲本集團有能力施加重大影響,但對被投資人並無控制權。截至2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度,本集團分別錄得減值虧損48,417美元、3,892美元及零。截至2024年5月31日,可供出售投資的公允價值爲135,777美元,原始成本爲89,167美元,未實現收益爲46,610美元。截至2023年5月31日,可供出售投資的公允價值爲159,588美元,原始成本爲80,000美元,未實現收益爲79,588美元。來自學生的預付款是指(1)學生預付的除學費以外的雜費,這些費用將代表學生支付;(2)學生預付的招生費用。應支付的特許權使用費涉及支付給在線學習項目的內容提供商,以及支付給版權和資源共享的對手方。其他主要包括交通費、水電費、物業管理費和其他應付雜費。截至2024年5月31日止年度,在計算每股普通股攤薄淨收益/(虧損)時,不會假設轉換、行使或或有發行會對新東方股份有限公司S股東應占攤薄淨收益/(虧損)有反攤薄作用(即每股普通股收益增加或每股普通股虧損減少)的證券。於二零二三年及二零二四年五月三十一日及二零二四年五月三十一日,由本公司主席Mr.Yu全資收購的實體Metropolis的本期應付金額分別爲2,435美元及1,399美元,而應付Metropolis的非流動金額則分別爲1,398美元及3,130美元。這些是與大樓的短期租賃和按金有關的預付租金。截至2023年5月31日和2024年5月31日,大都會租賃相關使用權資產分別爲15,920美元和11,696美元,相關租賃負債分別爲15,723美元和11,637美元。儘管本集團可以對Edutainment World行使重大影響力,但優先股投資具有實質性清算權,因此實質上不被視爲普通股,但根據ASC 321,優先股投資被視爲沒有易於確定公允價值的投資。截至2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日止年度,本集團向Edutamain World提供服務,截至2023年和2024年5月31日,未付餘額分別爲4,086美元和2,944美元。2016年4月,本集團出售其在電石經緯51%的股權,成爲本集團的權益法被投資人。於2021年10月,本集團與電石經緯就購買學習器材訂立採購協議,其中52,380美元進一步入賬爲成本。2022年11月,本公司將其在點評經緯的全部股權轉讓給點評經緯創始人,並終止上述業務合作。支付給商家是指從消費者那裏收到的現金,存入一個專門爲支付給商家而保留的銀行帳戶。2020年9月,本集團向Mobvoi投資2.3%的股權,Mobvoi是一家致力於提供人工智能生成內容解決方案、人工智能企業解決方案、智能設備和配件以及產生式人工智能和語音交互技術的公司。由於Mobvoi是一傢俬人公司,無法隨時確定公允價值,因此本集團將這筆投資作爲股權證券入賬,但不能輕易確定公允價值。2024年4月24日,Mobvoi在香港聯合交易所有限公司完成首次公開發售(「IPO」),本集團開始將投資計入公允價值易於厘定的權益證券。截至2024年5月31日止年度,與投資Mobvoi Inc.有關的公允價值變動爲12,760美元。於截至2022年5月31日止年度,本集團向本集團的權益法投資對象北京馬克森提供合共38,130美元的貸款。截至2022年5月31日,貸款未償還餘額已全部減值。2020年8月,本集團收購了從事音頻和網絡會議服務業務的G-Net公司3%的股權。由於G-Net是一傢俬人公司,公允價值不能輕易確定,因此,本集團將這筆投資作爲股權證券入賬,不能輕易確定公允價值。截至2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度,此項投資錄得零、零及13,956美元減值虧損。2017年4月,本集團收購了從事在線課堂產品開發業務的EEO公司10%的股權。由於EEO是一傢俬人公司,公允價值不能輕易確定,因此本集團將這筆投資作爲股權證券入賬,不能輕易確定公允價值。截至2022年、2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度,此項投資並無錄得減值虧損。本集團於第三方私人公司持有數項無關緊要的投資,並無能力對被投資公司施加重大影響。當這些投資沒有容易確定的公允價值時,使用計量替代辦法對這些投資進行會計處理。本集團於截至2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度分別錄得24,354美元、零減值虧損及4,358美元減值虧損。本公司以被投資人在活躍市場的報價爲基礎,採用市場法計量其普通股投資的公允價值,並將其歸類爲一級計量。如附註2所述,退款責任按從客戶收到的代價的可變金額確認,並記錄爲退款責任。經修訂後,公司董事會於2024年8月6日授權回購至多70000美元萬的公司普通股,直至2025年5月31日。截至2024年5月31日止年度,本公司於公開市場回購783,943股美國存托股份,總代價爲62,943美元。本集團按面值計入已購回普通股,並計入該等庫存股作爲股東權益的組成部分。截至2022年、2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止年度,隨着Sunland股價的波動,本集團綜合經營報表的投資(虧損)/公允價值變動收益分別錄得虧損10,467美元、虧損1,883美元及收益4,503美元。可退還的按金是指畢業後退還的學生宿舍按金或其他費用,以及完成考察後退還的學生安全按金。 0001372920 2023-05-31 0001372920 2024-05-31 0001372920 2022-06-01 2023-05-31 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美國
美國證券交易委員會
華盛頓特區,20549
 
 
形式
20-F
 
 
(標記一)
根據1934年《資產交易法》第12(B)或12(G)節的註冊聲明
 
根據1934年《證券交易法》第13或15(D)條提交的年度報告
截至本財政年度止5月31日, 2024.
 
根據1934年《證券交易法》第13或15(D)條提交的過渡報告
 
殼牌公司根據《1934年財產交換法》第13或15(D)節提交的報告
需要這份空殼公司報告的事件日期
  
的過渡期
  
  
委託文件編號:
001-32993
 
 
新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司
(註冊人的確切姓名載於其章程)
 
 
不適用
(註冊人姓名英文譯本)
開曼群島
(註冊成立或組織的司法管轄權)
海電中街6號
北京市朝陽區 北京 100080
人民Republic of China
(主要執行辦公室地址)
楊志輝、執行總裁兼首席財務官
電話:+(86 10) 6090-8000
電郵:
yangzhihui@xdf.cn
傳真:+(86 10)6260-5511
海電中街6號
北京市朝陽區 北京 100080
人民Republic of China
(姓名、電話、
電子郵件
和/或公司聯繫人的傳真號碼和地址)
根據該法第12(B)節登記或將登記的證券:
 
每個班級的標題
 
交易
符號
 
交易所名稱
在其上註冊的
註冊所在的交易所名稱
 
EDU
 
紐約證券交易所
普通股
,面值每股0.001美元 **
 
9901
 
香港聯合交易所有限公司
 

*
自2011年8月18日起,ADS與我們普通股的比例從代表四股普通股的一份ADS變更爲代表一股普通股的一份ADS。自2022年4月8日起,ADS與我們普通股的比例進一步從代表一股普通股的一份ADS變更爲代表十股普通股的一份ADS。
**
自2021年3月10日起,我們實施了
十分之一
股份分拆,每股面值0.01美元的普通股被細分爲十股普通股,每股面值0.001美元。
根據該法第12(G)節登記或將登記的證券:
(班級名稱)
根據該法第15(D)節負有報告義務的證券:
(班級名稱)
 
 
註明截至年度報告所述期間結束時發行人的每一類資本或普通股的流通股數量。1,647,514,863 截至2024年5月31日,普通股,每股面值0.001美元。
用複選標記表示註冊人是否爲證券法第405條規定的知名經驗豐富的發行人。  ☒ 沒有 ☐
如果本報告是年度報告或過渡報告,請勾選標記表明註冊人是否無需根據1934年證券交易法第13或15(d)條提交報告。是   不是 ☒
注-選中上面的框不會免除根據1934年《證券交易法》第13或15(D)節要求提交報告的任何註冊人根據這些條款承擔的義務。
用複選標記表示註冊人是否:(1)在過去12個月內(或註冊人被要求提交此類報告的較短時間內),(1)已提交1934年《證券交易法》第13或15(D)節要求提交的所有報告;以及(2)在過去90天內一直符合此類提交要求。  ☒ 沒有 ☐
用複選標記表示註冊人是否已經按照條例第405條的規定以電子方式提交了所有需要提交的交互數據文件
S-T
(本章第232.405條)在過去12個月內(或要求註冊人提交此類文件的較短期限內)。  ☒ 沒有 ☐
用複選標記表示註冊者是大型加速文件服務器、加速文件服務器、
非加速
文件夾,或新興成長型公司。請參閱規則中「大型加速文件人」、「加速文件人」和「新興成長型公司」的定義
12b-2
《交易法》。(勾選一項):
 
大型加速文件服務器 ☒      加速的文件管理器    
非加速
filer
 
         新興市場和成長型公司  
如果新興成長型公司根據美國公認會計原則編制財務報表,請通過勾選標記表明註冊人是否選擇不利用延長的過渡期來遵守根據《交易法》第13(a)條提供的任何新的或修訂的財務會計準則。 
 
新的或修訂的財務會計準則是指財務會計準則委員會在2012年4月5日之後發佈的對其會計準則編纂的任何更新。
用複選標記表示註冊人是否提交了一份報告,證明其管理層根據《薩班斯-奧克斯利法案》(《美國聯邦法典》第15編第7262(B)節)第404(B)節對其財務報告進行內部控制的有效性的評估是由準備或發佈其審計報告的註冊會計師事務所提交的。 
如果證券是根據該法案第12(b)條登記的,請通過勾選標記表明文件中包含的登記人的財務報表是否反映了對之前發佈的財務報表錯誤的更正。 
用複選標記表示這些錯誤更正中是否有任何重述需要對登記人的任何執行幹事在相關恢復期間根據
§240.10D-1(B). 
用複選標記表示註冊人在編制本文件所包括的財務報表時使用了哪種會計基礎:
 
美國公認會計原則 ☒     國際會計師事務所發佈的國際財務報告準則    其他 ☐
    會計準則委員會   
如果在回答上一個問題時勾選了「其他」,請通過勾選標記指明註冊人選擇遵循的財務報表項目。項目17項目18    
如果這是年度報告,請用複選標記表示註冊人是否是空殼公司(如規則所定義
12b-2
《交易法》)。是的   
不是
(只適用於過去五年涉及破產程序的發行人)
在根據法院確認的計劃發行證券後,通過勾選標記檢查登記人是否已提交1934年證券交易法第12、13或15(d)條要求提交的所有文件和報告。是否    
 
 
 


目錄

目錄

 

居間

     1  

前瞻性陳述

     2  

第一部分

     3  
   項目1.    董事、高級管理人員和顧問的身份      3  
   項目2.    報價統計數據和預期時間表      3  

   

   項目3.    密鑰信息      3  
   項目4.    公司信息      64  
   項目4A.    未解決的工作人員評論      111  
   項目5.    運營和財務審查及前景      112  
   項目6.    董事、高級管理人員和員工      131  
   項目7.    主要股東及關聯方交易      138  
   項目8.    財務資料      139  
   項目9.    報價和列表      141  
   項目10.    附加信息      141  
   項目11.    關於市場風險的定量和證明性披露      153  
   項目12.    股票證券以外的證券的描述      154  

第二部分

     158  
   項目13.    失敗、拖欠股息和驅逐      158  
   項目14.    對證券持有人權利和收益使用的重大修改      158  
   項目15.    控制和程式      158  
   項目16.    [保留]      160  
   項目16 A.    審計委員會財務專家      160  
   項目160。    道德守則      160  
   ITEm 16 C。    主要會計費用和服務      160  
   ITEm 16 D。    審計委員會上市標準的豁免      161  
   ITEm 16 E。    發行人和關聯買家購買股票證券      161  
   ITEm 16 F。    登記人認證公證的變更      161  
   ITEm 16 G。    公司治理      161  
   ITEm 16 H。    礦山安全披露      162  
   ITEm 16 I.    關於外國司法管轄權的披露以防止檢查      162  
   ITEm 16 J。    內幕交易政策      162  
   ITEm 1.6。    網絡安全      162  
   項目17.    財務報表      163  
   項目18.    財務報表      163  
   項目19.    展品      163  

簽名

     168  

 

 

i


目錄

居間

除另有說明和文意另有所指外,本年度報告中以20-F致:

 

   

“我們”、“我們”、“我們的公司”或“我們的”是指新東方教育科技集團有限公司,開曼群島的一家公司,其前身實體和子公司。吾等透過(I)我們的中國附屬公司、(Ii)與吾等訂立合約安排的可變權益實體及(Iii)可變權益實體的附屬公司及/或學校在中國進行業務。合併可變利益主體為在中國開展業務的中國公司,其財務結果已根據美國公認會計原則納入我們的綜合財務報表,以進行會計處理;

 

   

“新東方中國”是指新東方教育科技集團有限公司,前身為北京新東方教育科技(集團)有限公司,為中華人民共和國境內公司,是我公司的可變利益實體;

 

   

“北京訊成”是指北京新東方訊成網路科技有限公司,是一家中國境內的公司,也是東購的可變權益實體;

 

   

“East Buy”是指East Buy Holding Limited(前身為Koolain Technology Holding Limited),一家開曼群島公司及我們的控股附屬公司,其股份於香港聯合交易所主板上市,股票簡稱“East Buy”,股份代號“1797”;

 

   

“VIE”或“可變利益實體”是指北京訊成和新東方中國,這兩家公司都是中國境內的公司,我們在這兩家公司中沒有股權,但其財務業績已根據美國公認會計準則合併到我們的合併財務報表中;

 

   

“合併關聯單位”是指新東方中國及其在中國、北京循城的學校和子公司及其在中國的子公司;

 

   

“中央結算系統”指由香港中央結算有限公司設立及營運的中央結算及交收系統,香港中央結算有限公司是香港交易及結算所有限公司的全資附屬公司;

 

   

“中國”或“中華人民共和國”是指人民Republic of China,就本年度報告而言,不包括臺灣、香港和澳門;

 

   

《香港上市規則》適用於不時修訂或補充的《香港聯合交易所有限公司證券上市規則》;

 

   

“Hong Kong Stock Exchange”指香港聯合交易所有限公司;及

 

   

“學生入學人數”是指我們的學生註冊並支付費用的累計課程總數,包括同一名學生註冊並支付費用的多個課程,但不包括在我們幼稚園註冊的學生。

我們在本年度報告中將我們的教學設施稱為“學校”或“學習中心”,主要根據設施的功能而定。一般來說,我們的學校由教室和行政設施組成,並提供學生和行政服務,而我們的學習中心主要由教室設施組成。

2021年3月10日,我們實施了十分之一股份拆分。2022年4月8日,我們將美國存託憑證與普通股的比例從一股美國存托股份調整為一股美國存托股份代表十股普通股。除另有說明外,本年度報告中有關股份及每股數據的所有資料均追溯至十分之一股票拆分和美國存托股份比率發生變化。

 

1


目錄表

我們的財務報表是以美元表示的,美元是我們的報告貨幣。本年度報表中的某些財務數據20-F完全是為了方便讀者而翻譯成美元的。除特別註明外,本年報表格中所有人民幣、港幣與美元的方便折算20-F人民幣兌美元匯率為7.2410元人民幣兌1美元,7.8199港元兌1美元匯率為聯盟儲備委員會於2024年5月31日發佈的H.10統計數據中分別列出的匯率。我們不表示任何人民幣、港元或美元金額可以或可能以任何特定匯率、上述匯率或根本不兌換成美元、港元或人民幣(視情況而定)。

主要招生和評估考試辭彙

 

行動    美國大學考試(美國)
一級    高級(不列顛國協國家)
AP    先修課程(美國)
普通中等教育證書    普通中等教育證書(不列顛國協國家)
BEC    商務英語證書(美國)
大學英語四級    大學英語四級考試(中國)
大學英語六級    大學英語六級考試(中國)
GMAT    研究生管理入學考試(美國)
GRE    研究生入學考試(美國)
雅思    國際英語語言測試系統(不列顛國協國家)
法學院入學考試    法學院入學考試(美國)
坐著    SAT大學入學考試(美國)
SSAT    中學入學考試(美國)
託福    英語作為外語的考試(美國)
託福初三    11歲及以上學生英語作為外語的測試(美國)
託業    國際交流英語考試(美國)

前瞻性陳述

本年度報告包含涉及風險和不確定因素的前瞻性陳述。除歷史事實以外的所有陳述均為前瞻性陳述。這些前瞻性陳述是根據“1995年美國私人證券訴訟改革法”的“安全港”條款作出的。這些表述涉及已知和未知的風險、不確定性和其他因素,可能導致我們的實際結果、業績或成就與前瞻性表述中明示或暗示的大不相同。

您可以通過“可能”、“將會”、“預期”、“預計將”、“預期”、“目標”、“估計”、“打算”、“計劃”、“相信”、“很可能”或其他類似的表達方式來識別這些前瞻性陳述。我們的這些前瞻性陳述主要基於我們目前對未來事件和財務趨勢的預期和預測,我們認為這些事件和財務趨勢可能會影響我們的財務狀況、經營結果、業務戰略和財務需求。這些前瞻性陳述包括但不限於:

 

   

我們預期的增長戰略;

 

   

我們未來的業務發展、運營運績和財務狀況;

 

   

我們的收入以及某些成本和費用項目的預期變化;

 

   

我們提供的每種類型教育計劃、服務和產品的競爭;

 

   

來自其他直播的競爭 電商 球員;

 

   

與我們在直播中提供新的教育項目、服務和產品以及自有品牌產品相關的風險 電商 平台;

 

   

中國教育支出預計增長情況;

 

   

有關私立教育和私立教育服務提供者的中華人民共和國法律、法規和政策。

 

2


目錄

您應仔細閱讀本年度報告和我們在此提及的檔案,並瞭解我們未來的實際結果可能與我們預期的大不相同和/或更糟。我們通過這些警告性聲明來限定我們所有的前瞻性聲明。本年度報告的其他部分包括可能對我們的業務和財務業績產生不利影響的其他因素。此外,我們在一個不斷發展的環境中運營。新的風險因素不時出現,我們的管理層無法預測所有風險因素,我們也無法評估所有因素對我們業務的影響,或任何因素或因素組合可能導致實際結果與任何前瞻性陳述中包含的結果大不相同的程度。

你不應該依賴前瞻性陳述作為對未來事件的預測。本年度報告中所作的前瞻性陳述僅涉及截至本年度報告所作陳述之日的事件或資訊。我們沒有義務更新或修改任何前瞻性陳述,無論是由於新資訊、未來事件或其他原因,除非適用法律要求。

第一部分

 

專案 %1。

董事、高級管理人員和顧問的身份

不適用因

 

專案 2。

報價統計數據和預期時間表

不適用因

 

專案 3.

密鑰信息

我們的控股公司結構和與VIE的合同安排

新東方教育科技集團有限公司不是一家中國運營公司,而是一家開曼群島控股公司,在VIE中沒有股權。我們通過(I)我們的中國子公司、(Ii)與我們有合同安排的VIE和(Iii)VIE的子公司和/或學校在中國開展業務。中國法律法規對提供教育和增值電信服務的公司的外國直接投資進行了限制和施加條件。因此,我們通過合併關聯實體在中國經營該等業務,並依賴我們的中國子公司、VIE及其股東之間的合同安排來控制合併關聯實體的業務運營,並被視為該等實體的主要受益人,該等實體的財務業績根據美國公認會計原則在S的綜合財務報表中進行會計處理。截至2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日的財政年度,合併關聯實體貢獻的收入分別佔我們總淨收入的99.6%、99.5%和99.2%。在本年報中使用的“我們”、“我們”、“我們的公司”或“我們的”是指新東方教育科技集團有限公司,一家開曼群島公司,其前身實體和子公司。因此,我們美國存託憑證及/或普通股的投資者並不是在購買中國的VIE的股權,而是在購買一家在開曼群島註冊成立的控股公司的股權。綜合可變權益實體為在中國開展業務的中國公司,其財務業績已根據美國公認會計原則綜合於我們的綜合財務報表中,以供會計之用。新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司是一家控股公司,沒有自己的業務。我們在綜合可變權益實體中並無任何股權。

我們於中國的全資附屬公司、VIE及其各自股東之間已訂立一系列合約協定,包括股權質押協定、獨家期權協定、授權書、服務協定。這些合同協定主要包括:

與新東方中國及其學校、子公司和股東的合同安排

 

  (i)

根據股權質押協定,世紀友誼同意將其於新東方中國的股權質押予吾等的附屬公司,以確保新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司履行其於相關主協定項下的責任,而世紀友誼同意在未經吾等於中國的全資附屬公司事先書面同意下,不會轉讓、出售、質押、處置或以其他方式對其於新東方中國的股權產生任何產權負擔;

 

3


目錄表
  (ii)

獨家期權協議,根據本協議,世紀友誼有義務向北京決定出售,當適用的中國法律允許其擁有新東方中國的部分或全部股權時,北京決定有獨家、不可撤銷及無條件的權利,可全權酌情向世紀友誼購買其在新東方中國的部分或全部股權;

 

  (iii)

授權書,世紀之友不可撤銷地任命和組成北京先鋒爲其事實律師代表世紀友誼行使世紀友誼就其在新東方中國的股權所擁有的任何及所有權利;

 

  (iv)

服務協議,使我們在中國的全資子公司能夠獲得新東方中國及其學校和子公司的幾乎所有經濟利益。

與北京訊成、其子公司和股東的合同安排

 

  (i)

股權質押協議,根據該協議,北京訊成當時的各股東同意將其在北京訊成的股權不可撤銷且無條件地質押給德信東方,以保證北京訊成、其當時的股東以及相關子公司履行獨家期權協議、授權書、獨家管理諮詢和業務合作協議以及承諾書項下的義務;

 

  (ii)

根據本協議,北京訊城當時的股東無條件及不可撤銷地同意以中國法律允許的最低對價,授予德信東方以中國法律允許的最低對價收購北京訊城全部或部分股權;

 

  (iii)

授權書,北京迅成當時的股東均不可撤銷地任命德新東方或由德新東方指定的任何人爲其事實律師代表股東行使股東對其在北京迅城的股權所享有的任何及所有權利;

 

  (iv)

獨家管理諮詢與合作協議,根據該協議,德信東方擁有獨家權利向北京訊成及其子公司提供或指定任何第三方向其提供公司管理服務、知識產權許可、技術和業務支持,以及雙方可能不時約定的其他附加服務。

由於合同安排,我們被認爲是VIE的主要受益者,我們已將它們的財務業績合併到我們的綜合財務報表中。有關該等合約安排的詳情,請參閱「第四項.本公司-C.組織架構-與新東方中國、其學校及附屬公司及其股東的合約安排」及「-與北京訊城、其附屬公司及股東的合約安排」。

 

4


目錄表

下表顯示了截至2024年5月31日我們公司的組織結構,包括我們的重要子公司和VIE:

 

LOGO

 

LOGO   公司的股權。
LOGO   學校的贊助興趣。
LOGO   合同安排,包括股權質押協議、期權協議和委託代理協議、委託書、主獨家服務協議和相關服務協議。見「第四項--公司-C組織結構--與新東方中國、其學校、子公司及其股東的合同安排」。
LOGO   合同安排包括股權質押協議、期權協議、委託書、獨家管理諮詢和合作協議。見「項目4.本公司-C組織結構--與北京訊成、其子公司和股東的合同安排」。

 

(1)

北京世紀友誼教育投資有限公司,或稱世紀友誼,由我們的創始人兼執行主席于敏洪先生持有99%的股份,由我們的高管總裁兼首席財務官楊志輝先生持有1%的股份。2019年11月,俞渝先生的母親Li女士完成了將其持有的世紀友誼股權轉讓給於敏洪先生和楊志輝先生,在本次轉讓前,世紀友誼80%的股權由俞渝先生持有,20%的股權由Li女士持有。

(2)

從我們的內部管理和幼兒園的角度來看,不包括某些單獨的法人實體但被計入我們的學習中心的某些學校,以及從我們的內部管理和我們的幼兒園的角度來看,被算作同一城市或地區的同一所學校的某些學校。

(3)

不包括北京訊成及其附屬公司,並由在中國經營教育材料及分銷業務及海外留學諮詢業務的多家中國公司組成。

 

5


目錄表

然而,在爲我們提供對VIE的控制權方面,合同安排不如直接所有權有效。如果我們擁有VIE的直接所有權,我們將能夠行使我們作爲股東的權利,對這些實體的董事會進行改革,這反過來又可以在管理層履行任何適用的受託責任的情況下進行改革。然而,根據合約協議,我們視乎VIE及其股東履行合約所訂的責任,對VIE行使控制權,並從VIE收取經濟利益。此外,我們不能向您保證,當利益衝突發生時,這些個人中的任何一個或所有人將以我們公司的最佳利益爲行動,或者此類衝突將以有利於我們的方式得到解決。此外,這些個人可能會違反、或導致VIE違反或拒絕續簽現有的合同協議。如果我們不能解決我們與這些個人之間的任何利益衝突或糾紛,我們將不得不依靠法律程序,這可能會導致我們的業務中斷,並使我們面臨任何此類法律程序結果的極大不確定性。因此,我們在執行有關安排的條款時,可能會招致巨額費用。此外,截至本年度報告之日,我們的合同安排尚未在法庭上得到檢驗。有關進一步詳情,請參閱「項目3.主要資料-D.風險因素-與本公司架構相關的風險-吾等在中國的經營依賴合約安排,在提供營運控制權方面不如直接所有權」及「-世紀友誼的控股股東,即新東方中國的唯一股東,可能與吾等存在潛在利益衝突,若任何此等利益衝突未能以有利於吾等的方式解決,吾等的業務可能會受到重大不利影響」。

我們的公司結構受到與我們與VIE的合同安排相關的獨特風險的影響。如果中國政府認爲我們與VIE的合同安排不符合中國對相關行業外國投資的監管限制,或者如果這些規定或現有規定的解釋在未來發生變化或被不同解釋,我們可能會受到嚴厲的懲罰或被迫放棄我們在該等業務中的權益。中國監管當局可能不允許可變利益實體結構,這可能會導致我們的業務發生重大不利變化,我們的美國存託憑證和普通股可能大幅縮水或變得一文不值。我們的控股公司、我們的中國子公司和VIE以及我們公司的投資者面臨中國政府未來可能採取的行動的不確定性,這些行動可能會影響與VIE的合同安排的可執行性,從而顯著影響VIE和我們公司的整體財務業績。有關與本公司結構相關的風險的詳細說明,請參閱「第3項.主要信息--D.風險因素--與本公司結構相關的風險」中披露的風險。

關於我們開曼群島控股公司與VIE及其指定股東的合同安排的權利地位的現行和未來中國法律、法規和規則的解釋和適用可能會發生變化。目前尚不確定是否會通過與可變利益實體結構相關的任何新的中國法律或法規,或者如果通過,它們將提供什麼。如果我們或任何VIE被發現違反了任何現有或未來的中國法律或法規,或未能獲得或保持任何所需的許可證、許可或批准,中國監管機構將在其權力範圍內擁有廣泛的酌情權,以採取行動處理此類違規或失敗行爲。見“項目3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們公司結構相關的風險-如果中國政府發現爲我們中國的部分業務建立運營結構的協議不符合與相關行業相關的適用的中國法律法規,或者如果這些法規或對現有法規的解釋在未來發生變化,我們可能會受到嚴厲的處罰或被迫放棄我們在這些業務中的權益「和」重要信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險-外商投資法的解釋和實施可能會發生變化,目前尚不確定它可能如何影響我們目前公司結構、公司治理、業務、財務狀況和經營結果的生存能力。

我們面臨着與在中國做生意相關的各種風險和不確定性。我們的業務運營主要在中國進行,我們受到複雜和不斷變化的中國法律法規的約束。例如,我們面臨與監管審批、反壟斷監管行動、使用可變利益實體的監管、教育行業的監管、在線直播和廣告的監管、網絡安全和數據隱私的監管,以及上市公司會計監督委員會(PCAOB)對我們的核數師缺乏檢查相關的風險,這可能會影響我們開展某些業務、接受外國投資、在美國或其他外匯上市和進行股票發行的能力。這些風險可能導致我們的業務以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的價值發生重大不利變化,顯著限制或完全阻礙我們繼續向投資者提供證券的能力,或導致此類證券的價值大幅下降。有關在中國經商的風險的詳細描述,請參閱「第三項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與在中國經商有關的風險.」

 

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中國政府在監管我們的業務以及對中國發行人在海外進行的發行和外國投資的監管和控制方面的重大權力,可能會顯著限制或完全阻礙我們向投資者提供或繼續提供證券的能力。實施這種性質的全行業監管規定可能會導致此類證券的價值大幅下降。有關更多細節,請參閱「第3項.主要信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險--中國政府對我們業務運營的監督和酌情決定權可能導致我們的運營以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股價值發生重大不利變化.」

中國的法律制度產生的風險和不確定性,包括與法律執行和中國快速發展的規章制度有關的風險和不確定性,可能會導致我們的業務和美國存託憑證的價值發生重大不利變化。更多細節見「第三項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素--中國經商的風險--執法方面的不確定性,以及中國法律法規的變化可能對我們產生不利影響」。

我們的業務和海外融資活動需要獲得中國當局的許可

我們在中國的業務受中國法律法規管轄。截至本年度報告日期,除「第三項.主要信息--D.風險因素--與在中國經營有關的風險」中披露的信息外,我們需要獲得各種經營許可證和許可證,並對在中國的經營活動進行登記和備案;不遵守這些要求可能會對我們的業務和經營結果產生實質性的不利影響,「-如果我們不能獲得和維護中國在線業務所需的許可證和審批,我們的業務、財務狀況和經營結果可能會受到實質性的不利影響,」和“項3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們的業務相關的風險-不遵守政府法規和其他有關隱私、數據保護和網絡安全的法律義務可能會對我們造成處罰,損害我們的聲譽和品牌,並可能對我們的業務產生實質性和不利的影響,因爲我們在業務中經常收集、存儲和使用數據。根據吾等中國法律顧問田源律師事務所的意見,吾等相信我們的中國附屬公司及合併聯營實體已向中國政府當局取得於中國經營業務所需的許可證及許可,包括(其中包括)民辦學校經營許可證、互聯網信息服務增值電訊業務經營許可證、電子數據交換增值電訊業務經營許可證、電子數據交換許可證、食品經營許可證、經營刊物許可證、商業表演許可證、旅行社經營許可證、醫療保健許可證。鑑於法律法規的解釋和實施以及政府當局的執法做法可能會發生變化,我們可能需要在未來爲我們公司的服務獲得額外的許可證、許可證、備案或批准。更詳細的信息見“第三項關鍵信息-D.風險因素--在中國經商的相關風險--我們需要獲得各種經營許可證和許可證,並對我們在中國的經營活動進行登記和備案;不遵守這些要求可能會對我們的業務和經營結果產生實質性的不利影響,「-如果我們不能獲得和維護中國在線業務所需的許可證和審批,我們的業務、財務狀況和經營結果可能會受到實質性的不利影響」和「項3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們的業務相關的風險-未能遵守政府法規和其他有關隱私、數據保護和網絡安全的法律義務可能會對我們造成處罰,損害我們的聲譽和品牌,並可能對我們的業務產生實質性和不利的影響,因爲我們在業務期間經常收集、存儲和使用數據。」

此外,就吾等過往向境外投資者發行證券而言,根據中國現行法律、法規及規則,截至本年度報告日期,吾等、吾等中國子公司及各VIE(I)毋須取得中國證監會或中國證監會的許可或完成向證監會的備案,(Ii)毋須由中國的網信辦進行網絡安全審查,及(Iii)吾等未曾獲得或被中國證監會或中國的網信辦拒絕該等必要許可。吾等的中國法律顧問已諮詢有關政府機關,該機關確認,根據現行有效的中國法律法規,在最新的網絡安全審查辦法公佈前已在外國證券交易所上市的公司,無需接受中國的網絡安全審查,即可在其證券已上市的外國證券交易所進行證券發行或維持其上市地位。因此,吾等相信,根據現行有效的中國法律及法規,吾等無須就中國進行證券發行或維持吾等在紐約證券交易所的上市地位而接受網信局的網絡安全審查。此外,2023年2月17日,證監會發布了《人民Republic of China關於境內企業境外發行上市備案管理安排的通知》,或《關於境外上市發行上市的通知》,《境內公司境外證券發行上市試行管理辦法》及五項相關指引,或《境外上市試行辦法》。《境外上市試行辦法》於2023年3月31日起施行。根據《境外上市試行辦法》,尋求以直接或間接方式在境外市場發行和上市證券的中國境內公司,必須向中國證監會履行備案程序並報告相關信息。根據《境外上市發行通知》,我公司等在2023年3月31日前已在境外市場上市的發行人無需立即備案。然而,根據境外上市試行辦法,此類發行人將被要求就未來在中國內地以外的證券發行和上市向中國證監會完成某些備案程序,包括中國後續行動發行、發行可轉換債券、私有化交易後的離岸再發行以及其他同等的發行活動。

 

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然而,中國政府最近表示,打算對像我們這樣的中國發行人在海外和/或外國投資進行的發行施加更多監管,並在這方面發佈了一系列規則,其中大部分規則的解釋和實施可能會發生變化。因此,中國政府當局未來將如何監管海外上市,以及我們未來的離岸發行是否需要完成中國證監會、中國網信辦或任何其他中國政府當局的備案或獲得任何具體監管批准,仍存在重大不確定性。如果我們無意中得出了不需要此類批准的結論,或者如果適用的法律、法規或解釋發生變化,要求我們在未來獲得此類批准,我們可能無法及時獲得此類必要的批准,或者根本無法獲得此類批准,即使獲得了此類批准也可能被撤銷。任何此類情況都可能使我們受到懲罰,包括罰款、暫停業務和吊銷所需的許可證,極大地限制或完全阻礙我們繼續向投資者提供證券的能力,並導致此類證券的價值大幅下降或一文不值。見「項目3.主要信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險-中國政府對我們業務運營的監督和酌情決定權可能導致我們的運營以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股價值發生重大不利變化。」

《追究外國公司責任法案》

根據《外國公司問責法》,如果美國證券交易委員會確定我們提交的審計報告是由連續兩年沒有接受PCAOB檢查的註冊會計師事務所出具的,美國證券交易委員會將禁止我們的股票或美國存託憑證在國家證券交易所或在非處方藥美國的交易市場。2021年12月16日,審計委員會發布報告,通知美國證券交易委員會,認定審計委員會無法檢查或調查總部設在內地中國和香港的完全註冊的會計師事務所,包括總部設在內地的我們的核數師中國。2022年10月,在我們提交年度報告表格後,美國證券交易委員會最終將我們列爲《HFCAA》下的委員會指定的發行商20-F截至2022年5月31日的財年。2022年12月15日,PCAOB發佈了一份報告,撤銷了2021年12月16日的裁決,並將內地中國和香港從無法檢查或調查完全註冊會計師事務所的司法管轄區名單中刪除。截至本年度報告之日,PCAOB尚未發佈任何新的認定,表明其無法檢查或調查總部位於任何司法管轄區的完全註冊的會計師事務所。出於這個原因,我們不期望在我們以表格形式提交本年度報告後,被確認爲HFCAA下的委員會確認的發行人20-F.每年,PCAOB都會決定是否可以對內地中國和香港等司法管轄區的審計公司進行全面檢查和調查。如果PCAOB未來確定它不再完全有權全面檢查和調查內地中國和香港的會計師事務所,而我們繼續使用總部設在這些司法管轄區之一的會計師事務所就我們提交給美國證券交易委員會的財務報表發佈審計報告,我們將在提交年度報告表格後被確定爲委員會識別的發行人20-F有關財政年度的。不能保證我們在未來任何財政年度都不會被指定爲歐盟委員會指定的發行商,如果我們連續兩年被指定爲發行人,我們將受到HFCAA禁止交易的約束。見「第3項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險因素--PCAOB歷來無法檢查我們的核數師爲我們的財務報表所做的審計工作,過去PCAOB無法對我們的核數師進行檢查,這剝奪了我們的投資者享受此類檢查的好處」和“-如果PCAOB無法檢查或調查全部位於中國的核數師,我們的美國存託憑證未來可能被禁止根據HFCAA在美國進行交易。美國存託憑證被除牌或面臨被除牌的威脅,可能會對您的投資價值產生重大和不利的影響。

 

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現金和資產在我們組織中的流動

新東方教育科技集團有限公司是開曼群島的一家控股公司,沒有自己的業務。我們在中國的業務主要通過我們的子公司和位於中國的VIE及其子公司和/或學校進行。因此,儘管我們有其他途徑獲得控股公司層面的融資,但新東方教育科技集團有限公司S向股東支付股息和償還其可能產生的任何債務的能力取決於我們中國子公司支付的股息和VIE支付的服務費。如果我們的任何附屬公司日後自行產生債務,則該等債務的管理工具可能會限制其向新東方教育科技集團有限公司支付股息的能力。此外,我們的中國子公司只能從按照中國會計準則和法規確定的留存收益(如有)中向新東方教育科技集團有限公司支付股息。此外,我們的中國附屬公司及VIE須向若干法定儲備基金撥款或可向若干酌情基金撥款,除非公司出現有償付能力的清盤情況,否則不得作爲現金股息分配。更多細節見「項目5.經營和財務回顧及展望--b.流動性和資本資源--控股公司結構」。

根據中國法律和法規,我們的子公司和VIE及其子公司和/或學校在向我們支付股息或以其他方式轉移其任何淨資產方面受到某些限制。外商獨資企業從中國匯出的股息,也要經過國家外匯管理局指定的銀行審核。此外,我們中國子公司和合並VIE向中國境外實體的現金轉移受中國政府對貨幣兌換的控制。因此,由於中國政府幹預或限制我們的控股公司、我們的子公司或綜合VIE的貨幣兌換能力,我們在中國的中國子公司或綜合VIE的資金可能無法用於中國以外的資金運營或其他用途。雖然目前香港對香港實體的現金調入或調出並無同等或類似的限制或限制,但如果中國的某些限制或限制日後適用於香港實體的現金調入及調出,我們香港實體的資金可能同樣不能用於資金運作或香港以外的其他用途。有關我們在中國業務資金流的相關風險,請參閱「第3項.主要信息-D.風險因素-與公司結構相關的風險-我們可能依賴全資子公司支付的股息和其他權益分配,爲我們可能有的任何現金和融資需求提供資金,」而我們的子公司或新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們付款的能力受到任何限制,都可能對我們開展業務的能力產生實質性的不利影響「和」第三項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-在中國做生意的風險-政府對貨幣兌換的控制可能會影響您的投資價值。“

根據中國法律,新東方教育科技集團有限公司只能通過出資或貸款向我們的中國子公司提供資金,並只能通過貸款向VIE及其子公司和/或學校提供資金,前提是我們必須滿足適用的政府登記,即我們不能進行直接出資。截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日止財政年度,新東方教育科技集團有限公司分別從我們的中間控股公司和子公司獲得282.1美元、290.0美元和1.5億美元的萬償還貸款。於截至2022年、2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止財政年度,新東方教育科技集團有限公司分別向我們的中間控股公司及附屬公司提供330.4美元、5,000萬美元及零貸款。

關於合併VIE的財務狀況、現金流量和經營業績的詳細信息,請參閱「項目3.主要信息-A精選財務數據-與合併關聯實體相關的財務信息」。

 

9


目錄表

我們目前沒有任何股息政策。見「項目8.財務信息--A.合併報表和其他財務信息--股利政策」。有關在我們的美國存託憑證中投資的中國和美國聯邦所得稅的考慮因素,請參閱「第10項.附加信息-E.稅收」。

我們目前沒有制定現金管理政策,規定資金在新東方教育科技集團、我們的子公司、VIE和投資者之間如何轉移。相反,這些資金可以根據適用的中國法律和法規進行轉移。

爲了說明起見,以下討論反映了中國內部可能需要繳納的假設稅款,假設:(I)我們有應稅收入,以及(Ii)我們是否決定在未來支付股息:

 

     稅制改革情景(1)
法定稅收制度和稅收標準
費率

假想的稅前 盈利(2)

   100%

按25%的法定稅率徵收所得稅(3)

   (25%)

可供分配的淨收益

   75%

預繳稅金,標準稅率爲10%(4)

   (7.5%)

對母公司/股東的淨分配

   67.5%

 

備註:

(1)

出於本例的目的,稅務計算已被簡化。假想的書稅前中國在不考慮時間差異的情況下,將收益金額假設爲等於應納稅所得額。

(2)

根據合同協議條款,我們的中國子公司可就向VIE提供的服務向VIE收取費用。該等費用應確認爲合併聯營實體的開支,並由我們的中國附屬公司將相應金額確認爲服務收入,並在合併中撇除。就所得稅而言,我們的中國子公司和VIE以獨立的公司基準提交所得稅申報單。已支付費用由VIE確認爲稅項扣減,並由我們的中國子公司確認爲收入,並假設VIE的所有利潤將根據稅收中性合同安排作爲費用分配給我們的中國子公司。

(3)

我們的某些子公司和VIE在中國有資格享受15%的優惠所得稅稅率。然而,這樣的費率是有條件的,是暫時性的,在未來支付分配時可能無法獲得。就這個假設的例子而言,上表反映了一個最高稅收方案,在該方案下,全額法定稅率將是有效的。

(4)

根據《中華人民共和國企業所得稅法》,外商投資企業向中國境外的直屬控股公司派發股息,徵收10%的預提所得稅。如果外商投資企業的直屬控股公司在香港或其他與中國有稅收條約安排的司法管轄區註冊,適用5%的較低預提所得稅稅率,但須在分配時進行資格審查。在這個假設的例子中,上表假設了一個最高徵稅方案,在該方案下將適用全額預扣稅。

上表乃假設VIE的所有利潤將根據稅務中性合約安排作爲費用分配予我們的中國附屬公司而編制。未來,如果VIE的累計收益超過支付給我們中國子公司的費用(或者如果公司間實體之間目前和預期的費用結構被確定爲非實質性並不被中國稅務機關允許),作爲最後的手段,VIE可以不可免賠額將滯留在VIE中的現金金額轉移至我們在中國的全資子公司。這將導致這種轉移是不可免賠額VIE的支出,但我們中國子公司的仍應納稅所得額。這樣的轉移和相關的稅收負擔將減少我們的稅後收入。

 

A.

選定的財務數據

我們精選的綜合財務數據

下表列出了我公司精選的合併財務數據。截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日的財政年度的選定綜合經營報表數據和截至2023年5月31日、2023年和2024年5月31日的綜合資產負債表數據來自我們經審計的綜合財務報表,這些數據包括在從第頁開始的本年度報告中F-1.截至2020年5月31日、2020年5月31日和2021年5月31日的財政年度的精選綜合經營報表數據和截至2020年5月31日、2021年和2022年5月31日的精選綜合資產負債表數據來自我們截至2020年、2020年、2021年和2022年5月31日的財政年度的經審計綜合財務報表,本年度報告中不包括這些數據。我們的歷史結果並不一定表明未來任何時期的預期結果。選定的綜合財務數據應結合本年度報告其他部分和「第5項.經營和財務回顧及展望--A.經營業績」中包括的我們的經審計綜合財務報表和相關附註閱讀,並通過參考其整體情況加以限定。我們經審計的綜合財務報表是根據美國公認會計原則或美國公認會計原則編制和呈報的。

 

10


目錄表
     截至5月31日的幾年裏,  
(以千美元計,份額和每股數據除外)    2020     2021     2022     2023     2024  

選定的合併運營報表數據:

          

淨收入:

          

淨服務收入

     3,529,650       4,230,638       3,050,022       2,544,729       3,500,998  

產品淨收入

     49,032       45,901       55,224       453,031       812,588  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

淨收入合計

     3,578,682       4,276,539       3,105,246       2,997,760       4,313,586  

運營成本和費用:(1)

          

收入成本

     (1,588,899     (2,036,875     (1,754,291     (1,409,438     (2,050,960

銷售和市場營銷

     (445,259     (600,778     (466,895     (444,693     (660,586

一般和行政

     (1,145,521     (1,489,826     (1,866,573     (953,583     (1,251,615
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

無形資產和商譽減值損失

     —        (31,794     —        —        —   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

選定的合併運營報表數據:

          

總運營成本和費用

     (3,179,679     (4,159,273     (4,087,759     (2,807,714     (3,963,161
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

營業收入/(虧損)

     399,003       117,266       (982,513     190,046       350,425  

其他收入/(支出):

          

利息收入

     116,117       141,511       123,542       114,453       153,589  

利息開支

     (4,627     (6,747     (4,050     (707     (298

長期投資的實現收益

     407       3,535       22,004       767       185  

長期投資減值損失

     (31,750     (40,207     (129,350     (8,056     (30,007

投資公允價值變動的(損失)/收益

     (18,451     (3,824     (14,933     (860     19,025  

子公司分拆虧損

     —        —        (79,609     —        —   

雜項(損失)/收入,淨額

     27,137       103,443       32,411       12,888       922  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

所得稅撥備:

          

當前

     (142,992     (127,313     (44,378     (97,594     (130,927

延期

     8,630       43,725       (91,934     31,528       21,237  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

所得稅撥備

     (134,362     (83,588     (136,312     (66,066     (109,690
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

權益法投資的(損失)/收益

     1,385       (1,368     (51,466     (7,102     (58,933
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

淨收益/(虧損)

     354,859       230,021       (1,220,276     235,363       325,218  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

減:應占淨(虧損)/收入 於非控股權益

     (58,474     (104,393     (32,555     58,022       15,627  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

應占新東方教育科技集團公司的淨利潤/(虧損)'股東

     413,333       334,414       (1,187,721     177,341       309,591  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

-基本

     0.26       0.20       (0.70     0.11       0.19  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

-稀釋

     0.26       0.20       (0.70     0.10       0.18  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

用於計算每股普通股基本淨利潤/(虧損)的加權平均股數(3)

     1,584,295,760       1,645,463,440       1,696,419,232       1,678,264,547       1,653,597,432  

用於計算每股普通股稀釋淨利潤/(虧損)的加權平均股(3)

     1,595,368,900       1,651,982,384       1,696,419,232       1,685,631,987       1,669,499,952  

 

(1)

以股份爲基礎的薪酬費用包括在我們的運營成本和費用中,具體如下:

 

     截至5月31日的幾年裏,  
     2020      2021      2022     2023      2024  
(單位:千美元)                                  

收入成本

     2,224        6,698        (131     2,749        19,967  

銷售和市場營銷

     4,227        6,922        (2,437     5,750        26,052  

一般和行政

     55,606        55,260        135,536       81,289        76,439  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

     62,057        68,880        132,968       89,788        122,458  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

11


目錄表
(2)

每個美國存托股份代表十股普通股。截至2020年及2021年5月31日止年度,用於計算每股普通股基本及攤薄淨收入的股份數目已作出追溯調整,以反映美國存托股份比率由一美國存托股份代表一股普通股改爲一美國存托股份代表十股普通股,並於2022年4月8日生效。

(3)

截至2020年5月31日止年度,用於計算基本及稀釋後每股普通股淨收入的股份數目已作出追溯調整,以反映10投1中股票拆分於2021年3月10日生效。

下表顯示了我們精選的截至2020年5月31日、2021年、2022年、2023年和2024年的綜合資產負債表數據:

 

     截至5月31日,  
(單位:千美元)    2020      2021      2022      2023      2024  

選定的綜合資產負債表數據:

              

現金及現金等價物

     915,057        1,612,211        1,148,637        1,662,982        1,389,359  

總資產

     6,556,885        10,151,053        6,034,666        6,392,458        7,531,673  

流動負債總額

     2,479,364        3,471,445        1,710,114        2,250,978        3,000,855  

總負債

     3,687,074        5,132,877        2,241,142        2,577,670        3,482,659  

新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司股東權益總額

     2,733,295        4,913,275        3,705,506        3,604,348        3,775,934  

非控股股東權益

     136,516        104,901        88,018        210,440        273,080  

權益總額

     2,869,811        5,018,176        3,793,524        3,814,788        4,049,014  

與合併關聯實體相關的財務信息

下表列出了合併的附屬實體和其他實體在本年度和截至所列日期的財務狀況簡明綜合時間表。

精選簡明綜合業務報表信息

 

     截至2024年5月31日止的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

第三方淨收入

     —        4,790       28,740       4,280,056       —        4,313,586  

公司間收入

     —        7,792       349,233       1,270       (358,295     —   

總運營成本和費用

     (101,276     (13,460     (264,345     (3,944,745     360,665       (3,963,161

子公司和VIE的收入/(虧損)

     538,168       454,874       253,793       —        (1,246,835     —   

其他收入,淨額

     46,212       99,623       91,491       45,622       (139,532     143,416  

所得稅前收入/(損失)和權益法投資損失

     483,104       553,619       458,912       382,203       (1,383,997     493,841  

所得稅撥備

     —        (5,369     (4,318     (100,003     —        (109,690

權益法投資(虧損)/收入

     (20,724     (10,082     280       (28,407     —        (58,933

淨收益/(虧損)

     462,380       538,168       454,874       253,793       (1,383,997     325,218  

 

12


目錄表
     截至2023年5月31日的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

第三方淨收入

     —        4,076       10,739       2,982,945       —        2,997,760  

公司間收入

     —        1,041       233,683       1,951       (236,675     —    

總運營成本和費用

     (93,715     (19,660     (277,970     (2,724,475     308,106       (2,807,714

子公司和VIE的收入/(虧損)

     313,226       325,515       359,445       —        (998,186     —   

其他收入,淨額

     27,495       4,768       14,211       143,225       (71,214     118,485  

所得稅前收入/(損失)和權益法投資損失

     247,006       315,740       340,108       403,646       (997,969     308,531  

所得稅撥備

     —        (2,219     (13,430     (50,417     —        (66,066

權益法投資(虧損)/收入

     (11,860     (295     (1,163     6,216       —        (7,102

淨收益/(虧損)

     235,146       313,226       325,515       359,445       (997,969     235,363  
     截至2022年5月31日的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

第三方淨收入

     —        7,265       4,641       3,093,340       —        3,105,246  

公司間收入

     —        4,706       322,697       45,976       (373,379     —   

總運營成本和費用

     (100,182     (36,084     (274,050     (4,038,886     361,443       (4,087,759

來自子公司和VIE的(虧損)/收入

     (1,057,770     (1,022,764     (1,088,225     —        3,168,759       —   

其他收入,淨額

     25,180       (15,184     14,621       (45,042     (29,560     (49,985

(損失)/所得稅前收入和權益法投資損失

     (1,132,772     (1,062,061     (1,020,316     (944,612     3,127,263       (1,032,498

所得稅撥備

     —        (195     (8,405     (127,712     —        (136,312

權益法投資(虧損)/收入

     (14,154     6,452       63       (43,827     —        (51,466

淨(虧損)/收入

     (1,146,926     (1,055,804     (1,028,658     (1,116,151     3,127,263       (1,220,276

精選簡明綜合資產負債表信息

 

     截至2024年5月31日  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
     其他
附屬公司
     主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
     已整合
附屬公司
實體
     淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

資產

                

現金及現金等價物

     190,801        48,387        406,571        743,600        —        1,389,359  

集團公司應付金額

     180,832        368,772        260,623        1,381        (811,608     —   

其他流動資產

     569,010        345,450        883,965        2,279,140        (78,046     3,999,519  

 

13


目錄表
     截至2024年5月31日  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
     其他
附屬公司
     主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
     已整合
附屬公司
實體
     淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

流動資產總額

     940,643        762,609        1,551,159        3,024,121        (889,654     5,388,878  

對子公司和VIE的投資

     310,319        409,901        —         —         (720,220     —   

財產和設備,淨額

     —         1,507        129,165        377,314        (5     507,981  

其他非流動資產

     52,185        107,032        255,427        1,286,405        (66,235     1,634,814  

非流動資產總額

     362,504        518,440        384,592        1,663,719        (786,460     2,142,795  

總資產

     1,303,147        1,281,049        1,935,751        4,687,840        (1,676,114     7,531,673  

負債

                

遞延收入

     —         5,003        46        1,775,131        (117     1,780,063  

應付集團公司的金額

     64,241        482,837        80,669        194,391        (822,138     —   

其他流動負債

     2,831        6,766        163,575        1,130,990        (83,370     1,220,792  

流動負債總額

     67,072        494,606        244,290        3,100,512        (905,625     3,000,855  

總負債

     81,475        494,824        249,168        3,562,817        (905,625     3,482,659  

權益總額

     1,221,672        786,225        1,686,583        1,125,023        (770,489     4,049,014  

負債和權益總額

     1,303,147        1,281,049        1,935,751        4,687,840        (1,676,114     7,531,673  

 

     截至2023年5月31日  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
     其他
附屬公司
     主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
     已整合
附屬公司
實體
     淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

資產

                

現金及現金等價物

     126,201        64,679        376,157        1,095,945        —        1,662,982  

集團公司應付金額

     180,832        371,274        358,914        28,493        (939,513     —   

其他流動資產

     700,724        237,940        538,891        1,272,377        973       2,750,905  

流動資產總額

     1,007,757        673,893        1,273,962        2,396,815        (938,540     4,413,887  

對子公司和VIE的投資

     225,854        412,218        —         —         (638,072     —   

財產和設備,淨額

     —         1,561        72,085        286,120        (6     359,760  

其他非流動資產

     117,001        96,016        473,015        932,779        —        1,618,811  

非流動資產總額

     342,855        509,795        545,100        1,218,899        (638,078     1,978,571  

總資產

     1,350,612        1,183,688        1,819,062        3,615,714        (1,576,618     6,392,458  

負債

                

遞延收入

     —         3,826        25,627        1,308,378        (201     1,337,630  

應付集團公司的金額

     67,914        482,613        104,842        292,157        (947,526     —   

其他流動負債

     1,770        4,182        74,866        832,530        —        913,348  

流動負債總額

     69,684        490,621        205,335        2,433,065        (947,727     2,250,978  

總負債

     84,338        490,621        208,104        2,742,334        (947,727     2,577,670  

權益總額

     1,266,274        693,067        1,610,958        873,380        (628,891     3,814,788  

負債和權益總額

     1,350,612        1,183,688        1,819,062        3,615,714        (1,576,618     6,392,458  

 

14


目錄表

精選簡明綜合現金流信息

 

     截至2024年5月31日止的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

現金淨額(用於經營活動)/由經營活動提供

     (4,488     (6,177     119,687       1,013,621       —        1,122,643  

向集團內實體提供貸款和資金池

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     1,500       —        —        —        (1,500     —   

對集團內實體的投資

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

其他投資活動

     106,435       (19,471     (6,161     (1,234,725     —        (1,153,922

投資活動提供/(用於)的現金淨額

     107,935       (19,471     (6,161     (1,234,725     (1,500     (1,153,922

集團內實體貸款和資金池的淨收益

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     —        (1,500     —        —        1,500       —   

集團出資收益

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

其他融資活動

     (147,648     3,931       —        (16,721     —        (160,438

淨現金(用於融資活動)/由融資活動提供

     (147,648     2,431       —        (16,721     1,500       (160,438

 

     截至2023年5月31日的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

現金淨額(用於經營活動)/由經營活動提供

     (7,474     (6,377     332,336       652,523       —        971,008  

向集團內實體提供貸款和資金池

     (50,000     —        —        —        50,000       —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     290,000       280,000       —        —        (570,000     —   

對集團內實體的投資

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

其他投資活動

     (16,052     (137,595     (178,675     294,911       —        (37,411

投資活動提供/(用於)的現金淨額

     223,948       142,405       (178,675     294,911       (520,000     (37,411

集團內實體貸款和資金池的淨收益

     —        50,000       —        —        (50,000     —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     —        (290,000     (280,000     —        570,000       —   

集團出資收益

     —        —        —        —        —        —   

其他融資活動

     (240,392     12,878       —        (19,353     —        (246,867

 

15


目錄表
     截至2023年5月31日的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰      已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

淨現金(用於融資活動)/由融資活動提供

     (240,392     (227,122     (280,000     (19,353     520,000        (246,867

 

     截至2022年5月31日的年度  
     新的
東方
教育與
技術
Group Inc.
    其他
附屬公司
    主要
受益人

已整合
附屬公司
實體
    已整合
附屬公司
實體
    淘汰     已整合
 
    

美元

(單位:千)

 

經營活動提供的(用於)現金淨額

     7,682       (3,470     233,032       (1,517,697     —        (1,280,453

向集團內實體提供貸款和資金池

     (330,364     (330,364     (155,917     —        816,645       —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     282,132       282,132       466       —        (564,730     —   

對集團內實體的投資

     —        (44,269     —        —        44,269       —   

其他投資活動

     28,247       (24,610     (9,825     1,174,720       —        1,168,532  

淨現金(用於投資活動)/由投資活動提供

     (19,985     (117,111     (165,276     1,174,720       296,184       1,168,532  

集團內實體貸款和資金池的淨收益

     —        330,364       330,364       155,917       (816,645     —   

償還集團內實體的貸款

     —        (282,132     (282,132     (466     564,730       —   

集團出資收益

     —        —        44,269       —        (44,269     —   

其他融資活動

     (221,997     —        (8,861     —        —        (230,858

淨現金(用於融資活動)/由融資活動提供

     (221,997     48,232       83,640       155,451       (296,184     (230,858

 

B.

資本化和負債化

不適用。

 

C.

提供和使用收益的原因

不適用。

 

D.

風險因素

風險因素摘要

投資我們的美國存託憑證和/或普通股涉及重大風險。在投資我們的ADS和/或普通股之前,您應仔細考慮本年度報告中的所有信息。與總部位於中國大陸並在中國大陸開展業務相關的所有運營風險也適用於我們在香港的業務。關於「風險因素-與在中國開展業務相關的風險」項下的風險因素中討論的與總部位於中國並在中國開展業務相關的法律風險,本年度報告中討論的法律、法規和中國政府當局的自由裁量權預計將適用於中國實體和企業,而不是根據與中國大陸不同的法律運營的香港實體或企業。以下列表總結了其中一些(但不是全部)風險。

 

16


目錄表

與我們的業務相關的風險

 

   

世界末日的結束K-9學術AST服務遵守法規的發展已經並可能繼續對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營結果和前景產生重大和不利影響。如果不能有效和高效地管理現有業務和新業務的變化,可能會對我們利用新業務機會的能力產生重大不利影響。見“項目3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們業務有關的風險-停止K-9學術AST服務遵守法規的發展已經並可能繼續對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營結果和前景產生重大和不利影響。如未能有效及有效地管理現有業務及新業務的變更,可能會對我們把握新業務機會的能力造成重大不利影響“,詳情請參閱第19和20頁。

 

   

如果我們不能成功地執行我們的業務戰略,我們的業務和前景可能會受到實質性的不利影響。有關詳情,請參閱第20頁「項目3.主要資料-D.風險因素--與我們業務有關的風險--如果我們未能成功執行我們的業務策略,我們的業務和前景可能會受到重大和不利的影響」。

 

   

中國民辦教育行業相關法律、法規和政策的解釋和實施,或擬對其進行的修改,存在重大風險。特別是,我們遵守了中國政府有關部門發佈的《關於進一步減輕義務教育階段學生家庭作業和課後輔導負擔的意見》和《實施辦法》,已經並可能進一步對我們產生重大不利影響。見“第3項.主要信息-D.風險因素-與本公司業務相關的風險-在解釋和實施或建議修改中華人民共和國有關私立教育行業的法律、法規和政策方面存在重大風險。特別是,我們遵守了中國政府有關部門發佈的《關於進一步減輕義務教育階段學生家庭作業和課後輔導負擔的意見》及其實施辦法,已經並可能進一步對我們產生重大不利影響,詳情見第21和22頁。

 

   

如果我們不能在不大幅降低課程費用的情況下吸引學生註冊我們的課程,我們的收入可能會下降,我們可能無法保持盈利。有關詳細信息,請參閱第22頁的「項目3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們的業務相關的風險-如果我們不能在不大幅降低課程費用的情況下吸引學生註冊我們的課程,我們的收入可能會下降,我們可能無法保持盈利能力」。

 

   

我們的業務有賴於我們的「新東方」品牌,如果我們不能維護和提升我們的品牌,我們的業務和經營業績可能會受到損害。有關詳情,請參閱第22和23頁「項目3.主要資料-D.風險因素-與我們業務有關的風險-我們的業務有賴於我們的」新東方「品牌,如果我們不能維持和提升我們的品牌,我們的業務和經營業績可能會受到損害」。

與我們的公司結構相關的風險

 

   

我們爲開曼群島控股公司,並無於VIE擁有股權,我們於中國的業務主要透過(I)我們的中國附屬公司、(Ii)與吾等訂立合約安排的VIE及(Iii)VIE的附屬公司及/或學校進行。因此,我們美國存託憑證及/或普通股的投資者並不是在購買中國的VIE的股權,而是在購買一家在開曼群島註冊成立的控股公司的股權。如果中國政府認爲與VIE的合同安排不符合中國對相關行業的外國投資的監管限制,或者如果這些法規或現有法規的解釋在未來發生變化,我們可能會受到嚴厲的懲罰或被迫放棄我們在該等業務中的權益。我們的控股公司、我們的中國子公司和VIE以及我們公司的投資者面臨中國政府未來可能採取的行動的不確定性,這些行動可能會影響與VIE的合同安排的可執行性,從而顯著影響VIE和我們公司作爲一個集團的財務業績。有關詳情,請參閱第38至41頁「第3項.主要資料-D.風險因素-與本公司架構有關的風險-若中國政府發現確立本公司部分中國業務營運架構的協議不符合與相關行業相關的適用中國法律及法規,或如果該等法規或對現有法規的解釋在未來有所改變,吾等可能會受到嚴厲懲罰或被迫放棄於該等業務中的權益」。

 

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我們在中國的業務依賴於合同安排,這在提供運營控制方面不如直接所有權。有關詳情,請參閱第41和42頁「第3項主要資料-D.風險因素-與本公司架構有關的風險-我們在中國的業務依賴合約安排,但在提供營運控制方面不如直接所有權」。

 

   

吾等執行吾等與可變權益實體股東之間的股權質押協議的能力可能會受到基於中國法律及法規的限制。有關詳情,請參閱第42頁「第3項主要資料-D.風險因素-與本公司架構相關的風險-吾等執行吾等與可變權益實體股東之間的股權質押協議的能力可能受到基於中國法律及法規的限制」。

 

   

新東方中國的唯一股東世紀友誼的控股股東可能與我們有潛在的利益衝突,如果任何該等利益衝突得不到對我們有利的解決,我們的業務可能會受到實質性的不利影響。詳情見第42及43頁「主要資料-D.風險因素-與本公司架構有關的風險-新東方中國唯一股東世紀友誼的控股股東可能與吾等存在潛在利益衝突,如該等利益衝突未能以有利於吾等的方式解決,吾等的業務可能會受到重大不利影響」。

在中國做生意的相關風險

 

   

我們在中國的業務受中國法律法規管轄。某些法律法規相對較新,可能會在很少提前通知的情況下迅速變化。此外,許多法律、法規和規則的解釋和執行可能會發生變化,這可能會限制現有的法律保護。此外,中國行政和法院當局在解釋和實施或執行法定規則和合同條款方面擁有酌情權,可能很難預測行政和法院訴訟的結果以及我們在中國可能享有的法律保護水平。這些不確定性可能會影響我們對法律要求的相關性的判斷,以及我們對爲完全遵守這些要求而採取的措施和行動的決定,並可能影響我們執行合同或侵權權利的能力。詳情見第47頁「關鍵信息-D.風險因素--中國經商的風險--執法的不確定性,以及中國法律法規的變化可能對我們產生不利影響」。

 

   

我們主要在中國開展業務。我們在中國的業務受中國法律法規管轄。中國政府對我們業務的運作擁有重大的監督和酌情決定權,並可能隨時影響我們的運營,這可能導致我們的運營和我們的美國存託憑證價值發生重大不利變化。此外,直接針對我們業務的全行業法規的實施可能會導致我們證券的價值大幅下降。中國政府可能會對中國發行人的海外發行和/或外國投資施加更多控制權,這可能會導致我們的業務和/或我們證券的價值發生實質性變化。中國政府對境外和/或外國投資中國發行人的發行施加更多監督和控制的任何行動,都可能顯著限制或完全阻礙我們向投資者提供或繼續提供證券的能力,並導致此類證券的價值大幅縮水或變得一文不值。因此,我們公司和我們業務的投資者面臨中國政府採取的影響我們業務的行動的潛在不確定性。有關詳情,請參閱第48頁「第3項主要資料-D.風險因素-與在中國營商有關的風險-中國政府對我們業務運作的監管和酌情決定權,可能導致我們的業務以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股價值出現重大不利變化」。

 

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根據中國法律,吾等的離岸發行可能需要獲得中國證監會或其他中國政府機構的批准並向其備案,如有需要,吾等無法預測吾等能否獲得該等批准或完成該等備案或可能需要多長時間。詳情請參閱第51及52頁「第3項主要資料-D.風險因素-與在中國營商有關的風險-根據中國法律,吾等的離岸發行可能需要獲得中國證監會或其他中國政府機關的批准及備案,如有需要,吾等無法預測吾等能否取得該等批准或完成該等備案或可能需要多長時間」。

 

   

PCAOB歷來無法檢查我們的核數師爲我們的財務報表所做的審計工作,而PCAOB過去無法對我們的核數師進行檢查,使我們的投資者失去了此類檢查的好處。見第57頁「第3項.主要信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險--PCAOB歷來無法就我們的財務報表審計工作對我們的核數師進行檢查,而PCAOB過去無法對我們的核數師進行檢查使我們的投資者失去了這種檢查的好處」

 

   

如果PCAOB無法全面檢查或調查位於中國的核數師,我們的美國存託憑證可能會被禁止在未來在美國進行交易。美國存託憑證的退市或其被退市的威脅,可能會對您的投資價值產生實質性的不利影響。見“第3項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與在中國做生意有關的風險--如果PCAOB無法全面檢查或調查位於中國的核數師,我們的美國存託憑證未來可能被禁止在美國進行交易。美國存託憑證的退市或其退市的威脅,可能會對您的投資價值產生重大和不利的影響

與我們的美國存託憑證和普通股相關的風險

 

   

與許多其他在香港聯合交易所上市的公司相比,我們在某些事項上採取了不同的做法。有關詳情,請參閱第59頁「第3項主要資料-D.風險因素-與我們的美國存託憑證及普通股有關的風險-我們在某些事項上採取與許多其他在香港聯交所上市的公司不同的做法」。

 

   

我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格一直並可能繼續波動,這可能會給我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的持有者帶來重大損失。詳情見第59頁和第60頁「項目3.主要信息-D.風險因素-與我們的美國存託憑證和普通股相關的風險--我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格一直並可能繼續波動,這可能會給我們的普通股和美國存託憑證持有人造成重大損失」。

 

   

如果證券或行業分析師發佈關於我們業務的負面報告,我們普通股和美國存託憑證的價格和交易量可能會下降。詳情見第60頁「第3項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素--與我們的美國存託憑證和普通股相關的風險--如果證券或行業分析師發佈有關我們業務的負面報告,我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的價格和交易量可能下降」。

與我們的業務相關的風險

世界末日的結束K-9學術AST服務遵守法規的發展已經並可能繼續對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營結果和前景產生重大和不利影響。如果不能有效和高效地管理現有業務和新業務的變化,可能會對我們利用新業務機會的能力產生重大不利影響。

爲配合《減輕負擔意見》及其實施措施,我們已停止提供K-92021年底,中國的學術AST服務。這種停止對我們截至2022年5月31日的財年的財務業績產生了實質性的不利影響。鑑於中國的監管事態發展,除了停止我們的K-9除了學術AST服務,我們已經對現有業務進行了改變,包括關閉一些學校和學習中心,並實施員工優化計劃,同時執行新的業務戰略。截至2024年5月31日,學校和學習中心的總數爲1025所,而截至2021年5月31日的學校和學習中心總數爲1669所。

 

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我們已經並將繼續將重點轉向與教育產品和服務無關的產品和服務K-9學術AST服務,如備考課程、留學諮詢服務、教材和分銷,並利用我們在經營歷史上積累的品牌認知度和教育資源,探索其他商業機會。例如,我們的新業務計劃包括非學術輔導、智能學習系統和設備、學習旅行和研究營地、教育材料和數字化智能學習解決方案,以及旨在幫助擁有專科文憑的學生獲得學士學位的備考課程。我們可能會繼續在中國的不同地理位置開展業務,這已經並將繼續導致對我們的管理、師資以及運營、技術和其他資源的大量需求。我們在全國範圍內的持續運營也將對我們提出重大要求,以保持我們的教學質量和我們的文化的一致性,以確保我們的品牌不會因爲我們的教學質量的任何下降而受損,無論是實際的還是感知的。此外,我們的在線教育平台Koolearn.com繼續向成人和大學生提供在線教育服務,並在新的領域尋找商業機會。2022財年,East Buy(前身爲Koolearn)成立了一個電子商務平台名稱爲East Buy(東方購)。東方甄選)通過直播活動銷售農產品和其他產品。East Buy在銷售自有品牌產品和直播方面取得了顯著進展電子商務2023財年和2024財年的業務。我們還在文化和旅遊市場探索商機。爲了管理和支持我們業務和未來增長戰略的變化,我們必須繼續改善我們現有的運營、行政和技術系統以及我們的財務和管理控制,並招聘、培訓和留住更多合格的教師、管理人員和其他行政、銷售和營銷人員,特別是在我們進入新領域的時候。我們不能向您保證,我們將能夠有效和高效地管理我們的運營,招聘和留住合格的教師、管理人員和其他關鍵人員,並將新業務整合到我們的運營中。任何未能有效和有效地管理業務變化的行爲都可能對我們把握新商機的能力產生重大不利影響,進而可能對我們的財務狀況和經營業績產生重大不利影響。

如果我們不能成功地執行我們的業務戰略,我們的業務和前景可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

在停戰之後K-9自2021年底以來,我們已經轉移了我們的業務重點,以擴展我們剩餘的計劃、服務和產品,以經濟高效和及時的方式更新和擴展我們的計劃、服務和產品的內容,投資於新的業務計劃,以及保持並繼續與互補業務建立戰略關係。由於競爭、未能有效營銷我們的新計劃、服務和產品並保持其質量和一致性,或其他因素,我們的計劃、服務和產品在產品類型方面的擴展和新業務計劃的啓動可能不會成功。此外,我們可能無法確定具有足夠增長潛力的新城市來擴展我們的網絡,並且我們可能無法吸引學生和增加學生入學人數,也無法爲我們的新項目或產品和服務招聘、培訓和保留合格的教師或員工。對我們的計劃、服務和產品的需求可能不會像我們預期的那樣快速增長。

此外,我們可能無法以商業上合理的條款及時開發或許可更多內容,或者根本無法跟上市場需求的變化。如果我們不能成功地執行我們的業務戰略,我們的業務和前景可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

 

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中國民辦教育行業相關法律、法規和政策的解釋和實施,或擬對其進行的修改,存在重大風險。特別是,我們遵守了中國政府有關部門發佈的《關於進一步減輕義務教育階段學生家庭作業和課後輔導負擔的意見》和《實施辦法》,已經並可能進一步對我們產生重大不利影響。

中國的私立教育行業,尤其是課後輔導行業,經歷了嚴格的審查,並受到了重大監管變化的影響。特別是2021年7月24日國務院辦公廳、中國共產黨中央辦公廳聯合印發的《關於進一步減輕義務教育階段學生家庭作業和課後輔導負擔的意見》或《減輕負擔意見》,對課後輔導機構提出了一系列經營要求,其中包括:(一)地方政府不再批准任何新的爲義務教育階段學生提供學業科目輔導服務的課後輔導機構或學術性AST機構,現有的學術性AST機構一律註冊爲非營利組織,地方政府不再批准新的課外輔導機構爲兒童提供學科輔導服務學齡前兒童10至12年級的兒童和學生;(Ii)向當地教育行政部門備案的在線學術AST機構將受到審查和重新審批(3)禁止學術類AST機構上市或進行任何資本化活動,禁止上市公司通過資本市場籌資活動投資學術類AST機構,禁止上市公司通過支付現金、發行證券等方式收購學術類AST機構的資產;(4)禁止境外資本通過併購、委託經營、加入特許經營或可變利益實體等方式控股或參股學術類AST機構;(5)禁止上市公司通過資本市場融資活動投資學術類AST機構,或以支付現金或發行證券的方式收購學術類AST機構的資產;(4)禁止境外資本通過併購、委託經營、加入特許經營或可變利益實體等方式控股或參股學術類AST機構;(5)禁止上市公司通過資本市場融資活動投資學術類AST機構,或以支付現金或發行證券的方式收購學術類AST機構的資產;(4)禁止境外資本通過併購、委託經營、加入特許經營或可變利益實體等方式控股或參股學術類AST機構;非學術輔導,地方主管部門應當針對不同的輔導類別確定相應的主管部門,制定標準並批准有關規定非學術(六)對課後輔導機構經營的其他合規要求,包括但不限於課後輔導機構在國家節假日、週末和寒暑假期間不得提供輔導服務的要求,以及對課後輔導機構的風險管控要求。預採集課後輔導機構收取的費用。《減負意見》進一步規定,對十年級至十二年級學生的學科輔導機構的管理監督,參照《減負意見》有關規定執行。此外,2022年2月8日,中國教育部在其網站上發佈了2022年的重點任務,其中明確,對十年級至十二年級學生的學科輔導管理,參照義務教育階段學生學科輔導管理的有關規定嚴格執行。關於如何以及在多大程度上參照《減負意見》對十年級至十二年級學生的學術科目輔導機構進行管理,目前尚不確定。因此,我們不能向您保證,我們不會被要求就我們爲十至十二年級學生提供的學業輔導服務採取進一步行動,以遵守《減輕負擔意見》及其實施措施,也不能保證我們能夠及時或完全完全遵守有關我們爲十至十二年級學生提供的學業輔導服務的任何進一步或詳細要求。任何不遵守這些要求的行爲都可能使我們面臨罰款、其他處罰、退款和負面宣傳,在最糟糕的情況下,我們可能不得不停止爲十年級至十二年級的學生提供學業輔導服務,這可能會對我們的業務運營、財務狀況和運營業績造成重大和不利的影響。詳情見「第四項公司資料-b.業務概述-規章制度-民辦教育規章制度-課後輔導條例」。

爲落實《減負意見》,2021年9月7日,中國教育部在其官方網站上公佈,中國教育部會同另外兩個政府部門發出通知,要求所有學術類AST機構完成註冊爲非營利組織到2021年底,各學術類AST院校在完成註冊前,暫停招生並收費。此外,2022年,中國教育部等部門進一步發佈了關於規範非學術課後培訓機構。此外,2023年8月,中國教育部發布了《行政處罰暫行辦法》校外輔導,於2023年10月15日起施行,對違法行爲的行政處罰提出了一般性要求校外任何自然人、法人或其他組織爲3歲以上的學齡前兒童和中小學生提供的輔導。2024年2月8日,中國教育部發布《關於校外輔導(徵求意見稿)。截至本年度報告之日,條例草案尚未生效。由於這些關於實施減輕負擔意見的法規和規則是不斷變化和不確定的,它們的解釋和實施可能會發生變化,我們不能向您保證,我們不會被要求就我們的輔導服務採取進一步的行動來遵守這些法規和規則,也不能保證我們能夠及時或完全地完全遵守關於我們的輔導服務的任何進一步或詳細的要求。如果我們不遵守這些要求,我們可能會被罰款、其他懲罰、退還學生和負面宣傳,在最壞的情況下,我們可能不得不停止相關的輔導服務,這可能會對我們的業務運營、財務狀況和運營業績造成重大和不利的影響。詳情見「第四項公司資料-b.業務概述-規章制度-民辦教育規章制度-課後輔導條例」。

 

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我們的業務、財務狀況、經營結果和前景一直受到並可能繼續受到我們迄今爲遵守減輕負擔意見及其實施措施而採取的行動的重大和不利影響。我們一直密切關注不斷變化的監管環境,並正在努力尋求政府當局的指導並與其合作,以遵守減輕負擔的意見及其實施措施。在其他方面,我們停止了K-92021年底,我們將在中國的所有學校和學習中心提供學術AST服務,包括關閉一些學校和學習中心,並在必要時進行裁員,以維持我們的持續運營。在截至2022年5月31日的財年,由於終止租賃、解僱員工和我們根據監管發展採取的其他行動,我們產生了相當大的成本和支出。由於複雜和不斷變化的監管環境,我們不能向您保證我們的業務將完全符合當地政府當局施加的適用法律、法規、政策和要求,包括及時或根本不符合《減輕負擔意見》及其實施措施。我們可能會受到罰款或其他處罰,或被要求終止某些業務,以及負面宣傳、政府當局的調查、向學生退款、某些許可證被吊銷以及對我們正在進行的許可證申請的負面影響,這些情況的每一次發生都可能對我們的業務、財務狀況和運營結果產生實質性和不利的影響。

我們正在繼續努力遵守這些法規和實施的要求。然而,我們不能向您保證,我們將能夠及時遵守這些要求,或者根本不能。例如,雖然我們認爲通過我們的智能學習系統和設備提供數字教育資源不應被視爲課後輔導活動,我們也沒有收到政府主管部門的任何通知,表明此類活動被視爲課後輔導活動,但我們不能向您保證,政府主管部門不會與我們的觀點相反。如果通過我們的智能學習系統和設備提供數字學術教育資源被視爲課後輔導活動,我們的智能學習系統和設備提供的學術教育資源將K-9學生應遵守與學業課後輔導有關的所有規定,其中包括減輕負擔的意見。我們的智能學習系統和設備的中國運營實體可能被視爲學術AST機構,由於《減輕負擔意見》禁止外資擁有學術AST機構的所有權,包括通過合同安排,這些實體將被禁止由我們控制。如果我們未能遵守這些要求和任何其他適用的監管要求,我們可能會被罰款、監管命令暫停我們的運營以及其他監管和紀律制裁,甚至命令放棄我們的合同安排,所有這些都可能對我們的業務和運營結果產生實質性的不利影響。此外,我們不能向您保證,中國對我們目前經營的業務不會有任何新的規章制度,或者該等新的規章制度不會對我們的業務運營進行進一步的調整,如果發生這種變化,我們的業務運營可能會受到不利影響。

如果我們不能在不大幅降低課程費用的情況下吸引學生註冊我們的課程,我們的收入可能會下降,我們可能無法保持盈利。

我們教育業務的成功主要取決於我們課程的學生註冊人數和學生願意支付的課程費用。因此,我們有能力在不大幅降低課程費用的情況下吸引學生報名參加我們的課程,這對我們業務的持續成功和增長至關重要。這將取決於幾個因素,包括我們開發新課程和增強現有課程以響應法規發展、市場趨勢和學生需求的能力、保持我們教學質量的一致性、有效地向更廣泛的潛在學生推銷我們的課程、開發和授權更多高質量的教育內容以及應對競爭壓力。如果我們無法在不大幅降低課程費用的情況下吸引學生註冊我們的課程,我們的收入可能會下降,我們可能無法保持盈利。

我們的業務有賴於我們的「新東方」品牌,如果我們不能維護和提升我們的品牌,我們的業務和經營業績可能會受到損害。

我們相信,「新東方」品牌的市場知名度對我們業務的成功做出了重要貢獻。我們也相信,保持和提升「新東方」品牌對於保持我們的競爭優勢至關重要。我們爲中國各個年齡段的學生提供一套多樣化的項目、服務和產品。我們未來的業務戰略是開發新的計劃、服務和產品,並將我們的觸角伸向新的領域,這可能會使我們更難保持質量和一致性。

 

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我們主要依靠的是口碑引薦以吸引未來的學生。我們還利用各種營銷和促銷活動,如在線演示課程、社交媒體促銷活動和戶外廣告活動來宣傳我們的品牌和課程。然而,我們不能向您保證,這些或我們的其他營銷努力將成功地促進我們的品牌保持競爭力。如果我們不能進一步提高我們的品牌認知度和對我們的計劃、服務和產品的認知度,或者如果我們產生了過高的營銷和推廣費用,我們的業務和運營結果可能會受到實質性的不利影響。此外,任何與我們公司或我們的計劃和服務有關的負面宣傳,無論其真實性如何,都可能損害我們的品牌形象,進而對我們的業務和經營業績產生實質性的不利影響。

我們依賴於我們敬業和能幹的教職員工,如果我們不能在整個學校網絡中保持一致的教學質量,或者我們整個品牌、業務和運營結果的服務質量可能會受到實質性和不利的影響。

我們的教師和員工對保持我們的課程、服務和產品的質量以及維護我們的品牌和聲譽至關重要。對我們來說,關鍵是繼續吸引對所教學科領域有很強掌握的合格教師,並符合我們的資質和具有強大專業能力的工作人員。我們還需要聘請能夠提供創新和鼓舞人心的指導或優質服務的教師和工作人員。我們還必須爲我們的教師和工作人員提供持續的培訓,使他們能夠跟上學生需求、招生和評估測試、招生標準和其他必要的關鍵趨勢的變化,以便有效地教授各自的課程或提供服務。我們可能無法聘請、培訓和保留足夠的合格教師或員工,以跟上我們預期的發展步伐,同時保持我們教育服務的一致教學質量或我們其他服務的服務質量。此外,中國的法律法規要求我們的教師和工作人員在教授語文、數學、英語、物理、化學、傳記、歷史、地理等學科時必須持有必要的執照,教師如果執教也必須具有相關資格。非學術研究對象。然而,我們不能向您保證,由於各種原因,如招聘和新招聘的教師參加考試並最終獲得教師資格證書或相關資格,以及教師資格考試和其他資格考試的取消和延遲,我們的教師都能及時或根本地申請並獲得教師資格證書和相關資格。如果我們的一些教師由於各種原因不能及時申請和領取所需的教師執照,或者根本不能,我們可能會被要求糾正這種情況不遵守規定而且可能無法繼續留住這樣的教師。在我們的一個或多個市場,合格教師和/或員工的短缺或我們的教學或服務質量下降,無論是實際的還是感知的,都可能對我們的業務產生實質性的不利影響。

我們過去的財務和經營業績並不代表我們未來的業績;我們的財務和經營業績很難預測。

我們的淨收入從截至2022年5月31日的財年的31.052億美元減少到截至2023年5月31日的財年的29.978億美元,並在截至2024年5月31日的財年增加到43.136億美元。對我們的業務和前景的任何評估都必須考慮到與最近課後輔導服務市場監管政策變化相關的風險。此外,由於K9學術AST服務於2021年底停止,以及我們開發或收購的任何新業務,我們過去的業績可能不能預示未來的業績。這些新業務的盈利能力和現金產生能力存在很大的不確定性。除了上述波動外,我們的收入、支出和經營業績可能會因季度和年度的不同而變化,以應對我們無法控制的各種其他因素,包括:

 

   

一般經濟狀況;

 

   

中國關於提供民辦教育服務的規定或行爲;

 

   

對我們、我們的競爭對手或我們的行業進行有害的負面宣傳;

 

   

改變消費者的消費模式;以及

 

   

非複發性與收購或其他非常交易或意外情況有關的費用。

 

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由於這些和其他因素,我們認爲逐個週期對我們經營業績的比較可能不能預示我們未來的業績,因此您不應依賴它們來預測我們普通股或美國存託憑證的未來業績。此外,由於我們開發或收購了新業務,我們過去的業績可能不能預示未來的業績。

我們可能無法從最近和未來的收購中獲得我們預期的好處,最近和未來的收購可能會對我們管理業務的能力產生不利影響。

作爲我們業務戰略的一部分,我們已經並打算繼續進行選擇性的戰略收購,以補充我們現有的業務。 收購使我們面臨潛在風險,包括與我們現有業務的資源轉移相關的風險、成功整合被收購業務的困難、被收購業務未能實現預期增長以及無法產生足夠的收入來抵消收購的成本和支出。如果我們期望通過收購實現的收入和成本協同效應不能實現,我們可能不得不確認減值費用。

如果上述任何一個或多個與收購相關的風險成爲現實,我們的收購可能對我們沒有好處,並可能對我們的業務、財務狀況和運營結果產生重大不利影響。

第三方過去曾根據我們或我們的老師編寫和/或分發的書籍和其他教學或營銷材料的內容對我們提出知識產權侵權索賠,並可能在未來對我們提出類似的索賠。

我們可能會受到教育機構和組織、內容提供商和出版商、競爭對手和其他人的索賠,理由是基於我們或我們的教師編寫和/或作爲課程材料分發的材料的內容的知識產權侵權、誹謗、疏忽或其他法律理論。這些類型的索賠在過去曾針對印刷出版物和教育機構提出過,有時是成功的,包括我們自己。例如,2001年1月,研究生管理招生委員會(GMAC)和教育考試服務機構(ETS)向北京市第一中級人民法院分別提起了三起訴訟,指控我們未經授權複製、銷售和分發考試材料,侵犯了GMAC擁有的GMAT考試和ETS擁有的GRE和TOEFL考試的版權和商標。2003年9月,初審法院發現,我們在這些招生考試中侵犯了GMAC和ETS各自的版權和商標。北京市高級人民法院2004年12月作出的終審判決部分確認了初審法院的判決。北京市高級人民法院認爲,我們沒有濫用GMAC或ETS的商標。然而,調查還發現,託福和GRE考試是ETS的原創作品,GMAT考試是GMAC的原創作品,均受中國著作權法保護。北京市高級人民法院認爲,未經ETS和GMAC事先許可,複製、銷售和分發與這些測試相關的測試材料,不是根據中國著作權法對測試材料的「合理使用」,因此我們侵犯了ETS和GMAC各自的著作權。我們被勒令支付總計約650萬元人民幣的損害賠償金,停止一切侵權活動,銷燬我們擁有的所有侵犯版權的材料,所有這些我們都已經做了。自2004年北京市高級人民法院作出終審判決以來,我們一直努力遵守法院命令和適用的中國知識產權法律法規,並已採取政策和程序,禁止我們的員工和承包商從事任何侵犯版權、商標或商號的活動。然而,我們不能向您保證,在我們的學校、學習中心或我們提供課程、服務和產品的其他地點或媒體,每一位教師或其他人員都會嚴格遵守這些政策。

爲了開發、改進、推廣和提供新的產品和服務,我們與各種領先的國際教育內容提供商合作,並不時需要從他人那裏獲得許可證。例如,我們與劍橋大學出版社、牛津大學出版社、教育測試服務公司、CEngage學習和其他教育內容提供商合作,以中國的形式分發他們的教育材料。有了這樣高質量的教育內容,我們進一步開發本地化產品,最好地服務於中國市場上數以百萬計的學生和家庭的需求。不能保證我們將能夠繼續以商業上合理的條款或完全不能保證我們能夠獲得許可證,也不能保證根據任何許可證授予的權利將是有效和可強制執行的。

 

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我們還參與了針對我們的其他索賠和法律程序,涉及侵犯我們分發的材料的第三方版權,以及與我們的節目營銷和推廣相關的未經授權使用第三方名稱的行爲,未來可能會受到進一步索賠的影響,特別是考慮到知識產權法律法規的解釋和應用可能發生的變化。此外,如果我們或我們的教師編寫和/或分發的印刷出版物或其他材料包含政府當局認爲令人反感的材料,這些出版物可能不得不召回,這可能會導致支出增加、收入損失和負面宣傳。任何針對我們的索賠,無論有沒有正當理由,都可能耗費時間和成本,進行辯護或訴訟,分散我們管理層的注意力和資源,或者導致與我們品牌相關的商譽損失。如果針對我們的訴訟成功,我們可能被要求支付大量損害賠償金和/或簽訂可能不是基於商業合理條款的特許權使用費或許可協議,或者我們可能根本無法達成此類協議。我們還可能失去或被限制提供我們的一些計劃、服務和產品的權利,或者被要求對我們的課程材料或網站進行更改。因此,我們的課程範圍可能會縮小,這可能會對我們的教學效果產生不利影響,限制我們吸引新學生的能力,損害我們的聲譽,並對我們的運營結果和財務狀況產生實質性的不利影響。

如果我們不能防止知識產權的損失、挪用或糾紛,我們可能會失去我們的競爭優勢,我們的聲譽、品牌和運營可能會受到損害。

我們認爲,我們的商標和商號對於我們繼續發展和提高品牌認知度的能力來說是無價的。20多年來,我們通過強調質量和一致性,並在學生和家長中建立信任,來打造我們的「新東方」品牌。我們的商標和商號不時被第三方用於與我們無關的其他品牌計劃、服務和產品,或作爲其一部分使用。我們過去曾向此類第三方發出停止和停止函,今後也將繼續這樣做。然而,防止商標和商號侵權是困難、昂貴和耗時的,而且無關的第三方繼續未經授權使用我們的商標和商號可能會損害我們的聲譽和品牌。此外,我們花費了大量的時間和費用來開發或許可和本地化我們的教育材料的內容,以豐富我們的產品供應並滿足學生的需求。不能保證競爭對手不會獨立開發類似的知識產權。如果其他人能夠複製和使用我們的程序和服務,我們可能無法保持我們的競爭地位。我們爲保護我們的商標、版權和其他知識產權而採取的措施,目前是基於商標、版權和商業祕密法律的組合,可能不足以防止第三方未經授權使用。此外,中國在國內外適用知識產權的法律是不確定的,也是不斷髮展的,可能會給我們帶來重大風險。如果我們不能充分保護我們的商標、版權和其他知識產權,我們可能會失去這些權利,我們的品牌可能會受到損害,我們的業務可能會受到實質性的影響。

我們經營的每個行業都面臨着激烈的競爭,如果我們不能有效地競爭,我們可能會失去我們的市場份額,我們的盈利能力可能會受到不利影響。

中國的私立教育部門高度分散,競爭激烈。我們在我們提供的每個主要項目和我們運營的每個地理市場都面臨着競爭。例如,我們在中國面臨着來自專注於備考服務的公司的競爭。

由於激烈的競爭,我們的學生入學人數可能會減少。我們的一些競爭對手可能比我們擁有更多的資源和經驗。這些競爭對手可能會比我們投入更多的資源來開發、推廣和銷售他們的項目、服務和產品,並比我們對學生需求、測試材料、招生標準或新技術的變化做出更快的反應。此外,我們還面臨着來自許多不同規模的組織的競爭,這些組織專注於我們的一些目標市場,他們或許能夠更快地對這些市場中學生偏好的變化做出反應。我們還面臨着來自提供在線備考服務的在線教育服務提供商的競爭。這些在線教育服務提供商利用在線直播技術等先進技術,快速、經濟地向大量學生提供他們的節目、服務和產品。爲了留住或吸引學生或尋求新的市場機會,我們可能不得不降低課程費用或增加支出,以應對競爭,這可能會導致我們的收入和盈利能力下降。

我們還面臨着來自其他直播的激烈競爭電子商務球員們。我們的一些競爭對手可能擁有比我們更長的運營歷史和更多的財務、技術和營銷資源,或者在吸引和留住消費者和商業合作伙伴方面具有優勢。此外,我們的競爭對手可能比我們擁有更大的消費者基礎或更成熟的品牌,因此將能夠更有效地利用他們的消費者基礎和品牌來進行直播活動和運營電子商務公事。

 

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我們不能向您保證我們將能夠成功競爭並發展我們的業務。如果我們不能保持我們的競爭地位或以其他方式有效地應對競爭壓力,我們可能會失去我們的市場份額,我們的盈利能力可能會受到不利影響。

我們面臨着與衛生流行病和其他疫情有關的風險,這可能導致我們的學校、學習中心和書店減少出勤率或暫時關閉。

我們的業務可能會受到衛生流行病的實質性和不利影響,例如新的變種COVID-19,H1N1豬流感、H7N9禽流感、禽流感、嚴重急性呼吸系統綜合症(SARS)、埃博拉或其他疾病。例如,我們被要求不時關閉某些地區的學習中心,因爲這些地區出現了新的新冠肺炎是在2020年底到2022年之間被發現的。中國未來如果爆發任何不良的公共衛生事態發展,可能會對我們的業務運營產生實質性的不利影響。這些事件可能會導致取消或推遲招生,並要求我們暫時關閉學校、學習中心和書店,同時我們仍有義務支付這些設施的租金和其他費用,從而嚴重擾亂我們的業務運營,並對我們的流動性、財務狀況和運營結果產生實質性和不利的影響。

我們曾經經歷過,也可能經歷過利潤率的下降。

許多因素可能會導致我們的毛利率和淨利潤下降。學術界AST機構的課後輔導業務的監管發展導致我們的毛利率和淨利潤率下降。我們的營業利潤率在截至2023年5月31日的財年轉爲正數,並在截至2024年5月31日的財年繼續改善。然而,不能保證我們未來將能夠保持或提高我們的營業利潤率。此外,新業務的利潤率可能與過去不同,新的投資和收購可能會導致我們的利潤率下降,然後我們才能成功地將收購的業務整合到我們的業務中,並實現這些投資和收購的全部好處。由於這些因素,我們未來的利潤率可能會下降。

我們開發的新程序、服務和產品可能會與我們現有的產品競爭。

我們正在不斷開發新的課程、服務和產品,以滿足學生需求的變化,並應對考試材料、招生標準、市場需求和趨勢以及技術變化的變化。雖然我們開發的一些計劃、服務和產品將擴展我們現有的課程和增加學生入學人數,但其他課程可能會與我們現有的課程競爭或使其過時,而不會增加我們的總學生入學人數。例如,我們的在線課程可能會吸引學生離開我們現有的基於課堂的課程。如果我們不能擴大我們的課程、服務和產品,同時增加我們的學生總數和盈利能力,我們的業務和增長可能會受到不利影響。

我們的業務受到季節性或其他我們無法控制的因素引起的波動的影響,這可能會導致我們的經營業績在每個季度之間波動。這可能導致波動性,並對我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的價格產生不利影響。

我們已經經歷了,並預計將繼續經歷我們的收入和運營結果的季節性波動,這主要是由於教育業務和其他一些服務領域的學生入學人數的季節性變化。我們的備考課程往往在我們每年6月1日至8月31日的第一財季獲得最高收入,主要是因爲有相當多的學生在暑假期間報名參加我們的課程,爲入學和評估考試做準備。然而,我們的費用各不相同,我們的某些費用並不一定與我們的學生入學人數和收入的變化相對應。例如,我們全年在營銷和推廣、教師招聘和培訓以及產品開發方面進行投資,並根據租賃協議的條款支付設施租金。此外,其他我們無法控制的因素,包括健康流行病和在我們的學生入學人數通常較高的季度發生的特殊事件,可能會對我們的學生入學人數產生負面影響。例如,新冠肺炎自2020年初以來的大流行對我們2020年第三財季和第四財季的財務和經營業績產生了不利影響。我們預計我們的收入和經營業績的季度波動將繼續下去。這些波動可能導致波動,並對我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的價格產生不利影響。隨着我們收入的增長,這些季節性波動可能會變得更加明顯。

 

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我們的聲譽、經營結果、財務狀況以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格可能會受到負面宣傳或其他不利行爲的影響。

關於我們未能或被認爲未能遵守法律和監管要求、涉嫌會計或財務報告違規、監管審查和進一步的監管行動或訴訟的負面宣傳可能會損害我們的聲譽,導致我們發生巨額成本,分散我們管理層的注意力,並導致我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格大幅下降和波動。例如,2021年7月24日,中國的官方媒體,包括新華社和中國中央電視臺,公佈了中國共產黨中央辦公廳、國務院辦公廳印發的《減負意見》。《減輕負擔意見》包含有關課後輔導服務要求和限制的高級指示。在《減負意見》發佈前後,我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格大幅下降。在我們於2024年7月25日宣佈名人直播人董宇輝先生離職,並將時代與宇輝(北京)科技有限公司出售給董東先生後,我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格大幅下跌,我們被無數的投資者問詢淹沒。此外,我們的某些董事由於目前或以前在其他上市公司擔任董事職務而受到集體訴訟。我們的董事和高管也可能面臨與他們作爲董事或我們公司高管的身份無關的訴訟或訴訟(包括指控或未來的證券集體訴訟),該等訴訟或訴訟可能會對我們的公衆形象和聲譽造成不利影響。

我們可能繼續成爲針對我們的負面宣傳和其他有害行爲的目標。此類行爲包括向監管機構提出的關於我們的運營、會計、收入和監管合規的匿名或非匿名投訴。此外,任何表明身份或匿名的個人或實體都可以在互聯網上發佈針對我們的指控。由於此類第三方行爲,我們可能會受到政府或監管機構的調查或調查,並可能需要花費大量時間和大量成本爲自己辯護,並且不能保證我們能夠在合理的時間內或根本不對每一項指控進行最後反駁。我們的聲譽也可能因公開傳播對我們的指控或惡意聲明而受到負面影響,這反過來可能對我們的業務、運營結果和財務狀況以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格產生重大不利影響。

未能對考試材料、招生標準和中國學校課程法律法規的變化做出充分和及時的反應,可能會導致我們的計劃、服務和產品對學生的吸引力降低,或者使我們受到整改措施的影響。

招生和評估考試在科目和考試的重點、考試的形式和考試的實施方式方面不斷變化。這些變化要求我們不斷更新和改進我們的課程材料和教學方法。2017年12月,中國教育部發布了《2017年高中課程方案和課程標準》,並於2020年5月進行了進一步修訂,2018年8月進一步發佈了《關於高中新課程和新教材實施工作的意見》,兩份意見都規定,中國教育部制定了全國新的高中課程體系,並組織編寫了一批基於新課程體系的新教材,從2019年9月起在部分省份採用,到2022年9月逐步推廣到所有其他省份。2021年8月25日,中國教育部辦公廳印發了《中小學生課外輔導材料管理辦法(試行)》。見「項目4.公司信息-b.業務概述-規章制度-私立教育條例-課後輔導條例」。

我們調整我們的輔導計劃和教材,以適應不時頒佈的新課程和輔導材料要求。然而,我們不能保證我們能夠或我們將遵守所有這些要求,任何不能及時或根本不能遵守任何要求,可能會導致我們採取糾正措施,暫停使用輔導材料,甚至吊銷我們的私立學校經營許可證,這可能會對我們的業務、財務狀況和經營業績造成重大和不利的影響。此外,如果不能及時、經濟高效地跟蹤和應對這些變化,將降低我們的課程、服務和產品對學生的吸引力,這可能會對我們的聲譽和繼續吸引學生而不大幅降低課程費用的能力造成實質性的不利影響。

 

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如果學院、大學和其他高等教育機構減少對招生和評估考試的依賴,我們可能會經歷對我們的服務和產品的需求減少,我們的業務可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

中國招生考試的使用可能會減少或失去教育機構和政府部門的青睞。例如,中國的教育機構和政府當局已經在中國的招生問題上進行了討論和早期試驗。一般來說,這些討論和實驗顯示出一種趨勢,即錄取決定不是基於入學考試成績,而是更多地結合其他因素,如過去的學業成績、課外活動和綜合能力評估。如果我們不對這些變化作出反應,對我們某些服務的需求可能會下降,我們的業務可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

在美國,關於招生和評估測試在評估申請者資格方面的作用一直存在爭議,許多人批評使用招生和評估測試是對某些考生的不公平歧視。如果大量教育機構放棄使用現有的招生和評估考試作爲入學要求,而不用其他招生和評估考試取而代之,我們對海外備考課程的需求可能會減少,我們的業務可能會受到不利影響。

我們可能無法履行關於遞延收入的義務,這可能會影響我們的現金/流動資金狀況。

我們對遞延收入的確認受未來業績義務的約束,可能不代表未來期間的收入。我們的教育項目和服務的學費通常是預先收取的,最初記錄爲遞延收入,將在服務交付時確認。由於未來客戶偏好的潛在變化和法規的未來變化,以及我們需要令人滿意地提供產品支持和其他服務,任何特定日期的遞延收入可能不代表任何當前或未來期間的實際收入。任何未能履行與遞延收入有關的義務都可能對我們的經營業績和流動性產生不利影響。

我們受到長期投資和短期投資的公允價值變化的影響,以及由於使用不可觀察到的投入而產生的不確定性。

由於市場狀況或其他原因,長期投資和短期投資的公允價值波動可能會對我們的經營業績產生不利影響。例如,我們在截至2023年5月31日的財政年度錄得長期投資公允價值變動虧損90萬美元,在截至2024年5月31日的財政年度錄得長期投資公允價值變動收益1900萬美元。

在評估我們的長期投資時,我們可能會使用重大的不可觀察的信息,如被投資人的歷史收益、缺乏市場性的折扣、被投資人到首次公開募股的時間以及相關的波動性。這些假設本質上是不確定和主觀的,需要我們做出重大估計,這可能會受到重大變化的影響,因此固有地涉及一定程度的不確定性。任何不可觀察到的投入的變化可能會對公允價值產生重大影響。

我們的業務很難評估,因爲我們從一些新服務中獲得淨收入的經驗有限。

從歷史上看,我們的核心業務一直是爲成人提供英語語言培訓,以及爲大學生和研究生提供備考課程。我們通過內部開發和外部投資擴大了我們的產品。到目前爲止,其中一些業務還沒有產生重大或任何利潤,我們缺乏快速應對變化、成功競爭以及在這些領域維持和擴大我們的品牌而不損害我們在其他領域的品牌的經驗。例如,在2022財年,East Buy(前身爲Koolearn)成立了電子商務平台名稱爲East Buy(東方購)。東方甄選)通過直播活動銷售農產品和其他產品。East Buy在銷售自有品牌產品和直播方面取得了顯著進展電子商務2023財年和2024財年的業務。我們不能向您保證,通過East Buy的直播活動將繼續受歡迎,並如我們預期的那樣產生越來越多的淨收入。因此,您可以根據有限的運營歷史來評估這些相對較新的運營的業務和前景。

 

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我們的高級管理團隊和其他關鍵人員的持續努力對我們的成功至關重要,如果我們失去他們的服務,我們的業務可能會受到損害。

對我們來說,擁有高級管理團隊的持續服務是很重要的,特別是我們的創始人兼執行主席餘敏洪先生,他自1993年我們成立以來一直是我們的領導者。如果我們的一名或多名高管或其他關鍵人員無法或不願意繼續擔任他們目前的職位,我們可能無法輕易更換他們,我們的業務可能會中斷。在我們的直播領域,招聘有經驗的私立教育管理人員和有影響力的直播主持人電子商務業務激烈,合格的候選人庫非常有限,我們可能無法留住我們高管或關鍵人員的服務,也可能無法吸引和留住高素質的高管或關鍵人員。此外,如果我們的高級管理團隊的任何成員或我們的任何其他關鍵人員加入競爭對手或組成競爭對手的公司,我們可能會失去教師、學生、關鍵專業人員和工作人員。我們的每一位高管和關鍵員工都有保密和競業禁止限制。然而,如果我們的任何高級管理人員或關鍵人員與我們之間發生任何糾紛,可能很難成功地對這些個人採取法律行動。

我們依靠實況轉播者來主持直播會議。我們可能無法吸引新的名人直播人員或留住現有的名人直播人員,這可能會對我們的直播產生不利影響電子商務公事。

我們依靠直播人員通過各種直播帳戶來主持直播會議。我們直播的成功電子商務業務受到直播人員受歡迎程度的影響。擁有更多粉絲的直播者在推廣產品時能夠接觸到更廣泛的受衆,並引導更多的潛在消費者購買此類產品。特別是,自2024年1月開通以來,以名人直播人董宇輝先生爲品牌名稱運營的直播帳戶獲得了極大的人氣,吸引了廣泛的消費者。2024年7月,北京迅成、董宇輝先生與時代與宇輝(北京)科技有限公司,或主要從事「與宇輝的時光」品牌業務的北京迅成的全資子公司時代宇輝達成協議,根據該協議,北京迅成同意出售時代與宇輝100%的股權,而董宇輝先生同意收購時代的100%股權。於2024年8月,時代與宇輝不再是東購的合併關聯實體,時代與宇輝的財務業績不再併入東購的合併財務報表。

如果我們的任何名人直播者的受歡迎程度下降,或者我們無法留住他們,我們的GMV就有下降的風險。我們不能向您保證,我們的名人直播師將能夠保持他們的人氣,或者我們的其他直播師將能夠提高他們的人氣,或者我們能夠吸引新的名人直播師或保留我們現有的名人直播師。如果未能做到這一點,將對我們的業務、前景、財務業績和運營結果產生實質性的不利影響。

我們很大一部分收入來自中國的某些城市。任何負面影響這些城市私立教育行業的事件都可能對我們的整體業務和運營結果產生實質性的不利影響。

在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,我們淨收入總額的很大一部分來自我們在北京、杭州、廣州和南京的業務,我們預計這些城市將繼續成爲我們收入的重要來源。如果這些城市中的任何一個經歷了對其私立教育行業產生負面影響的事件,例如嚴重的經濟低迷、自然災害或傳染病的爆發,或者如果這些城市中的任何一個採用了與私立教育相關的法規,對我們施加了額外的限制或負擔,我們的整體業務和經營業績可能會受到實質性的不利影響。例如,新冠肺炎2022年奧密克戎變異導致的復興對我們在中國某些城市的運營造成了不利影響。

 

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如果我們不能不斷增強我們的在線課程、服務和產品以及在線教育系統,並使其適應快速的技術變化和學生需求,我們可能會失去市場份額,我們的業務可能會受到不利影響。

在線教育項目、服務和產品市場的特點是快速的技術變化和創新,如人工智能,以及不可預測的產品生命週期和用戶偏好。我們必須迅速修改我們的計劃、服務和產品,以適應不斷變化的學生需求和偏好、技術進步和不斷髮展的互聯網實踐,以便在在線教育市場上成功競爭。持續增強我們的在線產品和相關技術可能會帶來巨大的費用和技術風險。我們可能無法有效地使用新技術,或無法及時、經濟高效地調整我們的在線產品或服務及相關技術。此外,我們在2014年開發了我們的OMO標準化數字課堂教學系統,此後已演變爲補充和支持學生線下學習活動的在線教育系統。Omo代表在線-合併-離線,這意味着整合我們的線下學校和學習中心網絡以及在線教育系統,以促進我們的運營效率。我們已經在我們的全面教育服務產品中應用了OMO系統。如果我們對在線產品和在線教育系統及相關技術的改進被推遲、導致系統中斷或與市場預期或偏好不符,我們可能會失去市場份額,我們的業務可能會受到不利影響。

如果不能根據2002年《薩班斯-奧克斯利法案》第404節對財務報告進行有效的內部控制,可能會對我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的交易價格產生重大的不利影響。

我們受美國證券法規定的報告義務的約束。根據2002年薩班斯-奧克斯利法案第404節的要求,美國證券交易委員會通過了規則,要求每一家上市公司在其年度報告中包括一份關於該公司財務報告內部控制的管理報告,其中包含管理層對公司財務報告內部控制有效性的評估。此外,獨立註冊會計師事務所必須證明並報告公司財務報告內部控制的有效性。儘管我們的管理層得出結論,我們的獨立註冊會計師事務所報告稱,截至2024年5月31日,我們對財務報告保持了有效的內部控制,但我們不能向您保證,我們將持續保持對財務報告的有效內部控制。如果我們未能對財務報告保持有效的內部控制,我們將無法得出結論,我們的獨立註冊會計師事務所將無法根據2002年的薩班斯-奧克斯利法案在我們未來的年度報告表格中報告我們對財務報告實施有效的內部控制。20-F涵蓋發生此故障的會計年度。對財務報告進行有效的內部控制對於我們編制可靠的財務報告是必要的。任何未能對財務報告保持有效的內部控制都可能導致投資者對我們財務報表的可靠性失去信心,進而可能對我們普通股和美國存託憑證的交易價格產生重大不利影響。此外,隨着我們的業務和運營進一步擴大,或爲了補救未來可能發現的任何重大控制缺陷,我們可能需要產生額外的成本並使用額外的管理和其他資源。

我們的一些教學設施沒有責任或業務中斷保險,由於我們的學生或其他人在我們的設施中受傷而向我們提出的責任索賠可能會對我們的聲譽和財務業績造成不利影響。

我們可能要爲學校、學習中心和其他設施發生的事故負責,包括我們組織某些夏令營活動的室內設施,以及我們不時爲學生租賃的臨時住宿設施。在以下情況下現場如果學生或其他人遭受食物中毒、人身傷害、火災或其他事故,我們可能會面臨指控,稱我們疏忽、監管不足或對傷害負有其他責任。我們目前在一些教學設施中沒有責任保險或業務中斷保險。由於我們的學生或其他人在我們的設施中受傷而向我們提出的責任索賠如果成功,可能會對我們的聲譽和財務業績造成不利影響。即使不成功,這樣的索賠也可能導致不利的宣傳,需要大量成本進行辯護,並將我們管理層的時間和注意力從我們的業務運營中轉移出來。

我們計算機系統或網站的容量限制或系統中斷、任何網絡安全事件或學生或消費者數據泄露都可能損害我們的聲譽,限制我們留住學生和增加學生入學人數或吸引和留住消費者的能力,並要求我們花費大量資源。

我們在線課程基礎設施的性能和可靠性對於我們的聲譽和留住學生、增加學生入學率以及吸引和留住消費者的能力至關重要。任何系統錯誤或故障,或流量突然大幅增加,都可能導致我們的學生或消費者難以訪問我們的網站,或者我們的在線程序或服務不可用。儘管我們使用彈性雲計算是爲了及時擴展我們的在線課程基礎設施以滿足對此類課程的需求,但隨着我們業務的持續發展,我們無法向您保證這足以滿足學生日益增長的需求。我們的計算機系統和操作可能會因我們無法控制的事件(包括自然災害和電信故障)而中斷或故障。我們使用各種雲數據中心,使我們能夠在嚴重損壞的情況下快速恢復服務 現場 計算機中心。

 

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儘管我們爲我們的操作數據構建了一個在不同服務器上運行的備份系統,但如果數據庫系統或備份系統出現故障,我們仍可能丟失重要的學生或消費者數據,或遭受操作中斷。爲了確保我們的數據的機密性和完整性,包括機密的學生、家長、教職員工和消費者信息,我們已經採取了安全措施和內部政策來保護這些數據。然而,我們的計算機網絡可能容易受到未經授權的訪問、黑客攻擊、計算機病毒和其他安全問題的攻擊。電腦黑客可能會試圖侵入我們的網絡安全和我們的網站。我們過去經歷過幾次計算機攻擊,儘管它們並沒有對我們的行動造成實質性影響。未經授權訪問我們的專有業務信息或客戶數據可能會通過以下方式獲得入室盜竊,未經授權的一方破壞、破壞我們的安全網絡、計算機病毒、計算機拒絕服務攻擊、員工盜竊或濫用、對我們第三方提供商網絡安全的破壞或其他不當行爲。由於計算機程序員使用的技術可能試圖滲透和破壞我們的網絡安全或我們的網站,他們使用的技術經常變化,可能在針對目標啓動之前無法識別,因此我們可能無法預測這些技術。規避安全措施的用戶可能會盜用專有信息或導致操作中斷或故障。如果我們系統的技術故障或安全漏洞泄露了學生數據,包括身份或聯繫信息,我們可能會遭受經濟和聲譽損害,甚至承擔法律責任,儘管過去沒有任何實質性的損害。我們計算機系統或操作的任何中斷都可能對我們留住學生和增加學生入學人數或吸引和留住消費者的能力產生實質性的不利影響。

我們可能需要花費大量資源來防範安全漏洞的威脅或緩解這些漏洞造成的問題,這些漏洞會增加我們的業務成本,並最終對我們的財務狀況和運營結果產生不利影響。

不遵守有關隱私、數據保護和網絡安全的政府法規和其他法律義務可能會使我們受到處罰,損害我們的聲譽和品牌,並可能對我們的業務產生實質性和不利的影響,因爲我們在業務期間經常收集、存儲和使用數據。

我們在運營期間定期收集、存儲和使用數據。在互聯網和移動平台上收集、存儲、共享、使用、處理、披露和保護個人信息和其他數據以及隱私保護和網絡安全方面,我們受中國法律法規的約束。

 

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2021年6月,全國人大常委會頒佈了《中華人民共和國數據安全法》,並於2021年9月起施行。《中華人民共和國數據安全法》等對可能影響國家安全的數據相關活動規定了安全審查程序。2021年12月28日,中國網信辦會同其他部門聯合發佈了《網絡安全審查辦法》,自2022年2月15日起施行,取代了前身規定。根據《網絡安全審查辦法》,採購互聯網產品和服務的關鍵信息基礎設施運營商和從事數據處理活動的網絡平台運營商,如果其活動影響或可能影響國家安全,必須接受網絡安全審查。《網絡安全審查辦法》進一步規定,持有百萬以上用戶個人信息的網絡平台經營者,在境外證券交易所公開發行股票前,應當向網絡安全審查辦公室申請網絡安全審查。有關政府機關如認爲有關營運者的網絡產品或服務或數據處理活動影響或可能影響國家安全,可對有關營運者發起網絡安全審查。根據國務院於2021年7月30日公佈並於2021年9月1日起施行的《關鍵信息基礎設施安全保護條例》,關鍵信息基礎設施是指公共通信和信息服務、能源、通信、水利、金融、公共服務等重要行業或領域的任何重要網絡設施或信息系統,電子政務事務和國防科學,一旦發生損壞、功能喪失或數據泄露,可能危及國家安全、民生和公共利益。此外,每個關鍵行業和部門的相關管理部門或保護部門負責制定資格標準,確定各自行業或部門的關鍵信息基礎設施運營者。應通知操作員關於他們是否被歸類爲關鍵信息基礎設施操作員的最終決定。截至本年度報告之日,沒有任何保護部門發佈任何詳細規則或執行情況,我們作爲關鍵信息基礎設施運營商也沒有得到任何政府當局的通知。此外,目前監管制度下「關鍵信息基礎設施運營商」的確切範圍仍不清楚,中國政府當局可能在其權力範圍內在解釋和執行適用法律方面擁有廣泛的酌情決定權。因此,根據中國法律,我們是否會被視爲關鍵信息基礎設施運營商還不確定。如果根據中國網絡安全法律和法規,我們被視爲關鍵信息基礎設施運營商,我們可能除了履行中國網絡安全法律和法規規定的義務外,還必須承擔其他義務。2021年11月,中國領導的網信辦發佈了《互聯網數據安全管理條例(徵求意見稿)》或《數據安全條例草案》,其中規定,數據處理者是指數據處理者在其數據收集、存儲、利用、傳輸、發佈、刪除等數據處理活動中,對數據處理的目的和方式享有自主權的個人或組織。根據數據安全條例草案,數據處理者應申請對某些活動進行網絡安全審查,其中包括(I)處理超過100萬個人個人信息的數據處理者在境外上市,以及(Ii)任何影響或可能影響國家安全的數據處理活動。然而,截至本年度報告發布之日,有關部門尚未澄清判斷一項活動是否是「影響或可能影響國家安全」的標準。此外,《數據安全條例(草案)》要求,數據處理商在境外處理「重要數據」或在境外上市的,必須自行或委託數據安全服務商進行年度數據安全評估,並於每年1月底前將上一年度的評估報告報送市網絡安全部門。截至本年度報告發布之日,《數據安全條例》草案僅供公衆徵求意見,其各自的條款和預期通過或生效日期可能會因重大不確定性而發生變化。2022年9月14日,中國領導的網信辦公佈了《關於修改中華人民共和國網絡安全法的決定(徵求意見稿)》或《中華人民共和國網絡安全法修正案草案》,其中加重了違反網絡安全義務和關鍵信息基礎設施運營者義務的法律責任。截至本年度報告發布之日,《中華人民共和國網絡安全法修正案(草案)》僅公開徵求意見,其各自條款和預期通過或生效日期可能會發生重大變化,存在重大不確定性。根據吾等中國法律顧問田源律師事務所的意見,於本年報日期,吾等、吾等中國子公司及各VIE無須就本公司以往向外國投資者發行證券一事接受中國的網絡安全審查。

2021年8月20日,全國人大常委會公佈了《個人信息保護法》,自2021年11月1日起施行。《個人信息保護法》旨在保護個人信息權益,規範個人信息處理,依法保障個人信息有序自由流動,促進個人信息合理利用。根據《個人信息保護法》,個人信息包括通過電子或其他方式記錄的與自然人有關的各種可識別或可識別的信息,但不包括去識別信息。個人信息保護法還明確了敏感個人信息的處理規則,包括生物識別、宗教信仰、特定身份、醫療健康、金融帳戶、蹤跡和地點,以及14歲以下青少年的個人信息和其他個人信息,這些信息一旦泄露或非法使用,很容易侵犯人身尊嚴或損害生計和財產安全。個人信息處理者應當對其個人信息處理活動承擔責任,並採取必要措施保障其處理的個人信息的安全。否則,將責令個人信息處理人員改正或者暫停、終止提供服務,沒收違法所得,處以罰款或者其他處罰。

 

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2022年7月7日,中國網信辦發佈《數據跨境轉移安全評估辦法》,自2022年9月1日起施行。《辦法》規定,從中國產生或在中國收集的關鍵數據或個人數據的四種跨境轉移應接受安全評估,其中包括:(一)使用數據處理器將重要數據轉移到海外;(二)通過關鍵信息基礎設施運營商或處理超過100萬個人個人信息的數據處理器將個人信息轉移到海外;(三)自前一年1月1日起累計轉移超過10萬人的個人信息到海外,或累計轉移超過1萬人的敏感個人信息到海外;(四)國家網信辦規定需要對數據跨境轉移進行安全評估的其他情形。我們已根據《跨境轉移數據安全評估辦法》,向網信辦申請對中國在業務運營中跨境轉移某些數據進行安全評估。然而,這些措施在實踐中的解讀和實施可能會發生變化,包括網信辦對中國的評估結果。

我們一直在評估與網絡安全、隱私、數據保護和信息安全相關的法律、法規和政策對我們當前業務實踐的潛在影響。所有這些法律和法規可能會給我們帶來額外的費用和義務,並使我們受到負面宣傳,這可能會損害我們的聲譽,並對美國存託憑證和普通股的交易價格產生負面影響。此外,基於(I)《數據安全條例草案》和《中華人民共和國網絡安全法修正案(草案)》尚未正式通過,兩者的實施和解釋可能發生變化,(Ii)我們沒有參與中國網信辦發起的任何網絡安全審查調查,也沒有收到任何中國主管監管機構與網絡安全、數據安全和個人數據保護有關的任何查詢、通知、警告或處罰,我們認爲,截至本年度報告日期,據我們所知,我們的業務運營符合中國現行有效的與網絡安全、數據安全、根據我們在所有實質性方面的法律和個人資料及私隱法律,並基於我們中國法律顧問田源律師事務所的意見,除非另有披露,否則我們可能會受到懲罰,違反有關隱私、數據保護和網絡安全的政府法規和其他法律義務,損害我們的聲譽和品牌,並可能對我們的業務產生實質性和不利的影響,因爲我們在業務過程中經常收集、存儲和使用數據,“我們的業務在所有重大方面均符合中國網信辦的許可和批准要求。我們已經並將繼續採取合理措施遵守這些法律法規。這些法律法規的範圍正在演變,可能會頒佈進一步的實施細則和解釋。我們預計中國在網絡安全、數據保護、個人信息保護和隱私方面的法規將變得越來越嚴格。我們不能向您保證,我們能迅速調整我們的業務以適應需求。我們也不能向您保證,我們的員工不會違反任何有關保護個人信息和其他數據以及網絡安全的中國法律法規。如果我們或我們的任何員工不能及時遵守網絡安全、網絡數據安全和個人信息保護的要求,或者根本不遵守,我們可能會受到政府的執法行動和調查,罰款,處罰,暫停我們的不合規除其他制裁外,我們的業務或我們的應用程序從相關應用程序商店下架,或消費者權益倡導團體或其他人對我們提起訴訟,刑事指控或負面宣傳,可能會對我們的業務和運營結果產生重大不利影響,顯著限制或完全阻礙我們繼續向投資者提供證券的能力,或導致此類證券的價值大幅縮水。見「項目4.公司信息-b.業務概述-法規-與隱私、數據保護和網絡安全相關的法規」。

我們的廣告和促銷內容可能會使我們受到處罰和其他行政行爲。

根據中國廣告、定價、消費者權益保護和反不正當競爭法律法規,我們有義務監督我們的廣告和促銷內容,以確保該等內容真實、準確並完全符合適用的法律和法規。例如,禁止教育或培訓廣告包含保證通過考試或教育或培訓的效果、科研院所、學術機構、教育組織、行業協會、專業人士或受益人使用其名稱或形象進行推薦和/或背書等內容。此外,根據最近的監管要求,不得在主流媒體、新媒體、公共空間和居民區展示的網絡平台和廣告牌上發佈或播放與課後輔導服務相關的廣告。此外,廣告應當準確描述產品信息,包括其功能、組成、價格、用途、產地、質量等信息,不得欺騙、誤導顧客。中國的廣告法律法規也對廣告進行禁止和限制。例如,禁止在廣告中使用「最好的」、「最好的」等最高級的措辭。違反這些法律法規,我們可能會受到處罰,包括罰款、沒收我們的廣告收入、責令停止傳播廣告和責令發佈更正誤導性信息的公告。在涉及我們嚴重違規行爲的情況下,中國政府當局可能會迫使我們終止廣告業務或吊銷我們的執照。見「項目4.公司信息-b.業務概述-規章-與廣告和促銷有關的規章」。

雖然我們已作出重大努力以確保我們的廣告和促銷完全符合適用的中國法律和法規,但我們不能向您保證該等廣告和促銷材料中包含的所有內容都符合相關的法律、法規和監管要求,特別是考慮到政府當局在這方面的監管收緊。我們不遵守現有和未來的法律、法規和監管要求,可能會受到罰款、處罰、糾正和其他監管措施的影響。

 

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恐怖襲擊、地緣政治不確定性、經濟放緩以及涉及美國、英國和其他地方的國際衝突可能會阻礙更多的學生前往美國、英國和中國以外的其他地方學習,這可能會導致我們課程的招生人數下降。

恐怖襲擊、地緣政治不確定性、經濟放緩,以及涉及美國、英國和其他地方的國際衝突,都可能對我們的海外備考課程和英語培訓課程產生不利影響。最近,美國與中國的關係緊張加劇。美國政府已經並可能繼續實施限制某些中國學生赴美留學的限制措施。這樣的事件可能會阻礙學生去美國和中國以外的其他地方學習,也可能會讓中國學生更難獲得出國留學簽證。雖然我們認爲美國和中國之間的地緣政治緊張局勢在短期內不會對我們的業務造成實質性的不利影響,但從長期來看,進一步的事態發展可能會導致我們海外備考和英語培訓課程以及海外學習諮詢服務的學生入學人數下降,並可能對我們的整體業務和運營業績產生不利影響。

在正常的業務過程中,我們可能會受到法律程序的影響。如果這些訴訟的結果對我們不利,可能會對我們的業務、運營結果和財務狀況產生實質性的不利影響。

在我們的正常業務過程中,我們可能會不時受到法律程序的影響,這可能會對我們的業務、運營結果和財務狀況產生實質性的不利影響。我們的客戶、我們的競爭對手或其他實體可能會對我們的實際或被指控的違法行爲提出索賠。這些索賠可以根據各種法律主張,包括但不限於知識產權法、勞動法、證券法、合同法、財產法和員工福利法。作爲一家上市公司,我們還可能面臨中國內外的索賠和訴訟的額外敞口,包括證券法集體訴訟。見-與我們業務相關的風險-我們和我們的某些董事和高級管理人員已被列爲一起假定的股東集體訴訟的被告,該訴訟可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、運營結果、現金流和聲譽產生實質性不利影響。不能保證我們會在法律和行政行動中成功地爲自己辯護,或者在各種法律下維護我們的權利。即使我們成功地在法律和行政行動中爲自己辯護,或根據各種法律維護我們的權利,執行我們的權利可能是昂貴的、耗時的,最終是徒勞的。這些行爲可能會使我們面臨負面宣傳,以及巨額金錢損害賠償和法律辯護費用、禁令救濟以及刑事、民事和行政罰款和處罰。

我們和我們的某些董事和高管已被列爲一起可能的股東集體訴訟的被告,這可能會對我們的業務、財務狀況、運營業績、現金流和聲譽產生實質性的不利影響。

如果我們最初的辯護不成功,我們將不得不對「第8項.財務信息-A.綜合報表和其他財務信息-法律和行政訴訟」中描述的推定股東集體訴訟進行抗辯,包括對此類訴訟的任何上訴。我們目前無法估計與訴訟解決相關的可能結果或損失或可能的損失範圍(如果有的話)。如果我們最初的訴訟辯護不成功,不能保證我們會在任何上訴中獲勝。任何不利結果,包括任何原告對訴訟判決的上訴,都可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、運營結果、現金流和聲譽產生實質性的不利影響。此外,不能保證我們的保險公司將承擔全部或部分國防費用,或可能因這些問題而產生的任何責任。訴訟過程可能會利用我們很大一部分資源,並將管理層的注意力從日常工作我們公司的運營,所有這些都可能損害我們的業務。我們也可能受到與這些事項相關的賠償要求的影響,我們無法預測賠償要求可能對我們的業務或財務業績產生的影響。

 

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我們可能需要額外的資本,而融資可能無法以我們可以接受的條款提供,或者根本不能。

我們相信,我們目前的現金和現金等價物以及預期的運營現金流將足以滿足我們在不久的將來的預期現金需求。然而,我們可能需要額外的現金資源來資助我們未來的發展,包括我們的新業務計劃和我們可能決定進行的任何投資或收購。此類額外融資需求的金額和時間將主要取決於新業務發展、投資和/或收購的時機以及我們業務的現金流。如果我們現有的現金資源不足以滿足我們的現金需求,我們可能會尋求出售額外的股權或債務證券,或獲得信貸安排。出售更多的股權證券可能會導致我們的股東進一步稀釋。債務的產生將導致償債義務的增加,並可能導致限制我們運營的運營和融資契約。

我們以可接受的條件獲得額外資本的能力受到各種不確定因素的影響,包括:

 

   

投資者對教育服務提供商的證券、自有品牌產品和直播的感知和需求電子商務平台;

 

   

我們可能尋求籌集資金的美國和其他資本市場的條件;

 

   

我們未來的經營業績、財務狀況和現金流;

 

   

中國政府對外商投資中國教育的監管;

 

   

中國的經濟、政治等條件;

 

   

中國政府與外幣借款有關的政策。

我們不能向您保證,融資將以我們可以接受的金額或條款提供,特別是在全球或我們運營的司法管轄區發生嚴重和長期的經濟衰退的情況下。如果我們無法籌集更多資金,我們可能需要將我們的增長速度降低到我們的現金流可以支持的水平。如果沒有額外的資本,我們可能無法發展和壯大新的業務,無法獲得必要的技術、產品或業務,無法僱用、培訓和留住教師和其他員工,無法營銷我們的計劃、服務和產品,也無法應對競爭壓力或意外的資本要求。

如果我們無法遵守與2025年債券有關的信託契約中的限制和契諾,或我們目前或未來的債務和其他協議,我們的現金流和流動性可能會受到不利影響。

2020年7月,我們完成了本金總額爲3億美元的2025年到期的2.125%債券的發行,即2025年債券。如果我們無法遵守與2025年債券有關的信託契約中的限制和契諾,或者我們目前或未來的債務和其他協議,根據這些協議的條款,可能會發生違約。在這些協議下發生違約的情況下,債務持有人可以終止他們向我們提供貸款的承諾,加速償還債務,並宣佈所有借款金額到期和應付,或視情況終止協議。此外,我們的一些債務協議,包括與2025年債券有關的信託契約,包含交叉加速或交叉違約條款。因此,我們在一個債務協議下的違約可能會導致債務加速增長,包括2025年債券,或者導致我們其他債務協議下的違約,包括與2025年債券相關的信託契約。如果發生任何此類事件,我們不能向您保證我們的資產和現金流將足以全額償還我們的所有債務,或者我們將能夠找到替代融資。即使我們可以獲得替代融資,我們也不能向您保證它會以對我們有利或可以接受的條款進行。這些事件的發生可能會對我們的現金流和流動性產生實質性的不利影響。

 

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如果不能控制租金成本、以合理價格獲得所需地點的租賃或保護我們的租賃權益,可能會對我們的業務產生重大不利影響。

我們的辦公室、學校和學習中心主要位於租賃場所。租賃期限一般爲兩年至十年,租賃協議在適用租賃期結束時經雙方同意可續期。我們可能無法在理想的地點獲得新的租約,或無法以可接受的條款或根本無法續訂現有租約,這可能會對我們的業務造成不利影響。我們可能因各種其他原因而不得不搬遷我們的業務,包括租金上漲、未能通過某些地點的消防檢查、違反我們使用的物業的規定用途,以及根據適用的中國法律和法規提前終止我們的租賃協議。例如,在截至2022年5月31日的財年的第二季度和第三季度,我們因停止我們的學習中心而終止租賃協議而產生了相當大的成本K-9學術AST服務。

此外,我們的一些出租人無法向我們提供所有權證書或其他證據文件的副本,以證明他們有權將物業出租給我們。我們的業務和法律團隊遵循內部程序,在正常業務過程中租賃物業時識別和評估風險,並將在我們分析缺陷對租賃權益的可能影響以及物業價值對我們的擴張計劃的影響後做出最終業務決定。然而,不能保證我們的決定一定會帶來我們預期的有利結果。如果我們的任何租約因缺乏所有權證書或租賃授權證明而被第三方或政府當局質疑而終止,我們預計不會受到任何罰款或處罰,但我們可能會被迫搬遷受影響的學習中心,併產生與搬遷相關的額外費用。此外,我們的一些出租人已經抵押了我們正在出租的房產。如果這些物業因出租人未能履行對債權人的義務而喪失抵押品贖回權,我們可能無法繼續使用該等租賃物業,並可能產生額外的搬遷費用。

此外,吾等並未按照中國相關法律的規定,向有關中國政府當局登記我們的若干租賃協議。雖然沒有登記並不會影響租賃協議的有效性和可執行性,但有關政府當局可能會要求我們完成登記,或就每份未登記的租賃協議處以人民幣1,000元至人民幣10,000元不等的罰款。

根據中國消防安全法律法規,建築物的建造和翻新必須經過消防審批或消防備案。我們使用的部分物業不完全符合消防審批或消防備案要求,主要是因爲我們擁有龐大的學校和子公司網絡,不同的地方當局在執行監管要求方面可能有不同的做法。我們也不能向您保證我們未來出租的物業是否完全符合相關的消防法律和法規。如果我們的物業使用因缺乏消防程序而受到相關政府當局的質疑,我們可能會被罰款,並可能需要將我們的業務轉移到其他地點,這將產生額外的費用。如果我們不能及時或以我們可以接受的條件找到合適的替代地點,我們的業務和運營結果可能會受到重大和不利的影響。截至本年度報告之日,沒有任何主管部門因缺乏消防控制程序而要求我們搬遷。以防止此類事件再次發生不合規,我們已經制定了物業租賃管理辦法,要求學校在租賃物業之前,必須調查物業的消防程序狀況,評估其消防風險,並在需要時完成後續的消防程序。對於沒有消防措施的現有租賃物業,我們也鼓勵學校在條件允許時自願搬遷,以降低我們的合規風險。

任何不遵守有關食品安全、產品質量、在線銷售和在線直播的法律法規的行爲都可能使我們面臨罰款、處罰、其他行政措施或責任索賠,並可能損害我們的聲譽。

由於East Buy以East Buy(ENT.N:行情)的品牌銷售食品和其他產品,因此East Buy(ENT.N:行情)和ENT.N(T.N:行情)均以East Buy(東方甄選),食品安全和產品質量對East Buy的聲譽和業務成功至關重要。《中華人民共和國食品安全法》、《中華人民共和國產品質量法》及相關法規規定了對食品和其他產品分銷商的一系列義務和限制。儘管East Buy在其整個運營過程中執行質量控制標準和措施,但不能保證East Buy的質量控制系統將被證明在任何時候都有效,也不能保證它能及時發現我們質量控制系統中的任何缺陷。東購還在中國流行的短視頻平台抖音以及包括其自有App在內的其他銷售渠道上開展直播活動,並在線銷售產品,因此需要遵守在線直播和在線銷售相關規定。例如,根據網絡直播服務管理辦法,禁止發佈危害國家安全或侵犯第三方權利的信息。此外,2021年4月23日發佈並於2021年5月25日起施行的《網絡直播銷售營銷試行管理辦法》規定,網絡直播渠道經營者有義務確保提供的信息真實、合法,網絡直播渠道經營者還應檢查並記錄產品和供應商的信息。

 

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這個電子商務行業,特別是在線零售,受到中國政府的高度監管。例如,《中華人民共和國價格法》禁止經營者實施特定的違法定價行爲,如以低於成本的價格傾銷產品以驅逐競爭對手或壟斷市場,以虛假或誤導性的價格欺騙消費者進行交易,串通操縱市場價格,或者對其他經營者進行價格歧視。2018年8月,全國人民代表大會常務委員會頒佈電子商務該法於2019年1月1日起施行。這個電子商務法律規定了一些新的要求和義務電子商務平台運營商。此外,2021年3月15日,國家市場監管總局公佈了網上交易監督管理辦法,自2021年5月1日起施行,成爲貫徹落實《電子商務法律。我們已採取一系列措施,以符合電子商務法律。然而,我們不能向您保證,我們目前的業務運營符合電子商務各方面的法律。如果中國政府當局認定我們沒有遵守電子商務法律和其他適用的法律和規則,我們可能會受到罰款和/或其他制裁。因此,我們面臨着適用於在線零售業務的中國法律法規的解釋和實施方面的風險。我們需要從不同的監管部門獲得各種許可證和許可證,才能分銷某些類別的產品,例如,我們已經獲得了食品經營許可證和經營出版物許可證。如果我們無法在一個或多個許可證和證書的當前期限到期時對其進行維護和續簽,或無法以商業合理的條款獲得此類續期,我們的運營可能會中斷。如果中國政府未來需要額外的許可證或許可證或提供更嚴格的監管要求,以便我們開展業務,則不能保證我們能夠及時獲得該等許可證或許可證或滿足所有監管要求,或者根本不能保證。

有關詳情,請參閱「本公司資料-b.業務概述-法規-與食品安全有關的規定」、「-與產品質量有關的規定」及「-有關網上直播及網上銷售的規定」。我們不能向您保證East Buy完全遵守食品安全和產品質量制度以及在線銷售和在線直播行業的法律和法規,或者根本不遵守。未能遵守這些法律法規,或未能維護East Buy經銷產品的安全和質量,可能會受到罰款、處罰或其他行政措施的影響,或可能導致East Buy(東方甄選)品牌和聲譽。

我們與某些銷售渠道關係的任何惡化都可能對我們的前景和East Buy的業務運營產生不利影響。

East Buy受益於我們與某些銷售渠道的合作,特別是抖音,我們預計在可預見的未來將繼續依賴它們。East Buy的內容能力、品牌化、創新能力和產品供應鏈能力,爲自有品牌產品和直播吸引了大量優質客戶電子商務生態系統。利用我們與抖音的合作,East Buy也受益於抖音提供的全面支持。抖音產生的GMV佔East Buy截至2024年5月31日的財年GMV總額的大部分。我們無法向您保證,未來我們將繼續與抖音或其他銷售渠道及其各自的附屬公司保持合作關係。我們可能無法以商業上合理的條款或根本不能成功地延長或續簽我們與這些銷售渠道的業務合作,因此可能被禁止或限制開展相關業務。這可能會嚴重擾亂East Buy的運營,並導致大量的替代支出,這可能會對我們的聲譽、業務、財務狀況和運營結果產生不利影響。

 

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我們可能會對通過East Buy銷售渠道銷售的假冒或未經授權的產品、通過East Buy銷售渠道銷售的產品或在East Buy銷售渠道上發佈的侵犯第三方知識產權的內容或其他不當行爲承擔責任或受到行政處罰。

East Buy的產品來自多家供應商和第三方商家。雖然我們已經採取措施驗證我們銷售的產品的真實性和授權性,以避免在採購和銷售產品的過程中潛在的侵犯第三方知識產權的行爲,但我們並不總是成功的。

如果通過East Buy的銷售渠道銷售假冒、未經授權或侵權的產品,或在East Buy的銷售渠道上發佈侵權內容,我們可能會面臨索賠,要求我們承擔責任。我們在抗辯或解決此類索賠方面可能會招致巨大的成本和努力。如果對我們的索賠成功,我們可能被要求支付大量損害賠償金或停止進一步銷售產品。如果我們疏忽地參與或協助了與假冒商品相關的侵權活動,如停止侵權活動的禁令、糾正、賠償、行政處罰,甚至刑事責任,我們可能會受到中國法律的潛在責任。此外,這種第三方索賠或行政處罰可能會導致負面宣傳,我們的聲譽可能會受到嚴重損害。這些事件中的任何一個都可能對我們的業務、運營結果或財務狀況產生實質性的不利影響。

根據我們的標準格式協議,我們要求供應商或第三方商家賠償我們因從這些供應商採購的任何產品或這些第三方商家銷售的任何產品而遭受的任何損失或產生的任何成本。然而,並非我們與供應商和第三方商家的所有協議都有這樣的條款,對於那些有這樣條款的協議,我們可能無法成功地執行我們的合同權利,可能需要在中國提起代價高昂且漫長的法律程序來保護我們的權利。

East Buy的發貨、退貨和換貨政策可能會對其運營結果產生實質性的不利影響。

East Buy採取了不一定將全部運輸成本轉嫁給客戶的運輸政策。它還採取了方便客戶的退換貨政策,使客戶在完成購買後改變主意變得方便和容易。法律還可能要求East Buy不時採用新的或修改現有的退換貨政策。例如,根據2014年3月生效的修訂後的《消費者權益保護法》,除定製商品、生鮮和易腐爛商品等特定類型的產品外,消費者在互聯網上從經營者那裏購買產品時,一般有權在收到產品後7天內退貨,而不提供任何理由。這些政策改善了客戶的購物體驗,提高了客戶忠誠度,進而幫助我們獲得和留住客戶。然而,這些政策也使East Buy承擔了額外的成本和支出,East Buy可能無法通過增加收入來收回這些成本和支出。East Buy處理大量退貨的能力尚未得到證實。如果East Buy的退換貨政策被大量客戶濫用,East Buy的成本可能會大幅增加,其運營結果可能會受到實質性和不利的影響。如果East Buy修訂這些政策以降低其成本和支出,其客戶可能會不滿意,這可能會導致現有客戶的流失或無法以理想的速度獲得新客戶,這可能會對其運營業績產生實質性的不利影響。

與我們的公司結構相關的風險

如果中國政府發現確立我們中國部分業務運營結構的協議不符合相關行業的適用中國法律法規,或者如果這些法規或現有法規的解釋在未來發生變化,我們可能會受到嚴厲處罰或被迫放棄我們在該等業務中的權益。

中國法律法規對提供教育和增值電信服務的公司的外國直接投資進行了限制和施加條件。因此,我們在中國的幾乎所有業務都是通過我們在中國的全資子公司與VIE及其股東之間的合同安排進行的

我們是開曼群島豁免公司,在VIE中沒有股權。我們與新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司以及新東方中國的股東訂立了一系列合同安排,從而在中國開展了幾乎所有業務。這些合同安排使我們能夠(1)有權指導對新東方中國及其學校和子公司的經濟業績影響最大的活動;(2)作爲我們在中國的全資子公司提供的服務的對價,我們將從新東方中國及其學校和子公司獲得基本上所有的經濟利益;及(3)吾等擁有獨家選擇權,可在中國法律許可的情況下購買新東方中國的全部或部分股權,或隨時酌情要求新東方中國的任何現有股東將新東方中國的全部或部分股權轉讓給吾等指定的另一中國人士或實體。因此,我們被認爲是這些實體的主要受益者,其財務業績在新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司的S根據美國公認會計准則合併財務報表進行會計處理。有關這些合同安排的說明,請參閱「第4項.公司-C.組織結構--與新東方中國、其學校和子公司以及其股東的合同安排」。

 

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此外,外資在提供增值電信服務的實體中的所有權,除少數例外情況外,受中國現行法律和法規的限制。具體而言,外資對互聯網信息服務提供商的持股比例不得超過50%。此外,根據中國現行法律法規,外資控股提供廣播電視節目製作和經營服務的實體是被禁止的。爲確保遵守中國法律法規,我們的在線直播業務由我們的控股子公司東置控股有限公司(East Buy Holding Limited)運營,通過與北京新東方訊成網絡技術有限公司或北京訊成網絡技術有限公司及其子公司和股東之間的一系列合同安排。這些合同安排使東購能夠(1)有權指導對北京訊成及其子公司的經濟業績影響最大的活動;(2)作爲東購在中國的全資子公司提供的服務的對價,東購可從北京訊成及其子公司獲得實質上的全部經濟利益;及(3)在中國法律許可的範圍內,吾等擁有獨家選擇權購買北京訊城的全部或部分股權,或要求北京訊城的任何現有股東隨時酌情將北京訊城的全部或部分股權轉讓給吾等指定的另一名中國人士或實體。因此,我們被認爲是這些實體的主要受益者,其財務業績在新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司的S根據美國公認會計准則合併財務報表進行會計處理。有關這些合同安排的說明,請參閱「第4項.本公司-C組織結構--與北京訊成、其子公司和股東的合同安排」。因此,我們普通股或美國存託憑證的投資者並不是在購買中國可變權益實體的股權,而是在購買開曼群島控股公司的股權。倘若中國政府認爲吾等與可變權益實體的合約安排不符合中國對相關行業外商投資的監管限制,或假若該等規例或現行規例的詮釋在未來發生改變或被不同解釋,吾等可能會受到嚴厲懲罰或被迫放棄於該等業務中的權益,而吾等的股份可能會下跌,或吾等無法維護吾等對進行吾等全部或實質全部業務的中國附屬公司資產的合約控制權。中國監管當局可能不允許可變利益實體結構,這可能會導致我們的業務發生重大不利變化,我們的美國存託憑證可能會大幅貶值或變得一文不值。我們在開曼群島的控股公司、可變權益實體以及本公司的投資者面臨中國政府未來可能採取的行動的不確定性,這些行動可能會影響與可變權益實體的合同安排的可執行性,從而顯著影響可變權益實體和本公司作爲一個集團的財務業績。

2021年7月24日,國務院辦公廳、中央辦公廳聯合印發了《減輕負擔意見》,其中規定:(一)禁止學術類AST機構上市融資或進行任何資本化活動;(二)禁止外資通過併購、委託經營、加入特許經營或可變利益主體等方式控股或參股任何學術類AST機構;(三)禁止境外資本通過併購、委託經營、加入特許經營或可變利益主體等方式對學術類AST機構進行在線輔導學齡前兒童禁止少年兒童,線下學業科目(含外語)輔導服務學齡前兒童兒童也是被嚴格禁止的。《減負意見》規定,違反前款規定的,應當予以糾正。《減負意見》進一步指出,對十年級至十二年級學生的學科輔導機構的管理監督,參照《減負意見》的有關規定執行。關於如何以及在多大程度上參照《減負意見》實施對十年級至十二年級學生的學術科目輔導機構的管理,目前還不確定。

 

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我們的中國法律顧問田源律師事務所認爲:

 

   

(I)新東方中國及其學校和子公司以及我們在中國的全資子公司的法人結構;及(Ii)北京訊成及其子公司和東購在中國的全資子公司的法人結構沒有違反中國現行法律法規;及

 

   

(I)吾等於中國、新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司的全資附屬公司與新東方中國的股東之間的合約安排;及(Ii)East Buy於中國、北京訊城及其附屬公司的全資附屬公司與股東之間的合約安排根據中國現行有效法律或法規屬有效、具約束力及可強制執行,且並無違反中國現行法律或法規。

修訂後的實施細則自2021年9月1日起施行,還規定禁止社會組織和個人控制非營利組織私立學校提供學前班通過合併和收購或控制協議進行教育。目前尚不清楚上述規定是否對控制協議具有追溯力非營利組織 學前班2021年9月1日之前存在的教育學校。如果政府主管部門將來對上述條款作出任何追溯解釋,我們將需要解除與現有的合同安排非營利組織 學前班教育學校。截至本年度報告日期,沒有任何政府當局通知我們上述規定具有追溯性,主管政府當局也沒有要求我們解除對我們現有合同的安排。非營利組織 學前班教育學校。

2018年11月7日,中共中央中國共產黨、國務院印發《中國共產黨中央關於深化學前教育改革的意見》或《學前教育意見》。《學前教育意見》規定非狀態資本被禁止控制非營利組織通過合同安排的幼稚園。2019年1月,國務院辦公廳印發《關於啓動城區居住社區附屬幼兒園整頓工作的通知》,社區附屬幼兒園只能登記爲非營利組織幼兒園。截至本年度報告之日,政府主管部門尚未要求我們解除有關幼稚園的合約安排。

《學前意見》還規定,禁止民辦幼兒園自行或以其他資產打包上市;禁止上市公司投資營利性幼兒園利用資本市場資金和收購營利性以股票或現金對價的幼兒園資產。根據我們中國法律顧問田源律師事務所的建議,禁止民辦幼兒園上市不對《學前教育意見》發佈前已由上市公司運營的民辦幼兒園具有追溯力,由於我們自2006年以來一直是上市公司,我們的幼兒園不屬於「以上市方式上市或以其他資產打包」的範圍。《學前教育意見》出臺後,我們沒有對營利性幼稚園使用資本市場資金或收購任何營利性幼兒園資產以股票或現金對價,以符合學齡前兒童的意見。幼兒園的貢獻對我們的業務來說並不重要;在截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日的每個財年,我們從幼兒園獲得的淨收入總額不到1%。基於上述,我們的中國法律顧問認爲,《學前教育意見》對投資或收購的限制營利性幼稚園不會對我們的業務和運作造成實質和負面的影響。

然而,我們的中國法律顧問已告知我們,當前和未來中國法律和法規的解釋和適用可能會發生變化。因此,不能保證中國監管當局未來不會採取與我們的中國法律顧問的上述意見相反的觀點。例如,如果有關政府當局對學齡前兒童的意見持不同的觀點,並確定我們的營利性和/或非營利組織如果幼兒園被排除在我們公司之外,我們可能會被要求解除部分或全部幼兒園的合同安排。此外,儘管我們認爲通過我們的智能學習系統和設備提供數字教育資源不應被視爲課後輔導活動,我們也沒有收到政府主管部門的任何通知,表明此類活動被視爲課後輔導活動,但我們不能向您保證,政府主管部門不會對我們的做法持相反意見。如果通過我們的智能學習系統和設備提供數字學術教育資源被視爲課後輔導活動,我們的智能學習系統和設備提供的學術教育資源將K-9 學生應遵守與學術課後輔導相關的所有規定,包括減輕負擔意見等。我們在中國的智能學習系統和設備運營實體可能被視爲學術ASt機構,並且這些實體將被禁止受我們控制,因爲減輕負擔意見禁止外國擁有學術ASt機構,包括通過合同安排。在這種情況下,我們可能會被要求解除有關智能學習系統和設備運營實體的合同安排。

 

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目前尚不確定是否會通過與可變利益實體結構有關的任何新的中國法律、規則或法規,或者如果通過,它們將提供什麼。特別是2019年3月頒佈並於2020年1月1日起施行的外商投資法,是否以及如何影響我們目前公司結構、公司治理和業務運營的生存能力。見《中國經商相關風險-外商投資法》的解釋和實施可能發生變化,尚不確定它可能如何影響我們當前公司結構、公司治理、業務、財務狀況和經營結果的生存能力。

我們的中國法律顧問進一步告知我們,如果我們和/或我們的任何中國子公司或合併附屬實體被發現違反了任何現有或未來的中國法律或法規,或未能獲得或保持任何所需的許可或批准,中國相關監管機構,包括管理教育行業的教育部,將在其職權範圍內擁有廣泛的自由裁量權來處理此類違規行爲,包括:

 

   

吊銷我公司在中國的子公司或合併關聯機構的營業執照和經營許可證;

 

   

沒收他們認爲是通過非法經營獲得的我們的任何收入;

 

   

停止或限制我們的中國子公司和合並關聯實體之間的任何關聯方交易;

 

   

以合同約定的方式,限制我司在中國的收入權或業務拓展;

 

   

施加我們可能無法遵守的罰款或其他要求;

 

   

要求我們重組我們的公司結構或運營;

 

   

限制或禁止我們將未來發行所得資金用於資助我們在中國的業務和運營;或

 

   

採取其他可能損害我們業務的監管或執法行動。

施加任何這些處罰都可能對我們開展業務的能力和我們的經營結果造成實質性的不利影響。如果這些懲罰導致我們無法指導合併關聯實體的活動,從而對其經濟表現產生最大影響,和/或我們無法從合併關聯實體獲得經濟利益,我們可能無法根據美國公認會計准則在我們的合併財務報表中合併合併關聯實體。

我們在中國的業務依賴於合同安排,這在提供運營控制方面不如直接所有權。

我們一直依賴並預期將繼續依賴與可變權益實體、其各自的附屬公司和/或學校及其各自的股東的合同安排來運營我們基本上所有的教育業務。這些合同安排在爲我們提供對可變利益實體的控制方面不如直接所有權有效。從法律角度而言,如果可變權益實體、其任何附屬公司及/或學校或其股東未能履行其在合約安排下各自的責任,吾等可能須招致巨額費用及花費其他資源以執行該等安排,並依賴中國法律下的法律補救,包括尋求特定履行或強制令救濟及索償。例如,如果北京世紀友誼教育投資有限公司或新東方中國的唯一股東世紀友誼在我們根據期權協議行使看漲期權時拒絕將其在新東方中國的股權轉讓給我們或我們的指定人,或者如果它對我們不守信用,那麼我們可能不得不採取法律行動迫使其履行其合同義務,這可能會耗費時間和成本。

 

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這些合同安排受中國法律管轄,並規定通過在中國的仲裁或通過中國法院解決爭議。我們的合同協議還沒有在法庭上經受過考驗。因此,很難預測關於執行這些合同協議的法律訴訟的結果。在截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日的財政年度,合併關聯實體分別貢獻了我們總淨收入的99.6%、99.5%和99.2%。倘若吾等無法執行該等合約安排,吾等可能無法指導對合並關聯實體的經濟表現有最重大影響的活動,而我們的業務開展能力可能會受到負面影響,而吾等可能無法根據美國公認會計原則將合併關聯實體的財務結果合併至我們的綜合財務報表。

吾等執行吾等與可變權益實體股東之間的股權質押協議的能力可能會受到基於中國法律及法規的限制。

根據吾等於中國之附屬公司、各可變權益實體及其各自股東之間之股權質押協議,可變權益實體各股東同意將其於可變權益實體之股權質押予吾等附屬公司,以確保彼等及各可變權益實體履行其於相關合約安排下之責任。這些股權質押協議下可變利益實體股東的股權質押已在國家市場監管總局相關地方分局登記。根據《中華人民共和國民法典》,質權人和出質人不得在債務履行期屆滿前訂立協議,將質押股權的所有權轉讓給質權人。但是,根據《中華人民共和國民法典》,債務人到期不能清償債務時,質權人可以選擇與出質人訂立協議取得質押股權,或者從拍賣所得中尋求付款,或者拋售質押股權的比例。如果任何VIE或VIE的任何股東未能履行其在股權質押協議下的質押所擔保的義務,在該等協議下發生違約的情況下,一種補救措施是要求出質人在拍賣或私下出售可變權益實體的股權,並將所得款項匯入我們在中國的子公司,扣除相關稅項和費用。此類拍賣或私下出售可能不會導致我們收到可變權益實體的全部股權價值。吾等認爲不太可能進行公開拍賣程序,因爲在發生違約時,吾等首選的做法是要求吾等的中國附屬公司(與可變權益實體的股東訂立期權協議的一方)根據期權協議下的直接轉讓期權指定另一名中國人士或實體取代該股東。

此外,新東方中國在國家市場監管總局地方分局登記表中向全資子公司質押的註冊股權金額分別爲人民幣3,000,000元、人民幣18,500,000元、人民幣9,500,000元、人民幣14,000,000元及人民幣5,000,000元,合共佔新東方中國註冊資本的100%。與新東方中國股東訂立的股權質押協議規定,質押股權構成對所有主要服務協議項下任何及全部債務、義務及負債的持續擔保,質押範圍不受新東方中國註冊資本金額的限制。然而,中國法院可能會認爲股權質押登記表上列出的金額代表已登記和完善的抵押品的全部金額。如果是這樣的話,股權質押協議中應擔保的債務超過股權質押登記表上所列金額的,可由中國法院確定爲無擔保債務,在債權人中處於最後優先權,通常根本不必償還。吾等並無協議將新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司的資產質押予吾等或吾等的全資附屬公司。

新東方中國的唯一股東世紀友誼的控股股東可能與我們有潛在的利益衝突,如果任何該等利益衝突得不到對我們有利的解決,我們的業務可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

 

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截至2024年5月31日,新東方中國爲北京訊成的唯一股東。新東方中國由世紀友誼全資擁有,世紀友誼是一家由我們的創始人兼執行主席餘敏洪先生控制的中國國內公司。劉宇先生作爲擁有新東方中國的實體的控股股東的權益可能與本公司的整體利益有所不同,因爲劉宇先生只是本公司的實益擁有人之一,於2024年9月16日持有本公司已發行普通股總數的12.2%。我們不能向您保證,當利益衝突發生時,餘承東先生將以我們公司的最佳利益爲行動,或者利益衝突將以有利於我們的方式得到解決。此外,餘裕先生可能會違反或導致新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司違反或導致北京訊城及其附屬公司違反或拒絕續訂與吾等的現有合約安排。目前,吾等並無任何現有安排以解決彼先生一方面作爲新東方中國實益擁有人及董事與本公司實益擁有人及董事可能遇到的潛在利益衝突,但前提是吾等可隨時行使與世紀友誼訂立的期權協議下的購股權,促使世紀友誼將其於新東方中國的全部股權轉讓予吾等指定的中國實體或個人,而新東方中國的這名新股東可委任一名新東方中國的新董事接替餘宇先生。此外,如果出現這樣的利益衝突,北京先鋒也可以以世紀友誼的身份,事實律師按委託書及委託書約定,直接委任新東方董事新一任中國接替陳宇先生。我們依賴世紀友誼和中國先生遵守保護合同的法律,包括新東方中國及其學校和子公司及其股東與我們訂立的合同安排,該安排規定董事和高管對本公司負有忠誠義務,並要求他們避免利益衝突,不得利用職務之便謀取私利。我們還依賴張裕先生遵守開曼群島的法律,這些法律規定,董事有謹慎義務和忠誠義務,以誠實誠信的方式行事,以期實現我們的最佳利益。然而,中國和開曼群島的法律框架沒有爲在與另一種公司治理制度發生衝突時解決衝突提供指導。如果我們不能解決我們與世紀友誼和餘宇先生之間的任何利益衝突或糾紛,我們將不得不依靠法律程序,這可能導致我們的業務中斷,並使我們面臨任何此類法律程序結果的重大不確定性。

如果我們控制的託管人或授權用戶無形的如果包括印章和印章在內的資產未能履行其責任,或者挪用或濫用這些資產,我們的業務和運營可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

根據中國法律,公司交易的法律文件,包括我們業務所依賴的租賃和銷售合同等協議和合同,是使用簽署實體的印章或印章簽署的,或由指定的法定代表人簽署,該法定代表人的指定已在國家市場監管總局相關地方分局登記和備案。我們一般通過蓋章或蓋章的方式簽署法律文件,而不是由指定的法定代表人簽署文件。

我們有三種主要類型的印章--公司印章、合同印章和金融印章。我們通常使用公司印章來提交給政府機構的文件,如申請更改業務範圍、董事或公司名稱,以及申請法律信函。我們使用合同印章來執行租賃和商業合同。我們一般使用財務印章來支付和收取款項,包括但不限於開具發票。使用公司印章和合同印章必須得到我們的法律部門和行政部門的批准,使用財務印章必須得到我們的財務部門的批准。我們子公司和合並關聯實體的印章一般由相關實體持有,以便文件可以在當地簽署。雖然吾等通常利用印章訂立合同,但吾等中國附屬公司及綜合聯營實體的註冊法定代表人有表面上授權代表該等實體訂立合約,而無需印章。吾等中國附屬公司及合併聯營實體的所有指定法定代表人均爲吾等或各自實體高級管理人員的成員,並已與吾等簽訂僱傭協議,根據該等協議,彼等同意履行其對吾等的責任。

爲了維護印章的人身安全,我們通常將印章存放在只有法律、行政或財務部門的部門負責人才能進入的安全地點。我們指定的法律代表一般不能接觸印章。雖然我們監督我們的員工,包括我們中國子公司和合並關聯實體的指定法定代表人,但程序可能不足以防止所有濫用或疏忽的情況。我們的員工或指定的法定代表人有可能濫用他們的權力,例如,通過用違反我們利益的合同約束相關子公司或合併附屬實體,因爲如果另一方真誠地依賴我們印章或我們法定代表人簽名的表面權威,我們將有義務履行這些合同。如果任何指定的法定代表人爲了取得對有關實體的控制權而取得印章的控制權,我們將需要有股東或董事會決議來指定新的法定代表人,並採取法律行動,要求歸還印章,向有關當局申請新的印章,或以其他方式就該法定代表人的不當行爲尋求法律補救。如果任何指定的法定代表人以任何理由獲得並濫用或挪用我們的印章和印章或其他控制無形資產,我們的正常業務運營可能會受到干擾。我們可能不得不採取公司或法律行動,這可能涉及大量時間和資源來解決問題,同時分散管理層對我們運營的注意力。

 

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我們開辦私立學校的能力可能會受到重大限制,或者可能會因中國法律、法規和政策的變化而受到實質性的不利影響。

管理中國私立教育的法律、法規和政策可能會持續變化,這可能會對我們運營私立學校的能力產生重大影響。例如,減負意見已經並將繼續給我們的運營帶來重大影響。見“-與我們的業務相關的風險-存在與中國民辦教育行業的法律、法規和政策的解釋和實施或擬議的變化有關的重大風險。特別是,我們遵守了中國政府有關部門發佈的《關於進一步減輕義務教育階段學生家庭作業和課後輔導負擔的意見》及其實施辦法,已經並可能進一步對我們產生實質性的不利影響“,2018年11月,中央中國共產黨、國務院發佈了《學前教育意見》。2019年1月,國務院辦公廳印發《關於啓動整治的通知》。《學前意見》和《關於啓動整改的通知》將如何解讀和落實,目前還不確定。如果我們不能完全遵守這些要求,我們的業務、財務狀況和經營結果可能會受到不利影響。見“-如果中國政府發現建立我們中國部分業務運營結構的協議不符合與相關行業相關的適用中國法律法規,或者如果這些法規或現有法規的解釋在未來發生變化,我們可能會受到嚴厲處罰或被迫放棄我們在這些業務中的權益。

此外,根據中國法律和法規,關聯方之間的安排和交易可能受到中國稅務機關的審計或質疑。與VIE的合同安排可能會受到中國稅務機關的審查,如果發現我們欠下額外的稅款,可能會大幅減少我們的綜合淨收入和您的投資價值。如果中國稅務機關認定我們在中國的子公司和VIE之間的合同安排不代表一臂長以轉讓定價調整的形式對合並關聯實體的收入進行定價和調整。轉讓定價調整可能(其中包括)爲中國稅務目的而減少綜合聯營實體所記錄的開支扣減,進而增加其稅務負擔。此外,中國稅務機關可就少繳稅款向合併關聯實體徵收滯納金及其他罰款。如果我們的納稅義務增加,或者如果我們被發現受到滯納金或其他處罰,我們的綜合淨收入可能會受到實質性的不利影響。

我們可能依賴我們全資子公司支付的股息和其他股權分配來爲我們可能存在的任何現金和融資需求提供資金,而我們的子公司或新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們付款的能力受到任何限制,都可能對我們開展業務的能力產生重大不利影響。

我們是一家控股公司,我們可能會依靠我們在中國的全資子公司的股息,以及新東方中國及其學校和子公司支付給我們的全資子公司的服務和其他費用來滿足我們的現金需求,包括我們可能產生的任何債務。中國現行法規允許我們的子公司只能從其根據中國會計準則和法規確定的留存收益(如果有的話)中向我們支付股息。此外,我們的每一家子公司和新東方中國及其在中國的子公司都被要求至少留出其稅後每年的利潤(如果有的話),爲法定公積金提供資金,直到該公積金達到其註冊資本的50%。這些儲備不能作爲現金股息分配。此外,如果我們的子公司和新東方中國及其在中國的學校和子公司未來以自己的名義發生債務,債務管理工具可能會限制他們向我們支付股息或其他付款的能力。此外,中國稅務機關可能要求我們根據我們目前已有的合同安排調整我們的應納稅所得額,以對我們的子公司向我們支付股息和其他分派的能力產生重大不利影響。此外,在每個會計年度結束時,要求中國要求合理回報和不要求合理回報分類制度下的每所民辦學校都要撥出一定數額的發展基金,用於學校的建設或維護,或採購或升級教育設備。對於要求合理回報的民辦學校,這一數額應不低於該學校年度淨收益的25%;對於不要求合理回報的民辦學校,該數額應不低於該學校每年淨資產增量的25%(如有)。在每個財政年度結束時,分類系統下的每一所私立學校營利性非營利組織需要撥出一定數額的發展基金用於學校的發展。在以下情況下營利性私立學校,這一數額應不低於學校經審計的年度淨收入的10%,而在非營利組織 私立學校,該金額應等於不低於學校非限制淨資產經審計年度增加數(如有)的10%。對我們的子公司向我們分配股息的能力或新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們付款的能力的任何限制都可能會對我們的增長、進行可能對我們的業務有利的投資或收購、支付股息或以其他方式資助和開展我們的業務的能力產生重大不利影響。

 

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中國監管境外控股公司對中國實體的貸款和直接投資,以及政府對貨幣兌換的控制,可能會限制或阻止我們向我們的中國子公司或新東方中國及其學校和子公司提供貸款,或向我們的中國子公司提供額外的資本金,從而可能對我們的流動資金以及我們爲我們的業務融資和擴張的能力造成重大不利影響。

我們是一家離岸控股公司,透過我們的中國附屬公司及新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司在中國經營業務。我們可能需要向我們的中國子公司或新東方中國及其學校和子公司提供貸款,或者我們可能向我們的中國子公司提供額外的資本金。

向我們的中國子公司或新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司提供的任何貸款均受中國法規的約束。例如,我們向我們在中國的全資子公司(每一家都是外商投資企業)提供的貸款爲其活動提供資金,不得超過法定限額,並且必須向中國國家外匯管理局或外管局或當地同行登記。本公司借給新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司的貸款,均爲中國境內實體,必須獲得相關政府部門的批准,並必須向外管局或當地同行登記。

我們也可能決定通過出資的方式爲我們的中國子公司提供資金。這些出資額必須向中華人民共和國商務部或其當地對口單位備案和報告。然而,由於與外資投資中國境內實體有關的監管問題,以及許可證和其他監管問題,我們不太可能通過出資的方式爲新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司的活動提供資金。國家外匯管理局於2015年6月發佈了《國家外匯管理局關於改革外商投資企業資本金結匯管理的通知》,取代原規定。根據外管局第19號通知,規範外商投資公司外幣註冊資本折算成人民幣資本的流動和使用,不得將人民幣資本用於發放人民幣委託貸款、償還企業間貸款或償還已轉讓給第三方的銀行貸款。儘管外管局第19號通知允許外商投資企業外幣註冊資本折算成人民幣資本用於中國內部股權投資,但也重申了外商投資企業外幣資本折算人民幣不得直接或間接用於其業務範圍以外的用途的原則。因此,目前尚不清楚外管局在實踐中是否會允許這些資金用於中國的股權投資。國家外匯管理局於2016年6月9日發佈了《國家外匯管理局關於改革和規範資本項目外匯結算管理政策的通知》(簡稱第16號通知),重申了外管局第19號通知的部分規定,但將外商投資公司外幣註冊資本轉換爲人民幣資本的使用限制由禁止使用該資本發放人民幣委託貸款改爲禁止使用該資本向非關聯企業。違反國家外匯管理局第19號通知和第16號通知的行爲可能會受到行政處罰。外管局第19號通函和第16號外管局通函可能會大大限制我們轉移所持任何外幣的能力,這可能會對我們的流動性以及我們爲中國業務提供資金和擴大業務的能力產生不利影響。2019年10月23日,外管局發佈了《關於進一步推進跨境貿易投資便利化的通知》,其中允許所有外商投資企業使用外幣資本折算成人民幣對中國進行股權投資,只要存在真實的股權投資,這種股權投資不違反適用法律,符合外商投資負面清單。2023年12月,外管局發佈了《關於進一步深化跨境貿易投資便利化改革的通知》,其中規定,使用跨境貿易投資資本金非金融類企業、外債項下外匯收入和結匯人民幣資金應當遵循真實自用的原則,不得直接或間接用於國家法律、法規禁止的支出;除另有明確規定外,不得直接或間接用於證券投資或其他投資理財(風險評級不高於二級的理財產品和結構性存款除外);不得用於向企業發放貸款。非附屬公司企業(除經營範圍和中國四個具體領域明確允許的以外);不得用於購買非自用住宅物業(從事房地產開發經營和房地產租賃經營的企業除外)。該通知進一步明確,以前的規定與本通知如有牴觸,以本通知爲準。另見「項目4.公司信息--b.業務概述--規章」。

 

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我們預計,中國法律法規可能會繼續限制我們使用離岸發行所得的資金。除名義手續費外,並無與向中國有關政府機關登記貸款或出資有關的成本。我們不能向您保證,我們將能夠及時獲得這些政府註冊或批准,如果有的話。如果我們未能獲得此類註冊或批准,我們利用中國業務資本化的能力可能會受到負面影響,這可能會對我們的流動資金以及我們爲業務提供資金和擴大業務的能力造成不利影響。

如果新東方中國及其任何學校和附屬公司成爲破產或清盤程序的標的,我們可能會失去使用和享受其資產的能力,這可能會減少我們的業務規模,並對我們的業務、創造收入的能力以及我們的普通股和美國存託憑證的市場價格產生重大和不利的影響。

爲遵守中國有關教育業務及增值電訊服務的外資持股限制的法律法規,吾等目前於中國的幾乎所有業務乃透過(I)與新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司以及其股東訂立的合約安排進行,及(Ii)與新東方中國的全資附屬公司北京訊成、其附屬公司及其股東訂立的合約安排進行。作爲這些安排的一部分,新東方中國及其學校和子公司持有對我們的業務運營至關重要的資產。

我們對新東方中國的資產沒有優先質押和留置權。作爲一個合同和財產權問題,這種缺乏優先權質押和留置權的做法具有很小的風險。如果新東方中國進行非自願清算程序,第三方債權人可能會對其部分或全部資產主張權利,而我們可能不會優先於此類第三方債權人對新東方中國的資產進行清算。倘若新東方中國清盤,吾等可根據中國企業破產法作爲一般債權人蔘與清盤程序,並根據適用的服務協議追討新東方中國欠吾等中國附屬公司的任何未償債務。爲減低由第三方債權人發起非自願清盤程序的風險,吾等透過精心設計的預算及內部監控,密切監察新東方中國的營運及財務狀況,以確保新東方中國資本充足,且極不可能引發任何超出其資產及現金資源的第三方金錢索償。此外,如有需要,我們的中國子公司有能力以人民幣向新東方中國注資,以防止此類非自願清算。

倘若新東方中國的股東未經吾等事先同意而試圖自願清盤新東方中國,吾等可行使權利,根據與新東方中國股東訂立的購股權協議,要求新東方中國的股東將其全部股權轉讓予吾等指定的中國實體或個人,以有效防止此類未經授權的自願清盤。此外,根據新東方中國股東與中國民法典簽訂的股權質押協議,未經吾等同意,新東方中國股東無權向自身派發股息或以其他方式分派新東方中國的留存收益或其他資產。此外,根據委託協議及授權書,新東方中國的股東向我們的全資中國附屬公司北京先鋒承諾,如其收到(其中包括)任何股息、清算時的剩餘資產或轉讓其於新東方中國的股權所得款項,將在適用法律許可的範圍內,將所有該等股息、剩餘資產及所得款項匯回北京先鋒,而無需任何補償或其他代價。如新東方中國股東未經吾等授權而發起自願清盤程序,或企圖在未經吾等事先同意下分配新東方中國的留存收益或資產,吾等可能需要訴諸法律程序以執行合同協議的條款。任何此類訴訟都可能代價高昂,並可能轉移我們管理層對業務運營的時間和注意力,而此類訴訟的結果將是不確定的。

 

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在中國做生意的相關風險

中國的經濟、政治或社會條件或政府政策的變化可能會對我們的業務、財務狀況和經營業績產生實質性的不利影響。

我們幾乎所有的業務都是在中國進行的。因此,我們的經營業績、財務狀況和前景在很大程度上受到中國總體的政治、經濟和社會狀況以及中國整體經濟持續增長的影響。

中國經濟在許多方面與大多數發達國家的經濟不同,包括政府參與的數量、發展水平、增長速度、外匯管理和資源配置。儘管中國政府採取措施強調利用市場力量進行經濟改革,減少生產性資產的國有所有權,建立完善的企業法人治理結構,但中國的相當大一部分生產性資產仍歸政府所有。此外,中國政府繼續通過實施產業政策,在規範行業發展方面發揮重要作用。中國政府還通過配置資源、規範外幣債務的支付、制定貨幣政策以及向特定行業或公司提供優惠待遇來調控中國的經濟增長。

儘管中國經濟在過去幾十年裏經歷了顯著的增長,但無論是在地理上還是在經濟的各個部門之間,增長都是不平衡的。中國政府實施了多項措施,鼓勵經濟增長,引導資源配置。其中一些措施可能會對中國整體經濟有利,但可能會對我們產生負面影響。例如,我們的財務狀況和經營業績可能會受到政府對資本投資的監管或稅收法規變化的不利影響。自2010年以來,中國經濟增速逐漸放緩。新冠肺炎對2022年的中國經濟產生了不利影響。中國經濟的任何長期放緩都可能減少對我們產品和服務的需求,並對我們的業務和經營業績產生實質性的不利影響。

我們的業務、財務狀況和經營結果,以及我們獲得融資的能力,可能會受到全球或中國經濟低迷的不利影響。

新冠肺炎從2020年到2022年,對中國和全球經濟產生了嚴重的負面影響,全球宏觀經濟環境仍然面臨諸多挑戰。自2010年以來,中國經濟增速一直在放緩,2022年中國人口開始下降。聯儲局和中國以外的其他央行已經提高了利率。俄羅斯-烏克蘭衝突、哈馬斯-以色列衝突以及紅海航運遇襲事件加劇了世界各地的地緣政治緊張局勢。俄羅斯-烏克蘭衝突對烏克蘭糧食出口的影響導致了糧食價格的上漲,從而導致了更普遍的通貨膨脹。也有人擔心中國與其他國家的關係可能會對經濟產生影響。特別是,在包括貿易政策、條約、政府法規和關稅在內的一系列問題上,美國和中國之間的未來關係存在重大不確定性。中國的經濟狀況對全球經濟狀況以及國內經濟和政治政策的變化以及中國預期或預期的整體經濟增長率都很敏感。中國或全球經濟的任何長期放緩可能會對我們的業務、經營業績和財務狀況產生負面影響,而國際市場的持續動盪可能會對我們利用資本市場滿足流動資金需求的能力造成不利影響。

中國執法的不確定性和法律法規的變化可能會對我們產生不利影響

我們在中國的業務受中國法律法規管轄。我們的子公司一般遵守適用於外商投資中國的法律法規,特別是適用於外商獨資企業的法律。中華人民共和國的法律制度以成文法規爲基礎。以前的法院判決可供參考,但其先例價值有限。由於中國是一個快速增長的經濟體,中國正在發展完全整合的法律體系,以規範經濟活動的不同方面,最近頒佈的法律法規可能不足以涵蓋中國經濟活動的所有方面。此外,中國的法律制度部分基於可能具有追溯力的政府政策和內部規則和解釋(其中一些沒有及時公佈或根本沒有公佈)。因此,我們可能不完全遵守這些法律、法規和政策,以及它們的解釋和實施。此外,中國的任何訴訟都可能耗費時間,並可能導致巨額成本和資源分流,以及管理層對我們業務運營的關注。

 

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中國政府對我們業務運營的監督和酌情決定權可能會導致我們的運營以及我們的美國存託憑證和普通股的價值發生重大不利變化。

我們主要在中國開展業務。我們在中國的業務受中國法律法規管轄。中國政府對我們業務的運作擁有重大的監督和酌情決定權,這可能會影響我們的運營,這可能會導致我們的運營和我們的美國存託憑證的價值發生重大不利變化。

中國政府最近表示,打算對像我們這樣的中國發行人的海外發行和外國投資施加更多監管。例如,2021年7月6日,中國政府有關部門頒佈了《關於依法嚴厲打擊證券違法行爲的意見》,其中提出,將加強對境外上市中國公司的管理和監管,並將修訂《國務院關於此類公司境外發行上市的特別規定》,明確國內相關行業監管機構和其他監管機構的職責。2023年2月17日,證監會發布了《人民Republic of China關於境內企業境外發行上市備案管理安排的通知》、《關於境外上市發行上市的通知》、《境內公司境外證券發行上市試行管理辦法》及五項相關指引,或《境外上市試行辦法》。《境外上市試行辦法》於2023年3月31日起施行。根據《境外上市試行辦法》,尋求以直接或間接方式在境外市場發行和上市證券的中國境內公司,必須向中國證監會履行備案程序並報告相關信息。根據《境外上市發行通知》,我公司等在2023年3月31日前已在境外市場上市的發行人無需立即備案。然而,根據境外上市試行辦法,此類發行人將被要求就未來在中國內地以外的證券發行和上市向中國證監會完成某些備案程序,包括中國後續行動發行、發行可轉換債券、私有化交易後的離岸再發行以及其他同等的發行活動。我們不能向您保證,未來頒佈的任何新規則或條例不會對我們提出額外要求。

此外,《網絡安全審查辦法》和《數據安全條例草案》規定了可能觸發中國網絡安全審查的某些情況。有關更多詳細信息,請參閱「-與我們的業務相關的風險--未能遵守有關隱私、數據保護和網絡安全的政府法規和其他法律義務,我們可能會受到處罰,損害我們的聲譽和品牌,並可能對我們的業務產生實質性和不利的影響」。

目前仍不確定中國政府當局未來將如何監管海外上市,以及我們的海外發行是否需要完成中國證監會、中國網信辦或任何其他中國政府機構的備案或獲得任何具體監管批准。如果中國證監會、中國網信辦或其他政府部門後來頒佈新的規則或解釋,要求我們未來的海外發行必須獲得他們的批准,我們可能無法及時獲得此類批准,或者根本無法獲得此類批准,即使獲得了此類批准也可能被撤銷。任何此類情況都可能嚴重限制或完全阻礙我們繼續向投資者提供證券的能力,並導致此類證券的價值大幅下降或一文不值。此外,直接針對我們業務的全行業法規的實施可能會導致我們證券的價值大幅下降。因此,我們公司和我們業務的投資者面臨中國政府採取的影響我們業務的行動的潛在不確定性。

 

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外商投資法的解釋和實施可能會發生變化,目前還不確定它可能如何影響我們目前公司結構、公司治理、業務、財務狀況和經營結果的可行性。

2019年3月15日,全國人大公佈了外商投資法,自2020年1月1日起施行,取代了《中外合資經營企業法》、《中外合作經營企業法》、《外商獨資企業法》及其實施細則和附屬法規。

其解釋和實施可能會發生變化,如果不及時採取適當措施遵守外商投資法和相關規則,可能會對我們造成實質性和不利影響。例如,儘管《外商投資法》沒有明確將合同安排歸類爲外商投資的一種形式,但它包含了包羅萬象外商投資,包括外國投資者以法律、行政法規規定的方式或者國務院規定的其他方式對中國進行的投資。因此,它仍然留有餘地,未來法律、行政法規或國務院將合同安排規定爲外商投資的一種形式,屆時將不確定我們的合同安排是否會被視爲違反了外商在中國投資的市場準入要求,如果是的話,我們的合同安排將如何處理。此外,如果未來的法律、行政法規或國務院規定的規定要求公司就現有的合同安排採取進一步行動,我們可能會面臨很大的不確定性,不確定我們是否能及時或根本不能完成此類行動。在最壞的情況下,我們可能被要求解除現有的合同安排和/或處置相關業務,這可能會對我們目前的公司結構、公司治理、業務、財務狀況和運營結果產生重大不利影響。

中國對通過互聯網傳播的信息的監管和審查可能會對我們的業務和聲譽產生不利影響,並使我們對網站上顯示的信息承擔責任。

中國政府已經通過了管理互聯網接入以及在互聯網上發佈新聞和其他信息的規定。根據這些規定,互聯網內容提供商和互聯網出版商不得在互聯網上發佈或展示違反中國法律法規、損害中國民族尊嚴或反動、淫穢、迷信、欺詐或誹謗的內容。不遵守這些要求可能會導致吊銷提供互聯網內容的許可證和其他相關許可證,並關閉相關網站。在過去,不遵守這些要求曾導致某些網站關閉。網站運營商也可能對網站上顯示或鏈接到網站的此類經審查的信息承擔責任。如果我們的任何網站和我們的應用程序,包括用於我們的在線教育業務和銷售自有品牌產品和直播的那些電子商務如果我們的業務被發現違反了任何此類要求,我們可能會受到相關當局的處罰,我們的運營或聲譽可能會受到不利影響。

 

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我們需要獲得各種經營許可證和許可證,併爲我們在中國的業務進行登記和備案;如果不遵守這些要求,可能會對我們的業務和經營業績產生重大不利影響。

根據中國法律和法規,培訓學校要提供輔導服務,必須獲得相關政府當局的若干執照、許可和批准,並向其備案或完成註冊。根據《減負意見》和國務院第80號通知,提供學科課外輔導服務的機構應當取得民辦學校經營許可證。國務院第80號通知和修訂後的實施細則進一步要求,提供課外輔導服務的培訓學校的學習中心必須向有關教育部門備案。對於非學術關於輔導服務,《減負意見》要求,地方政府主管部門應當明確管理的主管部門非學術課後輔導機構,按體育、文化藝術、科學技術等分類非學術主體,制定不同分類之間的標準非學術進行輔導,並在批准前進行嚴格的審查。截至本年度報告之日,某些地方政府部門已頒佈規定,要求非學術藝術、音樂、物理等領域的輔導服務提供商獲得私立學校運營許可證。由於課後輔導行業複雜和不斷變化的監管環境,我們不能向您保證,我們已經爲我們所有的輔導機構和學習中心獲得並維護了所有必要的私立學校運營許可證和備案文件。我們正在爲我們的一些輔導機構申請或續簽私立學校的經營許可證。然而,也不能保證我們能夠及時更新或續簽現有的許可證和備案文件,或者根本不能。我們可能會被罰款,沒收從我們的不合規業務中獲得的收益,或暫停我們的業務,不遵守規定事件時有發生,可能會對我們的業務和經營業績造成實質性的不利影響。例如,2023年9月,某些政府部門因缺乏民辦學校經營許可證,對我們的兩個學習中心處以總計約9.3萬元的罰款。2024年2月,政府有關部門以未取得民辦學校經營許可證爲由,對我所某學習中心處以約120萬元罰款,沒收收益約23萬元。此外,《減負意見》進一步規定,對十年級至十二年級學生學科輔導機構的管理監督,參照《減負意見》的有關規定執行,但參照《減負意見》對十年級至十二年級學生學科輔導機構的管理如何實施、實施到何種程度尚不確定。因此,我們不能向您保證,我們不會被要求就我們爲十年級至十二年級學生提供的學術輔導服務採取進一步行動,包括獲得運營許可,以遵守減輕負擔意見及其實施措施。此外,我們的電子商務業務由我們持有多數股權的子公司East Buy運營,我們需要獲得一些許可證、許可和批准才能提供此類服務。例如,我們已經獲得了互聯網內容物許可證、食品經營許可證、經營出版物許可證和商業表演許可證。

我們的業務也受到各種健康、安全、食品、電子商務,廣告和其他法規影響到我們業務的各個方面,我們必須根據這些法規獲得各種許可證和許可才能運營。我們一直在努力確保在所有實質性方面遵守適用的規章制度。此外,我們遵循內部指導方針,進行必要的登記和備案,並及時獲得必要的許可證和許可證。然而,我們可能無法獲得和維護所有必需的許可證、許可、批准和備案,也無法通過所有必需的評估。也不能保證我們能夠及時更新或續簽現有許可證,或獲得我們業務擴展所需的額外許可證、批准、許可證、註冊或備案,或者根本不能。此外,中國可能會有新的規章制度、政府解釋或政府政策來管理我們目前經營的企業。這些新的規則、法規、政府解釋或政府政策可能會使我們的業務運營受到額外的許可證或備案要求。如果我們不遵守適用的法律要求,我們可能會被罰款、沒收從我們不合規業務中獲得的收益或暫停我們的不合規業務,這可能會對我們的業務和運營結果產生實質性的不利影響。此外,我們可能會開發新的業務線,或對我們的中國子公司或合併關聯實體的某些當前業務的運營做出改變,這可能需要我們獲得額外的許可證、批准、許可、註冊和備案。然而,不能保證我們能夠或將能夠及時或根本不能成功地獲得此類許可證、批准、許可、註冊和備案。例如,作爲我們文化和旅遊業務計劃的一部分,某些旅行社正在申請旅行社經營許可證。如果我們未能獲得和維護所需的許可證和許可,以及所需的註冊和備案,我們可能會受到罰款、法律制裁或暫停服務的命令,我們的業務、財務狀況和經營業績可能會受到實質性和不利的影響。

中國有關中國居民設立離岸特殊目的公司的法規可能會使我們的中國居民股東承擔個人責任,並限制我們向我們的中國子公司注資的能力,限制我們的中國子公司向我們分配利潤的能力,或在其他方面對我們產生不利影響。

外管局於2014年7月下發通知,要求中國境內居民,包括中國境內機構和中國境內個人居民,根據國家外匯管理局2015年2月13日發佈的《關於進一步簡化和完善直接投資外匯管理政策的通知》,以其合法持有的境內或境外資產或股權設立或控股中國以外的任何公司,用於投資、融資或進行往返投資,須向當地外匯局分支機構(現爲當地銀行)登記。這類位於中國境外的公司在通知中被稱爲「離岸特殊目的公司」。若我們現時及未來的中國居民實益擁有人未能及時提交或修訂其安全登記(如有需要),可能會對該等實益擁有人處以罰款及法律制裁,並可能限制我們向我們的中國附屬公司注入額外資本的能力,限制我們的中國附屬公司向我們公司派發股息或償還外匯貸款的能力,或以其他方式對我們的業務造成不利影響。

 

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We face regulatory measures in China concerning our employees’ participation in our share incentive plan.

In February 2012, SAFE issued the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in a Stock Incentive Plan of an Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, or Circular 7. According to Circular 7, if “PRC individuals” (meaning both PRC residents and non-PRC residents who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, excluding the foreign diplomatic personnel and representatives of international organizations) participate in any share incentive plan of an overseas listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company, shall, among other things, file, on behalf of such individuals, an application with SAFE to conduct SAFE registration with respect to such share incentive plan, and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the share purchase or share option exercise. Such PRC individuals’ foreign exchange income received from the sale of shares and dividends distributed by the overseas listed company and any other income shall be fully remitted into a collective foreign currency account in the PRC opened and managed by the PRC domestic agent before distribution to such individuals. In addition, such PRC individuals must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with the exercise of their share options and their purchase and sale of shares.

According to Circular 7, from time to time, we need to make applications or update our registration with SAFE or its local branches on behalf of our employees who are affected by our new share incentive plan or material changes in our current share incentive plan. We are in the process of making an application on behalf of the PRC individuals who participate in our company’s share incentive plans with SAFE in compliance with Circular 7; however, we cannot assure you that such application will be successful. If we or the participants of our share incentive plans who are PRC citizens fail to comply with Circular 7, we and/or such participants of our share incentive plans may be subject to fines and legal sanctions. In addition, there may be additional restrictions on the ability of such participants to exercise their stock options or remit proceeds gained from sale of their stock into China, and we may be prevented from further granting share incentive awards under our share incentive plans to our employees who are PRC citizens. Such events could adversely affect our ability to retain talented employees.

The approval of and filings with the CSRC or other PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our offshore offerings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filings or how long they might take.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, commonly referred to as the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, require an overseas special purpose vehicle formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC persons or entities to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and our offshore listings may ultimately require approval of the CSRC. If the CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain the approval and, even if we obtain such CSRC approval, the approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining the CSRC approval for any of our offshore listings, or a rescission of such approval if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Circular of the People’s Republic of China on Administrative Arrangements for Filing of Overseas Offering and Listing of Domestic Enterprises, or the Circular of Overseas Listing and Offering, and the Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies and five relevant guidelines, or the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures became effective on March 31, 2023. Pursuant to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, PRC domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets, either in direct or indirect means, are required to fulfill the filing procedure with the CSRC and report relevant information. According to the Circular of Overseas Listing and Offering, issuers that have already been listed in an overseas market by March 31, 2023, such as our company, are not required to make any immediate filing. However, under the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, such issuers will be required to complete certain filing procedures with the CSRC in connection with future securities offerings and listings outside of mainland China, including follow-on offerings, issuance of convertible bonds, offshore relisting after going-private transactions, and other equivalent offering activities.

 

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Furthermore, on February 25, 2023, the CSRC released the Provisions on Strengthening the Confidentiality and Archives Administration Related to the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. These provisions require, among others, that PRC domestic enterprises seeking offering and listing of securities in overseas markets, either directly or indirectly, shall establish the confidentiality and archives system, and shall complete approval and filing procedures with competent authorities, if such PRC domestic enterprises or their overseas listing entities provide or publicly disclose documents or materials involving state secrets and work secrets of PRC government agencies to relevant securities companies, securities service institutions, overseas regulatory agencies and other entities and individuals. It further stipulates that providing or publicly disclosing documents and materials which may adversely affect national security or public interests to relevant securities companies, securities service institutions, overseas regulatory agencies and other entities and individuals shall be subject to corresponding procedures in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

In addition, we cannot assure you that any new rules or regulations promulgated in the future will not impose additional requirements on us. If it is determined in the future that approval and filing from the CSRC or other regulatory authorities or other procedures, including the cybersecurity review under the Cybersecurity Review Measures, are required for our offshore offerings, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain such approval or complete such filing procedures and any such approval or filing could be rescinded or rejected. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such approval or completing such filing procedures for our offshore offerings, or a rescission of any such approval or filing if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities for failure to seek CSRC approval or filing or other government authorization for our offshore offerings. These regulatory authorities may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our offshore offerings into China or take other actions that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, as well as the trading price of our listed securities. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our offshore offerings before settlement and delivery of the shares offered. Consequently, if investors engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, they do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals or accomplish the required filing or other regulatory procedures for our prior offshore offerings, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, reputation, and the trading price of our listed securities.

Increases in labor costs and enforcement of labor laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business, profitability and results of operations.

The economy of China has been experiencing increases in labor costs in recent years and the average wage in the PRC is expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our students by increasing prices for our services, our profitability and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, we are required under PRC laws and regulations to participate in various government sponsored employee benefit plans, including certain social insurance and housing funds, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where we operate our businesses. We have required all of our PRC operating entities to participate in employee benefit plans and make employee benefit payments for our employees pursuant to applicable laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any incompliance notification from any local government regarding employee benefit payments, nor have we been sanctioned for such matters. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to make adequate employee benefit payments for every employee in a timely manner. If we fail to make adequate employee benefit payments, we may be subject to fines, late fees and legal sanctions, and our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility between the RMB and foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our income at the holding company level may be primarily derived from dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as direct investments, repayments of loans or investments in securities outside the PRC. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs. As a result, the funds in our PRC subsidiaries or the consolidated affiliated entities in China may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of China due to interventions in, or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on, the ability of our holding company, our subsidiaries, or the consolidated affiliated entities by the PRC government on currency conversion. Although currently there are not equivalent or similar restrictions or limitations in Hong Kong on cash transfers in, or out of, our Hong Kong entities (including currency conversion), if certain restrictions or limitations in China were to become applicable to cash transfers in and out of Hong Kong entities (including currency conversion) in the future, the funds in our Hong Kong entities, likewise, may not be available to meet our currency demand.

Fluctuation in the value of the RMB may have a material adverse effect on your investment

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Our revenues and costs are mostly denominated in the RMB, and a significant portion of our financial assets are also denominated in RMB. We may rely entirely on dividends and/or other fees paid to us by our subsidiaries and New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries in China. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common shares and ADSs. For example, a further appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would make any new RMB-denominated investments or expenditures more costly to us, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into the RMB for such purposes. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce our reported earnings in U.S. dollars, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our common shares and ADSs.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

The discontinuation of any preferential tax treatments currently available to us could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

The Chinese government has provided various tax incentives to certain of our PRC subsidiaries, primarily in the form of reduced enterprise income tax rates. For example, under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, the statutory enterprise income tax rate is 25%. However, the income tax of an enterprise that has been determined to be a high and new technology enterprise can be reduced to a preferential rate of 15%. In addition, an enterprise that qualifies as a “software enterprise” is exempt from enterprise income tax for the two years beginning in the enterprise’s first profitable year and then is entitled to a reduced tax rate of 12.5% for the succeeding three years. Any increase in the enterprise income tax rate applicable to certain of our PRC subsidiaries in China, or any discontinuation, retroactive or future reduction or refund of any of the preferential tax treatments currently enjoyed by certain of our PRC subsidiary in China, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Before September 1, 2017, under the Law for Promoting Private Education, or the Private Education Law, and its Implementation Rules, private schools that do not require reasonable returns enjoy the same preferential tax treatment as public schools, while the preferential tax treatment policies applicable to private schools requiring reasonable returns shall be separately formulated by the relevant authorities under the State Council.

The Amended Private Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 2017 and was further amended on December 29, 2018, no longer uses the term “reasonable return.” Instead, under the Amended Private Education Law, sponsors of private schools may choose to establish non-profit or for-profit private schools at their own discretion, except that private schools in compulsory education area can only be registered as non-profit private schools, and after-school tutoring institutions providing tutoring services on academic subjects in compulsory education area can only be registered as non-profit private schools under the Alleviating Burden Opinion. Pursuant to the Amended Private Education Law, non-profit private schools will be entitled to the same tax benefits as public schools, while tax policies for for-profit private schools are unclear and may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% and other taxes as if they were enterprises.

Currently, tax treatments for private schools vary across different cities in China. Private schools in certain cities are subject to a 25% standard enterprise income tax, while in other cities, private schools are subject to a fixed amount of enterprise income tax each year as determined by the local tax authority in lieu of the 25% standard enterprise income tax or are not required to pay enterprise income tax at all.

Preferential tax treatments granted to us by governmental authorities are subject to review and may be adjusted or revoked at any time in the future. The discontinuation of any preferential tax treatments currently available to us, especially to those schools in major cities, will cause our effective tax rate to increase, which will increase our income tax expenses and in turn decrease our net income.

We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, which may subject us to PRC income tax for our global income and withholding for any dividends we pay to our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises,” and will generally be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate for their global income. Although the term “de facto management bodies” is defined as “management bodies which has substantial and overall management and control power on the operation, human resources, accounting and assets of the enterprise,” the circumstances under which an enterprise’s “de facto management body” would be considered to be located in China are currently unclear. The State Administration of Taxation has issued a circular providing that a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with its “de facto management bodies” located within China if the following requirements are satisfied: (1) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations function mainly in the PRC; (2) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in the PRC; (3) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (4) at least half of the enterprise’s directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC.

In addition, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. The bulletin clarified certain matters relating to resident status determination, post determination administration and competent tax authorities. It also specifies that when provided with a copy of a PRC tax resident determination certificate from a resident PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, the payer should not withhold 10% income tax when paying the PRC-sourced dividends, interest and royalties to the PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise. Moreover, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin in January 2014, to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. This bulletin further provided that, among other things, an entity that is classified as a “resident enterprise” in accordance with the circular shall file the application for classifying its status of residential enterprise with the local tax authorities where its main domestic investors registered. From the year in which the entity is determined as a “resident enterprise,” any dividend, profit and other equity investment gain shall be taxed in accordance with the Article 26 of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and the Article 17 and Article 83 of its implementation rules. Although both the circular and the bulletin only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises and not those by PRC individuals, the determination criteria set forth in the circular and administration clarification made in the bulletin may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax residency status of offshore enterprises and how the administration measures should be implemented, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC individuals.

 

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Most members of our management team are based in China and are expected to remain in China. Although our offshore holding companies are not controlled by any PRC company or company group, we cannot assure you that we will not be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules. If we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, we will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on our global income. In that case, however, dividend income we receive from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from PRC enterprise income tax because the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules generally provide that dividends received by a PRC resident enterprise from its directly invested entity that is also a PRC resident enterprise is exempt from enterprise income tax. Accordingly, if we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise and earn income other than dividends from our PRC subsidiaries, a 25% enterprise income tax on our global income could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability.

In addition, if we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, dividends distributed to our non-PRC entity investors by us, or the gain our non-PRC entity investors may realize from the transfer of our common shares or ADSs, may be treated as PRC-sourced income and therefore be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law. This could increase our and our shareholders’ effective income tax rates and may require us to deduct withholding tax from any dividends we pay to our non-PRC shareholders.

Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC are subject to the PRC withholding tax.

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that a maximum income tax rate of 20% may apply to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council has reduced such rate to 10%, in the absence of any applicable tax treaties that may reduce such rate. We are a Cayman Islands holding company and may derive our income from dividends we receive from our operating subsidiaries located in the PRC. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries, the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders and ADS holders may be materially and adversely affected.

According to the Arrangement between the PRC and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, or the Double Taxation Arrangement (Hong Kong), dividends paid to enterprises incorporated in Hong Kong are subject to a withholding tax of 5% provided that a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns over 25% of the PRC enterprise distributing the dividend and can be considered as a “beneficial owner” and entitled to treaty benefits under the Double Taxation Arrangement (Hong Kong). Elite Concept Holdings Limited, Winner Park Limited and Smart Shine International Limited, our Hong Kong wholly-owned subsidiaries, own 100% of some of our PRC subsidiaries. Thus, dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries to us through our Hong Kong wholly-owned subsidiaries may be subject to the 5% withholding tax if we and our Hong Kong subsidiaries are considered as “non-resident enterprises” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and our Hong Kong subsidiaries are considered as “beneficial owners” and entitled to treaty benefits under the Double Taxation Arrangement (Hong Kong). If our Hong Kong subsidiaries are not regarded as the beneficial owners of any such dividends, they will not be entitled to the treaty benefits under the Double Taxation Arrangement (Hong Kong). As a result, such dividends would be subject to regular withholding tax of 10% as provided by the PRC domestic law rather than the favorable rate of 5% applicable under the Double Taxation Arrangement (Hong Kong).

We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

In February 2015, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Bulletin 7. Pursuant to Bulletin 7, an “indirect transfer” of PRC assets, including a transfer of equity interests in an unlisted non-PRC holding company of a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of the underlying PRC assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Bulletin 7 does not apply to transactions of sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired from a transaction through a public stock exchange.

 

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According to Bulletin 7, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the competent tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction. On October 17, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or Bulletin 37, which came into effect and superseded Circular 698 on December 1, 2017. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax.

There is uncertainty as to the application of Bulletin 7 and Bulletin 37. As a result, we and our non-resident investors may have the risk of being taxed under Bulletin 7 and Bulletin 37 and may be required to spend valuable resources to comply with Bulletin 7 and Bulletin 37 or to establish that we or our non-resident investors should not be taxed under Bulletin 7 and Bulletin 37, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or such non-resident investors’ investments in us.

If we fail to obtain and maintain the licenses and approvals required for online business in China, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

The relevant laws and regulations in China related to the online industry are relatively new and still evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement are subject to changes. As a result, in certain circumstances it may be difficult to determine whether a certain license requirement applies to us and what actions or omissions may be deemed to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations. For example, according to the Administrative Provisions on Internet Audio-Visual Program Service, the dissemination of “Audio-visual Programs” through internet is subject to the specific license. However, due to the ambiguity of the definition of “Audio-visual Programs,” there is uncertainty as to whether our online business falls within the definition of “Audio-visual Programs” and whether we are required to obtain the License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs. In addition, pursuant to the Administrative Measures on the Production and Operation of Radio and Television Programs, the production of “Radio and Television Programs” requires the Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs. Due to the ambiguity of the definition of “Radio and Television Programs,” there is uncertainty as to whether our online business falls within such definition. In addition, the interpretation of “online publishing service” remains uncertain. The online distribution of content, including our course materials, may be regarded as an “online publishing service” and we may be required to obtain an Online Publishing License. If the government authorities deem printing and providing physical learning materials to users as “publishing” or “publication distribution,” we may be required to obtain a Permit for Operating Publications. Information posted on our mobile apps and websites may be viewed as news information, and the release of such information on our mobile apps and websites may be deemed as “Internet news information services” and therefore we may be required to obtain Internet news information licenses. Further, there is no definition of “online education activities” under the Amended Implementation Rules. If our online learning contents and products are deemed as “online education activities” under the Amended Implementation Rules, certain of our operating entities may be required to obtain a private school operating permit. Moreover, the Opinions on Guiding and Regulating the Orderly and Healthy Development of Educational Mobile Apps issued jointly by the Chinese Ministry of Education with certain other PRC government authorities on August 10, 2019, require that mobile Apps that provide services for school teaching and management, student learning and student life, or home-school interactions, with school faculty, students or parents as the main users, and with education or learning as the main application scenarios, or the Education Apps, complete filings with competent provincial regulatory authorities for education. Following the issuance of these opinions, we completed filings for our Education Apps with relevant government authorities. However, to implement the Alleviating Burden Opinion, the Chinese Ministry of Education require all Educational Apps that have completed filings prior to the effective date of the Alleviating Burden Opinion to be re-submit filings to make sure they comply with relevant compliance requirements under the Alleviating Burden Opinion. As of the date of this annual report, we have already completed filings or otherwise re-submitted filings for our Educational Apps. If we fail to promptly complete such filing and comply with other applicable regulatory requirements, we may be blacklisted by the Chinese Ministry of Education or its local counterparts and prohibited from submitting any filings for six months, or may be subject to fines, regulatory orders to suspend our or the consolidated VIEs’ operations or other regulatory and disciplinary sanctions. Furthermore, although we have obtained ICP Licenses, which specifically permit us to provide certain internet information services, due to potential changes with respect to the interpretation of relevant laws and regulations by PRC government authorities, we cannot assure you that our ICP Licenses cover all the telecommunication services we currently provide, and in the event that our ICP Licenses are found not to cover all the telecommunication services we currently provide, we may be required to obtain additional Value-Added Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses or to update our existing ICP Licenses. In addition, the Internet Culture Measures require ICP operators engaging in Internet culture activities to obtain an Internet culture operation license, or Internet Culture Operation License, from the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the Internet Culture Measures. The term “Internet culture activities” includes, among other things, online dissemination of Internet cultural products (such as audio-video products, gaming products, performances of plays or programs, works of art and cartoons) and the production, reproduction, importation, publication and broadcasting of Internet cultural products. On May 14, 2019, the General Office of the Ministry of Culture promulgated the Notice on Adjusting the Scope of Internet Culture Operation License and Further Standardizing the Approval Work, which provides that activities including online performances fall in the scope of Internet Culture Operation License and further clarifies that educational live streaming activities are not online performances. Therefore, we are not required to obtain the Internet Culture Operation License for our online tutoring business. According to the Q&A posted on the website of Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the PRC, if the main content of the livestreaming activities features on sale of goods, such livestreaming activities do not fall within the scope of internet culture activities, no Internet Culture Operation License is required. Since our livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy is for providing the sale of agricultural and other products, we are not required to obtain the Internet Culture Operation License for our livestreaming e-commerce business. However, given the potential changes in the interpretation and application of existing PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to obtain the Internet Culture Operation License for business operations in the future.

 

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We cannot assure that the competent PRC government authorities will not subsequently take a contrary view, especially in light of new regulatory developments. If the government authorities determine that our online tutoring services fall within the scope of business operations that require the above-mentioned licenses or other licenses or permits, we may not be able to obtain such licenses or permits on reasonable terms or in a timely manner or at all, and failure to obtain such licenses or permits may subject us to fines, legal sanctions or an order to suspend our online tutoring services, which will materially and adversely affect our business operation.

The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. The auditor is located in mainland China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was historically unable to conduct inspections and investigations completely before 2022. As a result, we and investors in the ADSs were deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China in the past has made it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. However, if the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we and investors in our ADSs would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections again, which could cause investors and potential investors in the ADSs to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

 

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Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of the ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.

Pursuant to the HFCAA, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act that was signed into law on December 29, 2022, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States.

On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and our auditor was subject to that determination. On October 21, 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. As of the date of this annual report, the PCAOB has not issued any new determination that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in any jurisdiction. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA after we file this annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. In accordance with the HFCAA, our securities would be prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years in the future. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. A prohibition of being able to trade in the United States would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.

It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.

In China, there are more legal procedures to go through in order to obtain information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China, compared with legal procedures needed for obtaining information regarding investigations or litigation initiated inside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by our shareholders in protecting their interests.

Furthermore, on July 6, 2021, the relevant PRC governmental authorities promulgated the Opinions on Lawfully and Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities, among which, it is mentioned that the administration and supervision of overseas-listed China-based companies will be strengthened, and the special provisions of the State Council on overseas issuance and listing of shares by such companies will be revised, clarifying the responsibilities of domestic industry competent authorities and regulatory authorities. It is possible that any new rules or regulations may impose additional requirements on us.

 

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Risks Related to Our ADSs and Common Shares

We adopt different practices as to certain matters as compared with many other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

We completed our public offering in Hong Kong in November 2020 and the trading of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange commenced on November 9, 2020 under the stock code “9901.” As a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to Chapter 19C of the Hong Kong Listing Rules, we are not subject to certain provisions of the Hong Kong Listing Rules pursuant to Rule 19C.11, including, among others, rules on notifiable transactions, connected transactions, share option schemes, publication of interim and annual results announcements, content of interim and annual reports as well as certain other continuing obligations. In addition, in connection with the listing of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, we obtained a number of waivers and/or exemptions from strict compliance with the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong), as amended or supplemented from time to time. As a result, we adopt different practices as to those matters as compared with other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that do not enjoy those exemptions or waivers.

Furthermore, if 55% or more of the total worldwide trading volume, by dollar value, of our common shares and ADSs over our most recent fiscal year takes place on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will regard us as having a dual primary listing in Hong Kong and we will no longer enjoy certain exemptions or waivers from strict compliance with the requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong), as amended or supplemented from time to time, which could result in us having to amend our corporate structure and articles of association and our incurring of incremental compliance costs.

The trading prices of our ADSs and common shares have been and are likely to continue to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to holders of our common shares and ADSs.

The market prices of our ADSs and common shares have been and are likely to continue to be volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, the low and high closing prices of our ADSs on NYSE from June 1, 2023 to September 24, 2024 were US$36.60 and US$96.31, respectively. Likewise, the low and high closing prices on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange from June 1, 2023 to September 24, 2024 were HK$29.20 and HK$76.80, respectively. The market price of our ADSs and our common shares is likely to be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors such as:

 

   

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results,

 

   

announcements and implementations of new regulations and policies related to our business,

 

   

changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts,

 

   

changes in the economic performance or market valuation of other competitor companies,

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors of material acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments,

 

   

addition or departure of our executive officers or key personnel,

 

   

detrimental negative publicity about us, our competitors or our industries,

 

   

regulatory investigation or other governmental proceedings against us,

 

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substantial sales or perception of sales of our ADSs and common shares in the public market, and

 

   

general economic, regulatory or political conditions in China and the U.S.

In addition, the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in Hong Kong and/or the United States may affect the volatility in the prices of and trading volumes of our common shares and ADSs. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in trading prices. The trading performance of other Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings, including private education companies and livestreaming e-commerce companies, may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong and/or the United States, which consequently may impact the trading performance of our common shares and ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of our common shares and ADSs.

If securities or industry analysts publish negative reports about our business, the price and trading volume of our common shares and ADSs securities could decline.

The trading market for our common shares and ADSs will be influenced by the research reports and ratings that securities or industry analysts or ratings agencies publish about us, our business and the private education market in China in general. We do not have any control over these analysts or agencies. If one or more of the analysts or agencies who cover us downgrades us or our securities, the price of our common shares and ADSs may decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of our common shares and ADSs or trading volume to decline.

Holders of our ADSs may have fewer rights than holders of our common shares and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights of our shareholders and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying shares represented by the ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under our memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to convene an annual general meeting is 21 days, and any other general meeting shall be called by at least 14 days’ notice as long as our shares remain listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, or otherwise at least seven business days’ notice. When a general meeting is convened, holders of ADSs may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders’ meeting to permit withdrawal of the underlying shares represented by their ADSs to allow them to cast their votes with respect to any specific matter. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to holders of ADSs or carry out your voting instructions in a timely manner. We will make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to holders of ADSs in a timely manner, but we cannot assure that holders of ADSs will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote their ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to vote and may lack recourse if the common shares underlying their ADSs are not voted as they requested. In addition, holders of ADSs will not be able to call a shareholders’ meeting.

The right of our ADS holders to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to holdings of our ADS holders.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to holders of our ADSs in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, the depositary will not offer those rights to ADS holders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act, or exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to take advantage of any exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of our ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.

 

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Holders of our ADSs may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.

Our ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are continued and registered in the Cayman Islands and conduct substantially all of our operations in China. Substantially all of our assets are located in China. All of our executive officers reside in China and some or all of the assets of those persons are located within China. As a result, it may be difficult for shareholders to effect service of process within the United States or Hong Kong in the event that they believe that their rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws, Hong Kong laws or otherwise. Even if shareholders are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of the PRC may render shareholders unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. There is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the Hong Kong courts or federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments).

The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of reciprocity with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our director and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.

There is uncertainty as to whether the judgment of United States courts will be directly enforced in Hong Kong, as the United States and Hong Kong do not have a treaty or other arrangements providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts of the United States in civil and commercial matters. However, a foreign judgment may be enforced in Hong Kong at common law by bringing an action in a Hong Kong court since the judgment may be regarded as creating a debt between the parties to it, provided that the foreign judgment, among other things, is a final judgment conclusive upon the merits of the claim and is for a liquidated amount in a civil matter and not in respect of taxes, fines, penalties, or similar charges. Such a judgment may not, in any event, be so enforced in Hong Kong if (a) it was obtained by fraud; (b) the proceedings in which the judgment was obtained were opposed to natural justice; (c) its enforcement or recognition would be contrary to the public policy of Hong Kong; (d) the court of the United States was not jurisdictionally competent; or (e) the judgment was in conflict with a prior Hong Kong judgment.

Since we are a Cayman Islands exempted company, the rights of our shareholders may be more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States or Hong Kong.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and by the Cayman Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedents in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States or in Hong Kong. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States or Hong Kong, and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, with respect to Cayman Islands companies, plaintiffs may face special obstacles, including but not limited to those relating to jurisdiction and standing, in attempting to assert derivative claims in state or federal courts of the United States.

 

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As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may have more difficulties in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States or Hong Kong.

Our articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our common shares and ADSs.

Our articles of association contain provisions that limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our common shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our common shares and ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

There can be no assurance that we will not be a “passive foreign investment company” for United States federal income tax purposes any the taxable year, which could result in significant adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of our ADSs or common shares.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be a “passive foreign investment company,” or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either, (1) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (2) 50% or more of the value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (the “asset test”). Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat the VIEs (including their subsidiaries) as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities, and, as a result, we consolidate these entities’ operating results in our combined financial statements.

Assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended May 31, 2024. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis that depends, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets. As previously disclosed, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended May 31, 2023. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or future taxable years because the value of our assets for the purpose of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. If our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become a PFIC for the current taxable year or future taxable years. Under circumstances where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming a PFIC may substantially increase.

If we are classified as a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Taxation”) in our ADSs and/or common shares will generally be subject to reporting requirements and may incur significantly increased U.S. federal income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or common shares and on the receipt of distributions on the ADSs or common shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an “excess distribution” under U.S. federal income tax rules. Further, if we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares. U.S. Holders of our ADSs or common shares are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the United States federal income tax consequences if we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year. See the discussion under “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Taxation —Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules” concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences if we are or become classified as a PFIC.

 

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The different characteristics of the capital markets in Hong Kong and the U.S. may negatively affect the trading prices of our common shares and ADSs in different ways.

As dual-listed company, we are subject to Hong Kong and NYSE listing and regulatory requirements concurrently. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange and NYSE have different trading hours, trading characteristics (including trading volume and liquidity), trading and listing rules, and investor bases (including different levels of retail and institutional participation). As a result of these differences, the trading prices of our common shares and our ADSs may not be the same, even allowing for currency differences. Fluctuations in the price of our ADSs due to circumstances peculiar to the U.S. capital markets could materially and adversely affect the price of our common shares, or vice versa. Certain events having significant negative impact specifically on the U.S. capital markets may result in a decline in the trading price of our common shares notwithstanding that such event may not impact the trading prices of securities listed in Hong Kong generally or to the same extent, or vice versa.

Exchange between our common shares and our ADSs may adversely affect the liquidity and/or trading price of each other.

Our ADSs are currently traded on the NYSE. Subject to compliance with U.S. securities law and the terms of the deposit agreement, holders of our common shares may deposit common shares with the depositary in exchange for the issuance of our ADSs. Any holder of ADSs may also withdraw the underlying common shares represented by the ADSs pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement for trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the event that a substantial number of common shares are deposited with the depositary in exchange for ADSs or vice versa, the liquidity and trading price of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and our ADSs on the NYSE may be adversely affected.

The time required for the exchange between common shares and ADSs might be longer than expected and investors might not be able to settle or effect any sale of their securities during this period, and the exchange of common shares into ADSs involves costs.

There is no direct trading or settlement between the NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on which our ADSs and our common shares are respectively traded. In addition, the time differences between Hong Kong and New York, unforeseen market circumstances or other factors may delay the deposit of common shares in exchange of ADSs or the withdrawal of common shares underlying the ADSs. Investors will be prevented from settling or effecting the sale of their securities during such periods of delay. In addition, there is no assurance that any exchange of common shares into ADSs (and vice versa) will be completed in accordance with the timelines that investors may anticipate.

Furthermore, the depositary for the ADSs is entitled to charge holders fees for various services including for the issuance of ADSs upon deposit of common shares, cancelation of ADSs, distributions of cash dividends or other cash distributions, distributions of ADSs pursuant to share dividends or other free share distributions, distributions of securities other than ADSs and annual service fees. As a result, shareholders who exchange common shares into ADSs, and vice versa, may not achieve the level of economic return the shareholders may anticipate.

An active trading market for our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange might not develop or be sustained and trading prices of our common shares might fluctuate significantly.

Since the listing of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, we have maintained a certain level of liquidity in the trading of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. However, we cannot assure you that that this level of liquidity will be sustained. The trading price or liquidity for our ADSs on the NYSE might not be indicative of those of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. If an active trading market of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is not sustained, the market price and liquidity of our common shares could be materially and adversely affected.

In 2014, the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges collaborated to create an inter-exchange trading mechanism called Stock Connect that allows international and mainland Chinese investors to trade eligible equity securities listed in each other’s markets through the trading and clearing facilities of their home exchange. Stock Connect currently covers over 2,000 equity securities trading in the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen markets. Stock Connect allows mainland Chinese investors to trade directly in eligible equity securities listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, known as Southbound Trading; without Stock Connect, mainland Chinese investors would not otherwise have a direct and established means of engaging in Southbound Trading. However, it is unclear whether and when the common shares of our Company, with a secondary listing in Hong Kong upon the Listing, will be eligible to be traded through Stock Connect, if at all. The ineligibility or any delay of our common shares for trading through Stock Connect will affect mainland Chinese investors’ ability to trade our common shares and therefore may limit the liquidity of the trading of our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

 

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There is uncertainty as to whether Hong Kong stamp duty will apply to the trading or conversion of our ADSs.

In connection with our initial public offering of common shares in Hong Kong, or the Hong Kong IPO, we have established a branch register of members in Hong Kong, or the Hong Kong share register. Our common shares that are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, including those issued under the Hong Kong IPO and those that may be converted from ADSs, are registered on the Hong Kong share register, and the trading of these common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will be subject to the Hong Kong stamp duty. To facilitate ADS-common share conversion and trading between the NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, we also moved a portion of our issued common shares from our register of members maintained in the Cayman Islands to our Hong Kong share register.

Under the Hong Kong Stamp Duty Ordinance, any person who effects a sale or purchase of Hong Kong stock, defined as stock the transfer of which is required to be registered in Hong Kong, is required to pay Hong Kong stamp duty. The stamp duty is currently set at a total rate of 0.2% of the greater of the consideration for, or the value of, shares transferred, with 0.1% payable by each of the buyer and the seller.

To the best of our knowledge, Hong Kong stamp duty has not been levied in practice on the trading or conversion of ADSs of companies that are listed in both the United States and Hong Kong and that have maintained all or a portion of their common shares, including common shares underlying ADSs, in their Hong Kong share registers. However, it is unclear whether, as a matter of Hong Kong law, the trading or conversion of ADSs of these dual-listed companies constitutes a sale or purchase of the underlying Hong Kong-registered common shares that is subject to Hong Kong stamp duty. We advise investors to consult their own tax advisors on this matter. If Hong Kong stamp duty is determined by the competent authority to apply to the trading or conversion of our ADSs, the trading price and the value of your investment in our common shares and/or ADSs may be affected.

 

ITEM 4.

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

 

A.

History and Development of the Company

Our first school was established by Mr. Michael Minhong Yu, our executive chairman, in Beijing, China in 1993 to offer TOEFL test preparation courses to college students. We established New Oriental China in 2001 as a domestic holding company to act as the sponsor of our schools and hold some operating subsidiaries. In order to facilitate foreign investment in our company, we established our offshore holding company, New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., in the British Virgin Islands in August 2004. We redomiciled to the Cayman Islands in March 2006 and are now a Cayman Islands company. We have three wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong that directly own our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China.

We completed an initial public offering and listed our ADSs on the NYSE under the symbol “EDU” in September 2006. On August 18, 2011, we effected a change in the ratio of our ADSs to common shares from one ADS representing four common shares to one ADS representing one common share.

Beijing Xuncheng, previously majority-owned subsidiary of New Oriental China, was restructured as a variable interest entity controlled by Koolearn Technology Holding Limited, or Koolearn, a majority-owned subsidiary of our offshore holding company, in 2018. On March 28, 2019, Koolearn completed its initial public offering and the listing of its shares on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In February 2023, the English name of Koolearn was changed from “Koolearn Technology Holding Limited” to “East Buy Holding Limited.”

On November 9, 2020, our common shares commenced trading on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code “9901.” We raised approximately US$1.48 billion in net proceeds from our listing in Hong Kong after deducting underwriting commissions, share issuance costs and the offering expenses.

 

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On March 10, 2021, we implemented a one-for-ten share split. On April 8, 2022, we effected a change in the ratio of our ADSs to common shares from one ADS representing one common share to one ADS representing ten common shares. Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this annual report concerning share and per share data gives retroactive effect to the one-for-ten share split and the ADS ratio change.

On November 21, 2023, as part of our business line reorganization, our wholly-owned subsidiary Elite Concept Holdings Limited and our variable interest entity New Oriental China entered into an agreement with East Buy and its subsidiaries and variable interest entity, pursuant to which Elite Concept Holdings Limited and New Oriental China agreed to acquire East Buy’s online education business at an aggregate consideration of RMB1.5 billion. The consideration was agreed by the parties after arm’s length negotiations, with reference to an independent valuation. The acquisition was completed in March 2024. Upon completion, the online education business was deconsolidated from East Buy’s consolidated financial statements and is now recorded by us under educational services.

On July 25, 2024, Beijing Xuncheng, Mr. Yuhui Dong, and Time with Yuhui (Beijing) Technology Ltd, or Time with Yuhui, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beijing Xuncheng that primarily engages in businesses under the brand “Time with Yuhui,” entered into an agreement under which Beijing Xuncheng agreed to sell, and Mr. Yuhui Dong agreed to acquire, 100% of the equity of Time with Yuhui for approximately RMB76.59 million. The parties to the agreement shall use their best endeavours to complete the transaction within six months from the date of the agreement. In August 2024, Time with Yuhui ceased to be a consolidated affiliated entity of East Buy and the financial results of Time with Yuhui has no longer been consolidated into the consolidated financial statements of East Buy.

Our principal executive offices are located at No. 6 Hai Dian Zhong Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +(8610) 6090-8000. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. We have branch offices in 74 cities in China.

The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. You can also find information on our website at investor.neworiental.org. The information contained on our website is not a part of this annual report.

 

B.

Business Overview

We provide a wide variety of educational programs, services and products. In addition, we conduct the sale of private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy.

Educational Services

Our Network

We deliver our comprehensive educational programs, services and products to students across China through our nationwide physical network of schools, learning centers and bookstores, as well as our pure-play online learning platforms. As of May 31, 2024, we had a physical network of 81 schools and 944 learning centers in 74 cities and approximately 35,700 teachers. We deliver online courses through our online learning platforms, including Koolearn.com, our comprehensive online education platform. Powered by our OMO system, we have combined our offline network with online technologies and adopted different business models tailored to students in different locations to facilitate our operational efficiency. For example, for students in most cities, we primarily deliver courses in offline classroom settings, supported with interactive online learning components. For students in lower-tier cities, we broadcast courses delivered by well-known teachers from top-tier cities through our OMO system, and the local assistant lecturers monitor and provide in-person guidance and interactions with students onsite.

We distribute and sell books and other educational materials developed or licensed by us through our distribution channels, which consist of bookstores operated by us and third-party distributors. As of May 31, 2024, we had eight bookstores operated by us, and 245 third-party distributors, who provided us with access to a nationwide network of online and offline bookstores. In addition, we have an extensive network of students and alumni, who we believe have been essential in helping us promote our brand and our programs, services and products by word-of-mouth referrals.

 

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Almost all of the schools, learning centers and bookstores that we operate are under our “New Oriental” brand. Our schools in major cities consist of classrooms and administrative facilities with full student and administrative services, while our schools in satellite cities and our learning centers consist primarily of classroom facilities and limited course registration and management capabilities. We select new locations for our schools and learning centers based on various factors, including demographics, the number of schools or colleges in, and the economic condition of, the particular region. We have opened bookstores in some of our established schools to sell educational materials relating to our courses and also sell self-help, know-how, inspirational and other books.

We ceased our K-9 Academic AST Services at the end of 2021 and closed certain schools and learning centers in connection with the cessation of our K-9 Academic AST Services. The following table sets forth information about the locations of our schools, learning centers and bookstores as of May 31, 2024.

 

Location

   Schools      Learning
Centers
     Bookstores     

Location

   Schools      Learning
Centers
     Bookstores  

Beijing

     5        26        1      Luoyang      1        6        —   

Shanghai

     1        38        1      Nantong      1        6        —   

Guangzhou

     1        55        1      Hohhot      1        7        —   

Wuhan

     1        35        —       Jilin      1        —         —   

Yangzhou

     1        8        —       Guiyang      1        5        —   

Tianjin

     1        21        —       Tangshan      1        7        —   

Xi’ an

     1        38        1      Urumqi      1        1        —   

Nanjing

     2        62        —       Shiyan      1        —         —   

Shenyang

     1        12        —       Quanzhou      1        5        —   

Chongqing

     1        30        1      Wenzhou      1        3        —   

Chengdu

     1        35        —       Weifang      1        5        —   

Shenzhen

     1        24        —       Zhuhai      1        6        —   

Xiangyang

     1        11        —       Baoding      1        2        —   

Taiyuan

     1        28        —       Yantai      1        5        —   

Haerbin

     1        9        1      Kaifeng      1        4        —   

Changsha

     1        28        —       Nanyang      1        —         —   

Jinan

     1        37        —       Shaoxing      1        3        —   

Zhengzhou

     1        22        —       Huzhou      1        —         —   

Hangzhou

     1        48        —       Hong Kong      1        —         —   

Changchun

     1        19        1      Yancheng      1        3        —   

Shijiazhuang

     1        11        —       Jiaozuo      1        1        —   

Suzhou

     2        37        —       Dongguan      1        4        —   

Hefei

     1        44        —       Haikou      1        1        —   

Kunming

     1        12        —       Mianyang      1        —         —   

Wuxi

     1        26        —       Changshu      1        —         —   

Foshan

     1        8        —       Jinzhong      1        —         —   

Fuzhou

     1        24        —       Huizhou      1        —         —   

Nanchang

     1        20        —       Chengde      1        —         —   

Dalian

     1        10        —       Zhumadian      1        —         —   

Lanzhou

     1        12        1      Weihai      1        —         —   

Huangshi

     1        —         —       Xuchang      1        1        —   

Ningbo

     1        5        —       Changzhou      1        2        —   

Xiamen

     1        17        —       Huaian      1        10        —   

Qingdao

     2        22        —       Taizhou      1        4        —   

Nanning

     1        6        —       Wuhu      1        —         —   

Xuzhou

     1        6        —       Langfang      1        —         —   
                    

 

 

 

Zhenjiang

     1        6        —       Kunshan      1        1     
              

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
            TOTAL      81        944        8  
              

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Our Educational Programs, Services and Products

We provide various educational programs, services and products. We deliver education to our students in traditional classroom setting, in a combination of online and offline classroom setting, and through our pure-play online platforms. Other than kindergartens, our classroom-based courses are generally designed to be completed in 1 to 12 weeks. Course fees are determined based on factors such as the length of the course, the size and the subject of the class, and the geographic location of the school. We offer flexible class sizes for our courses, including larger classes that range from 6 to 200 students per class and small classes that range from one to five students per class. Our educational program, service and product offerings include five major areas: test preparation courses, non-academic tutoring, intelligent learning system and devices, overseas study consulting services and educational materials and distribution. In compliance with the Alleviating Burden Opinion and applicable rules, regulations and measures, we ceased offering K-9 Academic AST Services in China at the end of 2021. We deconsolidated Beijing Changping New Oriental Bilingual School and Beijing New Oriental Yangzhou Foreign Language School, two private schools that provide compulsory education, from our company in September 2021 in compliance with Amended Implementation Rules for the Private Education Law. Historically, East Buy operated our pure-play online learning platforms. In March 2024, our wholly-owned subsidiary and New Oriental China completed the acquisition of East Buy’s online education business. Upon completion, the online education business was deconsolidated from East Buy’s consolidated financial statements and is now recorded by us primarily under test preparation courses.

Test Preparation Courses

We began offering TOEFL preparation courses in 1993. We have evolved to provide a wide range of test preparation courses to students taking language and entrance exams used by educational institutions in the United States, the Commonwealth countries, and the PRC. Our overseas test preparation courses primarily include IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, AP, A LEVEL, GCSE, TOEFL Junior, SSAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT and LSAT preparation courses and our PRC test preparation courses primarily include CET 4, CET 6, Postgraduate Entrance Exam and exams for students with junior college diplomas to obtain bachelor’s degrees.

Our test preparation courses focus on quality instruction and test-taking techniques designed to help students achieve high scores on the admissions and assessment tests. We recognize that students begin test preparation at different levels, have different strengths and weaknesses, and learn at different rates. We offer a range of basic and advanced test preparation courses tailored to students at different levels.

Following the acquisition of the East Buy’s online education business, which primarily consists of online test preparation courses, the following operating metrics are presented to include the test preparation courses offered through Koolearn.com. In our fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we had approximately 1,050,000 student enrollments in our test preparation courses. Approximately 491,000 of our student enrollments in our fiscal year ended May 31, 2024 were in overseas test preparation courses and the other 559,000 were in PRC test preparation courses. Our test preparation courses generally range from 6 to 200 students per class. We also have students from our test preparation courses that take our small class, in particular 1-on-1, tutoring courses. Our students typically enroll in a 12 to 400 hour program with classes meeting one to ten times per week for approximately 1 to 3 hours per class. We also offer intensive and condensed versions of our courses, which are compacted into shorter time periods. Course fees for our test preparation courses range from approximately RMB1,000 to RMB41,200 per course, as overseas test preparation courses generally have higher course fees.

Non-Academic Tutoring

We started to expand our non-academic tutoring courses in 2021, which focus on cultivating students’ innovative and comprehensive abilities. Our courses have been well-received by students since launch and we have rolled out non-academic tutoring courses in around 60 cities in China. In our fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we had approximately 2,454,000 student enrollments in our non-academic tutoring courses.

Intelligent Learning Systems and Devices

We launched our intelligent learning systems and devices in 2021, which are designed to provide a tailored digital learning experience for students. Leveraging our advanced data and technology capabilities with our abundant teaching experience, together with our teachers that monitor and assess the learning curve of each student from our backend system, we provide customized and personalized learning materials and exercises for students. This innovative educational service not only improves students’ learning efficiency, but also cultivates students’ proactive learning habits. Our intelligent learning systems and devices have been tested and adopted in around 60 cities in China, and we had 342,000 active paid users in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. Active paid users are users who visit and logged in our intelligent learning system and devices at least once and also make payments for our products and services at least once in a given period, after eliminating duplicates. The contribution of intelligent learning systems and devices has been immaterial to our business for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

 

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Overseas Study Consulting Services

Our consultants help students through the application and admission process for overseas educational institutions and provide useful college, graduate and career counseling advice to help students make informed decisions. We also counsel and assist students with the immigration process for overseas studies, such as obtaining visas and arranging housing.

Educational Materials and Distribution

We develop and edit educational materials for language training and test preparation and distribute these materials through various distribution channels, consisting of our bookstores as well as third-party distributors. In our fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we developed and edited approximately 361 titles and distributed approximately 15.9 million books authored or licensed by us in China. Most of the materials distributed by us are education-related and include the materials that we use in our courses and titles that we market for use in different education areas.

Our extensive distribution channels have attracted international education content providers to cooperate with us in distributing localized versions of their materials in China. For example, we have worked with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Educational Testing Service, Cengage Learning and other education content providers in distributing their education materials in China. With access to such high-quality education content, we further develop localized products that best serve the needs for millions of students and families in the China market.

Private Label Products and Livestreaming E-commerce Business through East Buy

Leveraging the technology developed for our original live-broadcast classrooms and with our existing team of talents, East Buy established an e-commerce platform under the brand name East Buy (东方甄选) for the sale of agricultural and other products in fiscal year 2022. In December 2021, East Buy began to pilot livestreaming events on certain short-video platforms, such as Douyin. We have a team of livestreaming hosts and have developed an array of livestreaming channels, such as East Buy (东方甄选), East Buy Book (东方甄选图书号), East Buy Private Label Products (东方甄选自营产品), and East Buy Beautiful Life (东方甄选美丽生活), focusing on different product categories. Through East Buy, we provide a wide selection of high quality agricultural and other products through our supply chain management system and diversified cooperation with different third parties.

Upholding a multi-channel strategy to reach a wider consumer base, we have launched our livestreaming channels on Taobao, Wechat Mini program and our own App. While continuing enriching the products and services through livestreaming channels, we also opened online shops on different platforms, such as Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu. We launched our brand new East Buy mobile App in early July 2023, where the consumers can purchase products both from livestreaming sessions as well as from the marketplace on the App. We have established and will continue to promote our membership system on our own App. Members can enjoy membership discounts or coupons during the membership period and earn loyalty points that can be used to offset cash payments. Our total GMV from all sales channels, including Douyin, Taobao and East Buy mobile App, among others, amounted to RMB10.0 billion and RMB14.3 billion for fiscal year 2023 and 2024, respectively.

In addition to the products sourced from third parties, we also provide a number of private label products under the East Buy brand, including fresh foods, juice, coffee, tea, bedding, among others. Since the launch of our first private label product in April 2022, East Buy has developed and launched 488 SKUs in private label products as of May 31, 2024. We have continued to increase our investment in factories to improve our supply chain management.

We have continued to host provincial livestreaming events nationwide with strong support from local cultural and tourism authorities. We have also started to introduce and offer cultural and tourism products through East Buy, and incorporated history, culture, geography and folklore into our livestreaming sessions to introduce and promote certain historical sites and monuments, tourist attractions and also local specialty products to our audience.

 

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Our Teachers

We have a team of passionate and high quality teachers that are essential to our success. We have established well-developed methods for hiring, training and retaining qualified teachers, which include a rigorous recruiting process, periodic training in teaching methods and skills, school culture and philosophy, as well as a competitive base salary coupled with performance-based bonuses. We believe that our competitive and incentivizing remuneration package, career advancement opportunities, and systematic teacher training programs allow us to recruit, train and retain top quality teachers in the industry. As of May 31, 2024, we employed approximately 35,700 teachers, many of whom are from top universities in China or have studied overseas. Our teachers consist primarily of full-time teachers, with the remainder being contract teachers. The number of contract teachers we employ may be subject to seasonal fluctuations as we tend to have more student enrollments in our test preparation courses during summer school holidays.

Recruitment

Leveraging our extensive experience in the private education sector, we have been able to effectively recruit and retain high quality teachers across our course offerings. We have a strong multi-step recruitment process for prospective candidates, including (i) application; (ii) screening; (iii) qualification tests; (iv) in-person interviews; and (v) demonstration lessons. During the recruitment process, we focus on the educational background, teaching experience, communication skills and performance in demonstration lessons of the prospective candidates. We target prospective candidates who are passionate about education and who can effectively connect with and motivate our students.

Training and supervision

We have established systematic teacher training programs to standardize and streamline the professional training of our teachers. Our training focuses on standardizing and enhancing teaching methods, teaching new skills, and fostering a school culture based on innovation, inspiration and community. The systematic training programs also ensure that teachers can adapt to our innovative and inspirational instruction approach and adhere to the New Oriental culture throughout their teaching. We offer training through our online teacher training platform and onsite training courses both in China and overseas. Throughout our operating history, we have continually fine-tuned our teacher-training programs to strike a balance between standardized teaching to promote efficiency and creativity to foster innovation and inspiration.

Utilizing our data insights from our OMO system, we ensure consistency in teaching quality across our courses. We use our Quality Assurance Development (QAD) system to monitor and evaluate the performance of teachers. We identify the weaknesses of our teachers and provide tailored recommendations to them to address particular areas for improvement.

Career advancement and compensation

We are committed to the career advancement of our teachers. Our different business models give our teachers exposure to a broad range of educational scenarios to enhance their teaching experience for our teachers. We motivate our teachers by providing a dual-track career development framework, under which our top quality teachers may be promoted as teacher trainers or considered for management positions in our company. We support our teachers in building their personal brand image and expanding their personal influence through various measures, including helping teachers publish their teaching content and providing enhanced support to teachers on their teaching platforms.

Our compensation package is comprised of a fixed base salary and performance-based bonus fees. We believe that the compensation package we offer to our teachers is among the highest in the private education industry in China. We believe that our competitive compensation and career advancement contributes to the stability of our teaching staff.

 

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Our Proprietary Teaching Content and Methodologies

We emphasize the quality of our teaching content which is crucial to the effectiveness of our teaching methodologies. We had approximately 1,500 personnel involved in our content development as of May 31, 2024. Our proprietary seven-step teaching method ensures that we standardize and maintain consistent teaching quality across our educational services. We develop our proprietary educational materials for our language training and test preparation courses, and leverage our big data algorithms and massive student data base to tailor course materials based on student learning behavior and performance. We continually update our educational materials and expand our course offerings to ensure we stay abreast of the latest education trends. In addition, we distinguish ourselves from our competitors by publishing our in-house developed educational materials via partnerships with international education content providers, which enables us to increase market share in the competitive private education industry.

Marketing and Student and Consumer Acquisition

We have a variety of marketing and student acquisition channels to attract new and retain existing students. We primarily attract prospective students through our brand name, the quality of our education services and products and our long operating history. In addition, our OMO system amplifies student acquisition effectiveness while reducing acquisition costs, enabling us to multiply student acquisition efforts. We integrate our offline presence with online traffic acquisition channels, media and efforts, such as providing online demonstration courses and social media promotions, to attract prospective students.

We employ the following marketing and student acquisition channels to attract new and retain existing students:

Referrals. With nearly 30 years of operating history, we have successfully established “New Oriental” as one of the most trusted brands with well-established brand recognition in the private education industry. We have focused on delivering high quality and differentiated educational services and products to across two generations of students in China. Our strong brand has allowed us to generate significant organic growth in student enrollments through word-of-mouth referrals. We expect our student enrollments to continue to grow from referrals through our extensive network of students and alumni.

Cross-Selling. As we have presence in different markets, we use our programs in one market as an opportunity to advertise our programs in other markets. With a variety of programs aimed at different age groups, our goal is to encompass students’ lifelong learning journeys and cross-sell our course offerings to maximize students’ lifetime value. Outside of our network, we have established cross-promotional relationships with a number of companies to promote our programs, services and products and awareness of our brand.

Speeches and Seminars. Our management, most of whom are experienced teachers and were among our earliest teachers, and our teachers give speeches at colleges, universities, high schools and middle schools and to student groups, parent groups and educational organizations. They also participate in educational seminars and workshops. Their speeches include direct program promotion speeches during which they directly explain the merits and advantages of our programs or general English learning methods, as well as inspirational speeches designed to motivate students to reach their full potential and strive for success.

Demo Courses and Advertisements. We provide online demo courses and social media promotions to attract target students, which has enabled us to maintain growth in student acquisition while reducing acquisition costs. We also advertise through our own websites.

For our private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy, we have primary built up our brand awareness and our consumer base by leveraging word-of-mouth referrals, as well as online and offline marketing and brand promotion activities. From time to time, we also offer coupons and credits to consumers on our platforms. We have also established our membership system in our App to provide consumers with more favorable products and comprehensive membership services.

Competition

The private education sector in China is rapidly evolving, highly fragmented and competitive, and we expect competition in this sector to persist and intensify. We face competition in each major program we offer and each geographic market in which we operate. For example, we face competition from companies that focus on test preparation services in China.

 

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We believe that the principal competitive factors in our markets include the following:

 

   

brand recognition;

 

   

nationwide coverage and high level of scalability;

 

   

high teaching quality with superior content;

 

   

breadth and quality of program, service and product offerings;

 

   

overall student experience; and

 

   

innovative technology capabilities.

We believe that our primary competitive advantages are our well-known “New Oriental” brand, our innovative and inspirational instruction methods and the breadth and quality of our programs, services and products. However, some of our existing and potential competitors may have more resources and experiences than we do. These competitors may be able to devote greater resources than we can to the development, promotion and sale of their programs, services and products and respond more quickly than we can to changes in student demands, testing materials, admissions standards, market needs or new technologies. In addition, we face competition from many different smaller sized organizations that focus on some of our targeted markets, which may be able to respond more promptly to changes in students’ preferences in these markets.

We also face competition from online education service providers that offer online test preparation courses. These online education service providers use advanced technologies, such as online live broadcasting technologies, to offer their programs, services and products quickly and cost-effectively to a large number of students.

In addition, we face intense competition from other livestreaming e-commerce players. Some of our competitors may have longer operating histories and greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do or have an advantage in attracting and retaining consumers and business partners. In addition, our competitors may have larger consumer bases or more established brand names than we do and therefore would be able to more effectively leverage their consumer bases and brand names to conduct livestreaming activities and operate e-commerce business.

Seasonality

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal fluctuations in our operations, primarily due to seasonal changes in student enrollments in educational business and some other services. Our test preparation courses tend to have the highest revenue in our first fiscal quarter, which runs from June 1 to August 31 of each year, primarily because a significant number of students enroll in our courses during the summer vacation to prepare for admissions and assessment tests. We expect quarterly fluctuations in our revenues and results of operations to continue.

Regulation

This section summarizes the principal PRC regulations relating to our businesses.

We operate our business in China under a legal regime consisting of the State Council, which is the highest authority of the executive branch of the PRC central government, and several ministries and agencies under its authority, including the Ministry of Education, the National Press and Publication Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and their respective authorized local counterparts.

Regulations on Private Education

Education Law of the PRC

In March 1995, the National People’s Congress enacted the Education Law of the PRC, which was later amended in August, 2009. It sets forth provisions relating to the fundamental education systems of the PRC, including a school education system comprising kindergarten education, primary education, secondary education and higher education, a system of nine-year compulsory education, a national education examination system, and a system of education certificates. It stipulates that the State formulates plans for the development of education, establishes and operates schools and other educational institution. Furthermore, it provides that enterprises, other social organizations and individual citizens are encouraged to establish and operate schools and other types of educational institutions in accordance with PRC laws. It also provides that some basic conditions shall be met for the establishment of a school or any other educational institution, and the establishment, modification or termination of a school or any other educational institution shall, in accordance with the relevant PRC laws, go through the formalities of examination, verification, approval, registration or filing for record.

 

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The 2009 amended Education Law prohibits any organization or individual from establishing or operating a school or any other educational institution for profit-making purposes. In December 2015, the Education Law was further amended with effect from June 2016. The 2015 amended Education Law abolishes the aforesaid provision and was subsequently amended on April 29, 2021. After the effectiveness of the 2015 amended Educational Law, establishing or operating schools for profit-making purposes is allowed under the newly amended Education Law. Nevertheless, schools and other educational institutions sponsored wholly or partially by government funds or donated assets are still prohibited from being operated as for-profit.

The Law for Promoting Private Education and Its Implementation Rules

The principal regulations governing private education in China are the Law for Promoting Private Education and its implementation rules.

Prior to its amendment in 2016, private education is treated as a public welfare undertaking in all aspects. Nonetheless, investors of a private school may choose to require “reasonable returns” from the annual net balance of the school after deduction of costs, donations received, government subsidies, if any, the reserved development fund and other expenses as required by the regulations. Private schools were divided into three categories: private schools established with donated funds; private schools that require reasonable returns and private schools that do not require reasonable returns. A duly approved private school will be granted a private school operation permit and shall be registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs or its local counterparts as a privately run non-enterprise institution.

Every private school was required to allocate a certain amount to its development fund for the construction or maintenance of school facilities or procurement or upgrade of educational equipment. In the case of a private school that required reasonable returns, this amount shall be no less than 25% of the annual net income of the school, while in the case of a private school that did not require reasonable returns, this amount shall be equal to no less than 25% of the annual increase in the net assets of the school, if any. Private schools that do not require reasonable returns shall be entitled to the same preferential tax treatment as public schools, while the preferential tax treatment policies applicable to private schools requiring reasonable returns shall be formulated by the finance authority, taxation authority and other authorities under the State Council. To date, however, no regulations have been promulgated by the relevant authorities in this regard.

On November 7, 2016, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Amended Private Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 2017. The 2016 Amended Private Education Law was last amended and became effective on December 29, 2018.

Under the Amended Private Education Law, the term “reasonable return” is no longer used. Instead, a new classification system for private schools on the basis of whether they are established and operated for profit-making purposes is adopted. Under the new classification system, sponsors of private school may choose to establish non-profit or for-profit private schools at their own discretion, save for private schools providing compulsory education are not allowed to be registered as for-profit. The key differences between for-profit private schools and non-profit private schools under this system include the following:

 

   

sponsors of for-profit private schools are entitled to retain the profits and proceeds from the schools and the operation surplus may be allocated to the sponsors pursuant to the PRC Company Law and other relevant laws and regulations, whereas sponsors of non-profit private schools are not entitled to the distribution of profits or proceed from the non-profit schools and all operation surplus of non-profit schools shall be used for the operation of the schools;

 

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for-profit private schools are entitled to set their own tuition and other miscellaneous fees without seeking prior approval from the relevant government authorities, whereas the collection of fees by non-profit private schools shall be regulated in accordance with rules promulgated by governments at provincial level;

 

   

private schools (for-profit and non-profit alike) may enjoy preferential tax treatments; non-profit private schools will be entitled to the same tax benefits as public schools whereas taxation policies for for-profit private schools are still unclear as more specific provisions are yet to be introduced;

 

   

for construction or expansion of the school, non-profit schools may acquire the land use rights in the form of allocation by the government as a preferential treatment, whereas for-profit private schools shall acquire the land use rights by purchasing them from the government;

 

   

the remaining assets of non-profit private schools after liquidation shall continue to be used for the operation of non-profit schools, whereas the remaining assets of for-profit private schools shall be distributed to the sponsors in accordance with the PRC Company Law; and

 

   

governments at or above the county level may support private schools (for-private and non-private alike) by subscribing to their services, providing student loans and scholarships, and leasing or transferring unused state assets to the schools, and the governments may further support non-profit private schools in the form of government subsidies, bonus funds and incentives for donation.

On December 29, 2016, the State Council issued the Several Opinions of the State Council on Encouraging the Operation of Education by Social Forces and Promoting the Healthy Development of Private Education, which calls for the ease of access to the operation of private schools and encourage social forces to enter into the education industry. The opinions also provide that each level of the government shall increase their support to the private schools in terms of financial investment, financial support, autonomy policies, preferential tax treatments, land policies, fee policies, autonomy operation, protection of the rights of teachers and students etc. Further, the opinions require each level of the government to improve local policies on government support to for-profit and non-profit private schools by such means as preferential tax treatments.

On December 30, 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Affairs, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare and the State Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform jointly issued the Implementation Rules on the Classification Registration of Private Schools to reflect the new classification system for private schools as set out in the Amended Private Education Law. Generally, if a private school established before promulgation of the Amended Private Education Law chooses to register as a non-profit school, it shall amend its articles of association, continue its operation and complete the new registration process. If such private school chooses to register as a for-profit school, it shall carry out financial liquidation, invite the relevant government authorities to clarify the ownership of such properties as lands, school building and the accumulated operating profits, pay relevant taxes and fees, apply for the new private school operation permit, re-register as a for-profit school and continue its operation.

On December 30, 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Education, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare jointly issued the Implementation Rules on the Supervision and Administration of For-profit Private Schools, which detail the supervision and administration of for-profit private schools regarding the establishment of schools, the organization structure, the education and teaching activities, finance and assets, the information publication, the change and termination of schools and the penalties for violation.

As of the date of this annual report, the majority of provincial governments in the PRC have promulgated their local rules which detail but for the most part repeat the provisions contained in the abovementioned state rules. However, some provinces, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei and Hebei, may require the existing private schools to register either as for-profit or non-profit schools within a specific time period, while other provinces may not have a deadline.

Amended Implementation Rules

The Amended Implementation Rules for the Private Education Law promulgated by the State Council in April 2021 and effective in September 2021, provide, among others, that:

 

   

social organizations and individuals are prohibited from controlling a private school that provides compulsory education or a non-profit private school that provides pre-school education through mergers and acquisitions and control agreements. A private school providing compulsory education is prohibited from conducting transactions with its related party. Relevant government authorities shall enhance the supervision on the agreements entered into between non-profit private schools and its related party and shall review such transaction on an annual basis;

 

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online education activities using internet technology are encouraged by the regulatory authorities and shall comply with laws and regulations related to internet management. A private school engaging in online education activities using internet technology shall obtain the relevant private school operation permit. It shall also establish and implement internet security management systems and take technical security measures. Upon discovery of any information whose release or transmission is prohibited by applicable laws or regulations, the private school shall immediately cease the transmission of that information and take further remedial actions, such as deleting that information, to prevent it from spreading. Records pertaining to the situation shall be kept and reported to the appropriate authorities; and

 

   

every private school is required to allocate a certain amount to its development fund for the development of the school. In the case of a for-profit private school, this amount shall be no less than 10% of the audited annual net income of the school, while in the case of a non-profit private school, this amount shall be equal to no less than 10% of the audited annual increase in the unrestricted net assets of the school, if any.

Sponsorship of Private Schools

Under the Law for Promoting Private Education and the Implementation Rules for Promoting Private Education, entities and individuals that establish private schools are referred to as “sponsors.”

Before September 1, 2017, the date the 2016 Amended Private Education Law became effective, the “sponsorship interest” that a sponsor holds in a private school is, for all practical purposes, substantially equivalent under PRC law and practice to the “equity interest” a shareholder holds in a company. Pursuant to the Implementation Rules for Promoting Private Education, a sponsor of a private school has the obligation to make capital contributions to the school in a timely manner. The contributed capital can be in the form of tangible or non-tangible assets such as materials in kind, land use rights or intellectual property rights. Pursuant to the Law for Promoting Private Education, the capital contributed by the sponsor becomes assets of the school and the school has independent legal person status. In addition, pursuant to the Law for Promoting Private Education and the Implementation Rules for Promoting Private Education, the sponsor of a private school has the right to exercise ultimate control over the school. Specifically, the sponsor has control over the private school’s constitutional documents and has the right to elect and replace the private school’s decision making bodies, such as the school’s board of directors, and therefore controls the private school’s business and affairs.

As of September 1, 2017, we were not aware that PRC law provides that upon liquidation of a private school, the sponsor is legally restricted to receive only its invested capital and is not allowed to have other return. As of September 1, 2017, there was no national law that addresses this subject one way or the other. In the absence of a national law providing for the sponsor’s rights upon liquidation of a private school, provincial regulations and interpretations are ambiguous and inconsistent on this subject. There were local regulations or interpretations that specifically provide that sponsors are entitled to private schools’ residual assets pro rata based on their respective capital contribution. Nevertheless, there were also local regulations that are less clear in this regard.

Notwithstanding the legal uncertainties surrounding this issue, we believe that the potential risk that we will not receive all of the residual assets upon the liquidation of a school is immaterial. There were no capital contributions made by any PRC governmental authorities to our schools. Nor did any of our schools ever receive donations from any third parties, including PRC governmental authorities or any third party enterprises. Neither we nor our PRC legal counsel is aware of any case in China where a private school which has been solely funded by private sponsors without any government or donated funds became state property or was otherwise appropriated by a government authority upon liquidation without the prior consent of its sponsor. We historically have never liquidated any school that was profitable and we have no plan to do so in the future unless required by the laws and regulations. If, for any reason, we would like to divest a profitable school, a commercially sensible way to do so is to sell the school, rather than to liquidate the school. In this situation, the sponsor is entitled to receive consideration for transferring sponsorship, which often exceeds its initial investment in the school.

 

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Upon the effectiveness of the 2016 Amended Private Education Law in September 2017, sponsors of for-profit private schools are entitled to retain the profits and proceeds from the schools and the operation surplus may be allocated to the sponsors pursuant to the PRC Company Law and other relevant laws and regulations, whereas sponsors of non-profit private schools are not entitled to the distribution of profits or proceed from the non-profit schools and all operation surplus of non-profit schools shall be used for the operation of the schools. The remaining assets of non-profit private schools after liquidation shall continue to be used for the operation of other non-profit schools, whereas the remaining assets of for-profit private schools shall be distributed to the sponsors in accordance with the PRC Company Law.

Regulations on After-School Tutoring

The State Council issued an Opinion on Supervising After-School Tutoring Institutions on August 22, 2018, or the State Council Circular 80, which provided various guidance on regulating after-school tutoring institutions that target primary and secondary school students. The State Council Circular 80 provides for the conditions for approval and registration of after-school tutoring institutions, and requires relevant governmental authorities to tighten regulations on after-school tutoring institutions. The State Council Circular 80 specifies operating requirements that after-school tutoring institutions must meet. Such requirements include, among other things, that after-school tutoring institutions (i) have fixed training premises that conform to specified safety criteria, with an average area per student of no less than three square meters during the applicable training period; (ii) comply with relevant fire safety, environmental protection, hygiene, food operation and other specified requirements; (iii) purchase personal safety insurance for students to reduce safety risks; and (iv) not hire teachers who are working concurrently in primary or secondary schools, and teachers tutoring in academic subjects such as English are required to have the corresponding teaching qualifications. After-school tutoring institutions are prohibited from carrying out training that goes beyond the school syllabus, training in advance of the corresponding school schedule and any training activities linked with student admission, nor shall they organize any level test, rank examination or competition on academic subjects for primary and secondary students. According to State Council Circular 80, extracurricular training institutions are also required to disclose and file relevant information, including their training content, schedule, targeted students and school timetable to the relevant education authority, and their training classes may not end later than 8:30 p.m. each day. After-school tutoring institutions can only collect in advance fees for courses spanning three months or shorter. Additionally, State Council Circular 80 requests that competent local authorities formulate relevant local standards for after-school tutoring institutions within their administrative area.

On May 6, 2020, the General Office of the Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Notice on the Negative List of Advanced Training in Six Subjects of Compulsory Education (for Trial Implementation), which prohibits after-school tutoring institutions from providing advanced training that do not follow the formal school curricula to students in primary schools and secondary schools, and sets forth the typical activities that shall be regarded as advanced training in the six subjects of Chinese, mathematics, English, physics, chemistry and biology.

On October 13, 2020, the General Office of the Chinese Ministry of Education and the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly promulgated the Notice on the Centralized Rectification of After-school Tutoring Institutions’ Illegal Acts of Infringing Customers’ Rights by Using Unfair Standard Terms. The Notice stipulates that local education and market regulation authorities shall increase the efforts for the investigation of after-school tutoring institutions’ illegal acts which infringes customers’ rights by using unfair standard terms to exempt their own liability, increase customers’ liability and exclude customers’ legal rights.

On March 30, 2021, the Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Guiding Opinions of the Ministry of Education on Vigorously Promoting the Scientific Connection of Kindergartens and Primary Schools, which prohibits after-school tutoring institutions from providing training for pre-school children in violation of regulations and provides that after-school tutoring institutions in violation of regulations above shall be included in the blacklist.

On April 8, 2021, the General Office of the Chinese Ministry of Education enacted the Notice of Strengthening the Management of Homework for Compulsory Education, which requires that the local governments shall implement prohibition measures on leaving homework as an important part of the daily supervision on after-school training institutions in accordance with relevant regulations, and in order to avoid reducing the burden in schools but increasing the burden after-school, after-school training institutions shall not leave homework to primary and secondary school students.

 

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On July 24, 2021, the General Office of State Council and the General Office of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly promulgated the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education, or the Alleviating Burden Opinion, which provides that, among other things, (i) local government authorities shall no longer approve new after-school tutoring institutions providing tutoring services on academic subjects for students in compulsory education, and the existing after-school tutoring institutions providing tutoring services on academic subjects shall be registered as non-profit; (ii) online Academic AST Institutions that have filed with the local education administration authorities providing tutoring services on academic subjects shall be subject to review and re-approval procedures by competent government authorities, and any failure to obtain such approval will result in the cancellation of its previous filing and ICP license; (iii) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from raising funds by listing on stock markets or conducting any capitalization activities and listed companies are prohibited from investing in Academic AST Institutions through capital markets fund raising activities, or acquiring assets of Academic AST Institutions by paying cash or issuing securities; and (iv) foreign capital is prohibited from controlling or participating in any Academic AST Institutions through mergers and acquisitions, entrusted operation, joining franchise or variable interest entities.

Any violation of the foregoing shall be rectified. Moreover, the Alleviating Burden Opinion specifies a series of operating requirements that after-school tutoring institutions must meet, including, among other things, (i) after-school tutoring institutions shall not provide tutoring services on academic subjects during national holidays, weekends and winter and summer breaks; (ii) for online tutoring, each session shall be no more than thirty minutes and the training shall end no later than 9:00 p.m.; (iii) no advertisements for after-school tutoring shall be published or broadcasted in the network platforms and billboards displayed in the mainstream media, new media, public place and residential areas; (iv) the provision of overseas education courses is strictly prohibited; (v) fees charged for academic subjects tutoring in compulsory education shall be included into government-guided price management, and excessive high fees and excessive profit-seeking behaviors will be suppressed; (vi) government authorities will implement risk management and control for the pre-collection of fees by after-school tutoring institutions with requirements such as setting up third-party custodians and risk reserves, and strengthen supervision over loans regarding tutoring services; (vii) online tutoring for preschool-age children is prohibited, and offline academic subjects (including foreign language) tutoring services for preschool-age children is also strictly prohibited; (viii) no more approval of new after-school tutoring institutions providing tutoring services on academic subjects for pre-school-age children and students on grade ten to twelve will be granted; and (ix) administration and supervision over academic subjects tutoring institutions for students on grade ten to twelve shall be implemented by reference to the relevant provisions of the Alleviating Burden Opinion.

On July 28, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Notice on Further Clarifying the Scope of Academic Subjects and Non-Academic Subjects of After-School Tutoring in the Compulsory Education, which specifies that according to the national curriculum on compulsory education, when after-school institutions carry out tutoring, morality and rule of law, Chinese, history, geography, mathematics, foreign language (including English, Japanese, Russian), physics, chemistry and biology are classified as academic subjects, while sports (or sports and health), art (or music, art), and comprehensive practical activities (including information technology education, labor and technology education) are classified as non-academic subjects.

On August 18, 2021, the Beijing Municipality Government and the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly published the full text of the Beijing Municipality’s Measures to Further Reduce the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring on Students in Compulsory Education in Beijing, or the Beijing Measures, to implement the Alleviating Burden Opinion. The Beijing Measures provide, among others, that (i) no new Academic AST Institutions will be approved, while existing Academic AST Institutions will be subject to review and re-registration aimed at reducing their numbers by phases; the remaining Academic AST Institutions shall all be registered as non-profit; (ii) online Academic AST Institutions previously filed with the local education administration authorities will be subject to review and re-approval; the registration and ICP license of any disqualifying online Academic AST Institutions will be rescinded; (iii) after-school tutoring institutions are strictly prohibited from providing tutoring services on academic subjects during national holidays, weekends, winter and summer breaks; (iv) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from (a) offering classes over contents outside of or in advance of the school curriculum, (b) offering classes based on any foreign curriculum, (c) soliciting and recruiting school teacher by offering excessive compensation, or (d) employing foreign personnel abroad to carry out training activities; non-Academic AST Institutions providers are prohibited from offering tutoring services on academic subjects; (v) prices for Academic AST Institutions will need to follow the guidelines from the government to prevent any excessive charging or excessive profit-seeking activity; (vi) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from financing by way of listing its securities or conducting other capital market activities; listed companies may not invest in Academic AST Institutions through capital markets fundraising activities, and may not acquire assets of Academic AST Institutions by paying cash or issuing securities; foreign capital is prohibited from controlling or participating in Academic AST Institutions through merger and acquisitions, entrusted operations, joining franchise or using variable interest entities.

 

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On August 25, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education issued the Administrative Measures for After-School Tutoring Materials for Primary and Secondary School Students (for Trial Implementation), which provide that, among others, (i) after-school tutoring materials for primary and secondary school students and staff preparing such tutoring materials shall meet certain requirements specified in such measures, which include, among others, tutoring materials shall follow the national curriculum standard and shall not provide contents in advance of the school curriculum; (ii) after-school tutoring institutions shall establish internal management system for the tutoring materials and the staff preparing such tutoring materials; (iii) after-school tutoring institutions shall conduct internal review of the tutoring materials and the local education administrations shall conduct external review of the tutoring materials; (iv) after-school tutoring institutions may only use tutoring materials that have been internally and externally reviewed or if the materials have been officially published; (v) after school tutoring institutions shall file with the relevant education administrations the tutoring materials and the staff preparing such materials; (vi) after-school tutoring institutions in violation of the measures will be subject to rectification and shall not use the relevant tutoring materials during the rectification period; if the after-school tutoring institution refuses to rectify within the time limit or if the violation is severe, its private school operation permit may be revoked by the local education administration.

On September 7, 2021, the Chinese Ministry of Education published on its official website that the Chinese Ministry of Education, together with two other government authorities, issued a circular requiring all Academic AST Institutions to complete registration as non-profit by the end of 2021, and all Academic AST Institutions shall, before completing such registration, suspend enrollment of students and charging fees.

On September 9, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education and the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare jointly issued the Administrative Measures for Practitioners of the After-School Tutoring Institutions (for Trial Implementation), which set out a series of requirements for the after-school tutoring institutions with respect to their employed teachers, research staff and teaching assistants. After-school tutoring institutions in violation of such requirements will be subject to rectification. If an after-school tutoring institution violates the requirements several times or violates several requirements, such after-school tutoring institution is prohibited from enrollment of students and shall not conduct tutoring activities during the rectification period; and if the after-school tutoring institution refuses to rectify within the time limit or if the violation is severe, its private school operation permit may be revoked by the local education administration.

On September 27, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education and the General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation promulgated the Notice on Issuing the Form of Service Contract for After-school Training Provided to Primary and Secondary School Students, which requires the local competent regulatory authorities to guide the relevant parties to use the model form of service contract for after-school training activities provided to primary and secondary school students. The model form of service contract covers the obligations and rights of parties involved in the after-school training, including detailed provisions on training fees, refund arrangement and default liabilities.

On October 21, 2021, the Chinese Ministry of Education jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, promulgated the Notice on Strengthening the Supervision of After-School Tutoring Institutions Pre-collection of Fees, which requires the pre-collection of fees by Academic AST Institutions and non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall be supervised. Local government will adopt bank custodians or risk reserves to control such risk with the consideration of local situation.

On November 8, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Identification Guidelines for Classification of After School Training Programs for Compulsory Education, which stipulates that the identification of academic after school training shall consider factors including training purpose, training content, training methods, valuation methods and others. Furthermore, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education issued the Notice on Investigation and Publishing of Providing Academic After School Training in Disguised Methods Illegally, which prohibits the invisible or variant form of providing academic after school training in violation of relevant laws and regulations.

 

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In March 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Education, National Development and Reform Commission, or NDRC and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the Notice on Regulating Non-Academic After School Training Institutions, which provide that, among others, (i) non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall have the corresponding qualifications and their staffs shall have the corresponding proofs for their profession; (ii) non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall ensure that training contents and training methods are suitable for the age, mental and physical characteristics and cognitive level of students; (iii) the training contents, training hours, charging items, charging standards and other information of non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall be made public and subject to public supervision; (iv) non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall use the form of service contract for after-school training activities provided to primary and secondary school students, strictly performing contractual obligations and regulating its charging behaviors; (v) non-academic after school tutoring institutions’ unfair competition by fictitious original prices, false discounts, false publicity, monopolistic behaviors and any form of price fraud are prohibited; (vi) the pre-collection of fees by non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall be deposited to the special account for fee collection and tuition fees shall not be collected in a lump sum, or in disguised form of recharging or measured cards for more than 60 classes or for a course length of more than three months; and (vii) non-academic after school tutoring institutions shall comply with requirements relating to premises, facilities and fire safety.

On May 27, 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Education published a notice on its website, which states that the Chinese Ministry of Education is regulating and continues to regulate the non-academic tutoring institutions, by means of examination of qualifications of institutions, regulation of fee charging and supervision of pre-paid fees. Such notice also states that as of May 15, 2022, about 88% of the non-academic tutoring institutions nationwide have implemented third-party custodians or risk reserve funds to manage the risk of pre-paid fees.

In addition, the Alleviating Burden Opinion also requires that local government authorities shall clarify the competent authorities for administering the non-academic after-school tutoring institutions, by classifying sports, culture and art, science and technology and other non-academic subjects, formulate standards among different classification of non-academic tutoring and conduct strict examination before granting permission. As of the date of this annual report, certain local government authorities have promulgated rules that require non-academic tutoring service providers in areas such as art, music, physics, among others, to obtain private school operation permits.

On November 21, 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Education and relevant authorities published the Opinions on Strengthening the Prevention and Administration of Invisible and Variant Tutoring on Academic Subjects, which stipulates that competent government authority will strengthen control and supervision over key locations such as commercial buildings and residential areas where there is a high incidence of illegal after-school tutoring, and institutions and individuals who engage in illegal after-school tutoring will be subject to penalties.

On November 30, 2022, the Chinese Ministry of Education and relevant authorities published Opinions on Regulation of Non-Academic After-School Tutoring for Primary and Secondary School Students, which provide that, among others, (i) local governments shall identify corresponding competent authorities for different tutoring categories and set forth basic standards; (ii) non-academic tutoring institutions shall comply with requirements relating to premises, facilities, fire safety, environment protection and food safety; (iii) practitioners shall have corresponding capability or certificates for different tutoring categories, and tutoring institutions shall not solicit or recruit primary and secondary school teachers; (iv) non-academic online tutoring institutions shall obtain certificates issued by provincial government authorities; (v) class times shall not conflict with the teaching time of the local primary and secondary schools, and offline after-school trainings shall end no later than 8:30 p.m. and online live trainings shall end no later than 9:00 p.m.; and (vi) tuition fees collected by a tutoring institution shall not be collected in a lump sum for more than 60 course sessions, or for a course length of more than three months, or for more than 5,000 RMB, and tutoring institutions shall open a special bank account for the tuition fees and file the account information and other required information with government authorities. In addition, any violation under such opinions of a non-academic after-school tutoring institution shall be rectified accordingly by the end of June 2023.

On August 23, 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued Interim Measures for Administrative Penalties on Off-campus Tutoring, or the Interim Measures on Off-campus Tutoring, which will become effective on October 15, 2023.

 

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The Interim Measures on Off-campus Tutoring set out the general requirements for administrative penalties for illegal off-campus tutoring operated by any natural person, legal person or other organization that is offered to preschool children over 3 years of age, and primary and secondary school students. The Interim Measures on Off-campus Tutoring provides that the following circumstances shall constitute illegal off-campus tutoring, and relevant natural person, legal person or other organization conducting such illegal off-campus tutoring may be subject to various administrative penalties, such as orders to rectify or cease tutoring activities, returning fees charged, revocation of operation approval, warning, criticism and fines: (i) any natural person, legal person or other organization carries out after-school tutoring without requisite private school operating permit and meets certain conditions, including having a specific tutoring facility for offline tutoring activities or a specific website or application for online tutoring activities, two or more tutoring personnel and corresponding organizational structure and division of work; (ii) any natural person, legal person or other organization carries out certain after-school academic tutoring activities in a disguised form without meeting the conditions as prescribed above but also without a private school operating permit; (iii) any after-school tutoring institution carries out after-school tutoring beyond the scope of its private school operating permit; (iv) any after-school tutoring institution carries out after-school tutoring in violation of applicable laws and regulations; (v) any after-school tutoring institution has the problem of disorganized management; and (vi) any after-school tutoring institution organizes or participates in the organization of social competitions without approval for preschool children over 3 years of age, and primary and secondary school students.

On February 8, 2024, the Ministry of Education issued the Administrative Regulations on Off-campus Tutoring (Draft for Comments), or the Draft Off-campus Tutoring Regulation, which provides that, among other things, off-campus tutoring institutions shall be administered by the classification of tutoring on academic subjects and non-academic subjects. All off-campus tutoring institutions shall obtain corresponding off-campus tutoring operating permit, and off-campus tutoring institutions offering academic tutoring for students in compulsory education shall register as non-profit organizations. Off-campus tutoring institutions offering non-academic tutoring are required to obtain approval from corresponding competent authorities depending on the subjects offered, prior to obtaining its tutoring operating permit. In addition, online off-campus tutoring institutions shall be subject to review and approval by provincial-level education administration authorities. The Draft Off-campus Tutoring Regulation also provides that the funds of off-campus tutoring institutions acquired from financing and collected from tutoring fees shall be mainly used for engaging in educational services, improving training conditions and guaranteeing the welfare of employees. However, unlike the Alleviating Burden Opinion and certain previous regulations implementing the Alleviating Burden Opinion, the Draft Off-campus Tutoring Regulation no longer emphasizes administration and supervision over academic subjects tutoring institutions for students in grade ten to twelve shall be implemented by reference to the relevant provisions of the Alleviating Burden Opinion. As of the date of this annual report, the Draft Off-campus Tutoring Regulation was released for public comment only, and its respective provisions and anticipated adoption or effective date may be subject to change.

The interpretation and implementation of the above regulations and rules on implementing the Alleviating Burden Opinion and the adoption of Draft Off-campus Tutoring Regulation are subject to changes, we cannot assure you that we would not be required to take further actions regarding our tutoring services to comply with these regulations and rules, and there can be no assurance that we could fully comply with any further or detailed requirements regarding our tutoring services in a timely manner, or at all. For detailed discussion, please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Significant risks exist in relation to the interpretation and implementation of, or proposed changes to, the PRC laws, regulations and policies regarding the private education industry. In particular, our compliance with the Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education and the implementation measures issued thereunder by the relevant PRC government authorities has had, and could have further, material adverse effect on us.”

Regulations on Kindergartens

On September 11, 1989, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued the Kindergarten Management Regulations. The Kindergarten Management Regulations provide some basic principles for the establishment and management of kindergartens enrolling children aged three years or above and call for local regulations following such principles.

 

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On November 7, 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and State Council jointly promulgated Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and State Council on Deepening Reform in Preschool Education, or the Preschool Opinions. The Preschool Opinions laid out overall requirements for the reform and development of preschool education and specified measures to be taken in eight areas: planning and distribution of kindergartens, expansion of preschool education resources, long-term funding mechanisms, teaching workforce, supervision systems, regulation of private kindergartens, childcare and teaching quality, and administrative systems. The Preschool Opinions aim to increase the accessibility of preschool education to children and see the pre-school gross enrollment rate reach 85% by 2020. The Preschool Opinions propose to build a preschool education system centered on kindergartens with universal access (including public kindergartens and private kindergartens with universal access) and expect the coverage of kindergartens with universal access amount to 80% by 2020. The Preschool Opinions demand the regulation on the development of private kindergartens, including that (i) non-state capital is prohibited from controlling non-profit kindergartens through acquisitions and contractual arrangements, and (ii) private kindergartens are prohibited from listing as public companies by themselves or through packaging with other assets; and listed companies are not allowed to invest in for-profit kindergartens using funds from the capital market, or acquire for-profit kindergarten assets with stock or cash consideration. It is uncertain whether it would become illegal to use contractual arrangements to consolidate operation results of kindergartens under the new regulation regime, and the above rules may materially affect our expansion and operation of kindergartens in the future. On June 28, 2024, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress published the Second Revised Draft Preschool Education Law to solicit for public comments. The Second Revised Draft Preschool Education Law repeats the provisions restricting kindergartens from pursuing profits and sets forth the legal liabilities for violation of such provisions.

Regulations Relating to Online Education

The Chinese Ministry of Education, jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, promulgated the Implementation Opinion on Regulating Online After-school Tutoring Activities, which became effective on July 12, 2019. The Implementation Opinion on Regulating Online After-school Tutoring Activities restates certain requirements that apply to all after-school tutoring institutions and further provides that, among others: (1) online after-school tutoring institutions shall publicly make available their teachers’ name, photograph, teaching classes and teaching qualification number at prominent location on their home page, and shall publicly make available education background as well as working and education experience of foreign teachers; (2) information including licenses (including ICP), administration of funds, system of privacy and information safety, courses, course schedules, advertisement for student enrollment and teacher qualifications shall be filed with education administration authorities at provincial level before October 31, 2019 and education administration authorities at provincial level shall examine these materials and inspect the online tutoring institutions by December 2019, and education administration authorities at provincial level are authorized to issue detailed rules to implement the filing process; (3) the tutoring contents and data shall be kept for more than one year and the videos of live-streaming tutoring courses shall be kept for at least six months; (4) each class shall not last for more than 40 minutes and the break between two courses shall last for more than 10 minutes; (5) live-streaming tutoring activities for students in the compulsory education stage shall end before 9:00 p.m.; (6) online after-school tutoring institutions shall implement the internet safety procedures and establish privacy protection system; (7) fee policies, standards and refund policies shall be made public at prominent location on the online tutoring platform, and the advance payment shall not be used for investing purpose and the scale of advance payment shall fit the tutoring capability; and (8) when charging by training hours, tutoring institutions shall not collect pre-paid tutoring fees for more than 60 training hours; when charging by training cycles, tutoring institutions shall not collect pre-paid tutoring fees for a training period spanning more than three months.

On September 19, 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Education, jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, issued the Guidance Opinions on Promoting the Healthy Development of Online Education, which provides, among others, that (i) social forces are encouraged to establish online education institutions, develop online education resources, and provide high quality educational services; and (ii) an online education negative list shall be promulgated and industries not included in the negative list are open for all types of entities to enter into.

On November 27, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Education and the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission jointly promulgated the Notice on Further Strengthening the Standardized Management of Online Course Platforms for Minors. The Notice emphasizes that local cyberspace authorities and education authorities shall regularly organize screening of the training platforms for minors and take measures such as suspending or removing training platforms or requiring training platforms to rectify within a given time limit. After such rectification is completed, the education authorities will review the filings.

 

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On March 30, 2021, the Basic Education Department of the Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Circular on Further Strengthening the Sleep Management of Primary and Secondary School Students, which restates that offline after-school trainings shall end no later than 8:30 p.m. and online live trainings shall end no later than 9:00 p.m., and provides that no homework shall be arranged in any form such as pre-class preparation, after-class consolidation, homework practice and WeChat group punching.

On May 18, 2021, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures on the Pre-payment of Tuition Fees Collected by Academic After-school Tutoring Institutions in Beijing, which intends to regulate the pre-payment of tuition fees collected by online and offline academic after-school tutoring institutions in Beijing. The measures provides, among others, that (i) tuition fees collected by an online or offline academic after-school tutoring institution shall not be collected in a lump sum for more than 60 course sessions when charged based on the number of classes, or for a course length of more than three months when charged based on the length of the course; (ii) tuition fees shall not be collected earlier than one month before commence of new course sessions when charged based on the length of the course, and shall not be collected earlier than one month or the date when there are still more than twenty course sessions left before commence of new course sessions when charged based on the number of the classes; and (iii) an academic after-school tutoring institution shall set up a custodian bank account for pre-payment tuition fees it collects and the bank will provide fund custodian services without charging from the academic after-school tutoring institution and students.

Pursuant to the Law for Protection of Minors, online education products and services which are targeted at minors shall not include any links to online games or provide any push advertisements and other information that is irrelevant to teaching. In addition, schools shall not use public holidays, weekends, winter and summer break periods to organize students in primary and secondary schools to take lessons collectively, which will aggregate students’ burden of study and after-school tutoring service providers may not provide primary school curriculum education to the preschool-aged minors.

On September 18, 2021, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education, together with other government authorities, issued a circular requiring all online after-school tutoring institutions that have filed with the local education administration authorities providing tutoring services on academic subjects in compulsory education area to obtain the private school operation permit by the end of 2021, and all such online after-school tutoring institutions shall, before obtain such permit, suspend enrollment of students and charging fees.

Regulations on APPs

The Opinion on Guiding and Regulating the Healthy Development of Online Education Applications, issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education and seven other authorities on August 10, 2019, restates certain requirements that apply to online education application providers, as stated above, and further provides that: (1) online after-school tutoring institutions shall examine the teaching qualifications, education background and capability of their foreign teachers; (2) online education applications providers shall file information about themselves as well as their apps with education administration authorities at provincial level, and the Chinese Ministry of Education will promulgate detailed filing rules to guide such filing and make such filing results publicly available on official website; (3) online education applications providers whose apps mainly face juveniles shall limit the length of using time, specify age group of target users and strictly review the content of the apps, and the collection of personal information of juveniles shall be permitted by the custodian of such juveniles; (4) online education application providers shall build up data security systems covering the collection, storage, transfer, using and other respects of personal information, and shall set up a name verification system; (5) education authorities at provincial level shall set up negative lists of the online education apps. In November 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued implementation rules with respect to the filings of online education apps. Following the issuance of the Opinions on Educational Apps, we submitted filings for our education Apps with relevant government authorities. However, to implement the Alleviating Burden Opinion, the Chinese Ministry of Education require all Educational Apps that have submitted filings to re-submit their filings to make sure they comply with relevant compliance requirements under the Alleviating Burden Opinion. As of the date of this annual report, we have already completed filings or otherwise re-submitted filings for our Educational Apps. For detailed discussion, please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we fail to obtain and maintain the licenses and approvals required for online business in China, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.”

 

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根據2022年6月14日公佈並於2022年8月1日起施行的《移動互聯網應用程序信息服務管理規定》,所謂應用程序信息服務,是指通過應用程序爲用戶提供文字、圖片、語音、視頻等信息的製作、複製、發佈、傳播等服務的活動,包括即時通訊、新聞、知識問答、論壇、在線直播、電子商務,網絡音視頻、生活服務等類型。此外,應用程序提供商不得使用應用程序進行危害國家安全、擾亂社會秩序、侵犯他人合法權益等法律法規禁止的活動。提供互聯網信息服務必須經主管部門審批或者依法取得相關許可的應用程序提供商,經主管部門審批或者取得相關許可後方可提供服務。

2023年7月21日,工信部印發《工信部關於移動互聯網應用備案工作的通知》。根據該通知,所有APP應向運營商所在地省通信管理局完成備案。2023年7月21日之前開始運行的所有App,2024年3月前完成備案;2023年7月21日之後開始運行的所有App,在App運行之前完成備案。省通信管理局收到App運營商提交的備案材料後,應當在20個工作日內通過核發備案號並向社會公開備案信息的方式進行備案,但材料齊全、準確的,不予辦理。APP信息變更、註銷的,APP運營方應當向原備案機關報告變更或者撤銷。

增值電信業務管理辦法

根據國務院頒佈並於2016年2月修訂的《中華人民共和國電信條例》,中國的電信服務提供商必須獲得工業和信息化部或其省級主管部門的經營許可證。《中華人民共和國電信條例》將中國的所有電信業務歸類爲基礎電信業務或增值電信業務。互聯網信息服務是典型的電信增值業務。

互聯網信息服務作爲增值電信業務的一個子行業,也受國務院頒佈的《互聯網信息服務管理辦法》或《互聯網信息管理辦法》的監管。《互聯網信息管理辦法》要求,商業互聯網內容提供商或互聯網內容提供商必須從適當的電信主管部門獲得互聯網內容提供商許可證,才能在中國開展任何商業互聯網信息服務。互聯網內容提供商應在其主頁的顯眼位置展示其互聯網內容提供商許可證編號。此外,《互聯網信息措施》還規定,在包括新聞、出版、教育、保健、醫藥和醫療器械在內的敏感和戰略部門開展業務的國際比較方案提供者也必須獲得主管這些部門的主管當局的額外批准。新東方中國、北京訊成及其各自若干從事相關業務的子公司已獲得互聯網內容提供商牌照。

關於網絡文化活動的規定

中華人民共和國文化部於2003年5月10日發佈了《網絡文化管理暫行辦法》,對《網絡文化管理辦法》進行了最後一次修改,時間爲2017年12月15日。《互聯網文化辦法》要求,從事互聯網文化活動的互聯網企業經營者,應當按照《互聯網文化辦法》取得文化部頒發的《互聯網文化經營許可證》。網絡文化活動包括音像製品、遊戲、話劇、節目、藝術品、動畫片等網絡文化產品的網上傳播行爲,以及網絡文化產品的生產、複製、進口、出版、廣播等行爲。

2019年5月14日,文化部辦公廳發佈《關於調整網絡文化經營許可證範圍進一步規範審批工作的通知》,規定網絡音樂、網絡劇目、網絡表演、網絡藝術品、網絡動漫、展示、比賽等屬於網絡文化經營許可證範圍的活動,進一步明確教育類直播活動不屬於網絡表演。因此,我們的在線輔導業務不需要獲得《互聯網文化經營許可證》。此外,根據中國文化和旅遊部網站發佈的問答,如果直播活動的主要內容以銷售商品爲主要內容,則該直播活動不屬於網絡文化活動的範圍,不需要獲得網絡文化經營許可證。基於問答,因爲我們的直播電子商務通過東方買的業務是爲了提供農產品和其他產品的銷售,我們的直播不需要獲得互聯網文化運營許可證電子商務 業務然而,鑑於現行中國法律法規的解釋和適用可能發生變化,我們未來可能需要爲業務運營獲得互聯網文化經營許可證。

 

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廣播電視節目製作經營有關規定

國家新聞出版廣電總局(原國家廣播電視總局)頒佈的《廣播電視節目生產經營管理辦法》,對廣播電視節目的製作、發行以及專題節目、專欄節目、綜藝節目、動畫片、廣播劇、電視劇等廣播電視節目的製作機構以及節目著作權交易、代理交易等活動進行了規範。根據《廣播電視節目管理辦法》,任何單位制作、經營廣播電視節目,必須事先取得國家新聞出版廣電總局或者其地方分局的《廣播電視節目製作經營許可證》。然而,由於「廣播電視節目」的定義不明確,我們的在線業務是否屬於這樣的定義還存在不確定性。

關於網上傳播視聽節目的規定

爲規範在中華人民共和國境內通過互聯網包括移動網絡向公衆提供視聽節目服務的行爲,國家新聞出版廣電總局和工業和信息化部於2007年12月20日聯合發佈了《互聯網視聽節目服務管理規定》,自2008年1月31日起施行,並於2015年8月28日進行了最後一次修訂。根據《視聽節目規定》,網絡視聽節目服務是指製作、編輯、整合視聽節目,通過互聯網向公衆提供視聽節目,併爲他人上傳、傳播視聽節目提供服務的活動,網絡視聽節目服務提供者必須獲得國家新聞出版廣電總局頒發的《網絡傳播視聽節目許可證》,或向國家新聞出版廣電總局辦理一定的登記手續。網絡視聽節目服務提供者一般必須是國有或國有控股單位,其經營的業務必須符合國家新聞出版廣電總局確定的網絡視聽節目服務總體規劃和指導目錄。但是,由於「視聽節目」的定義不明確,我們的在線業務是否屬於「視聽節目」的定義,以及我們是否需要獲得「視聽節目在線傳輸許可證」,都存在不確定性。

與隱私、數據保護和網絡安全相關的法規

根據2016年11月7日全國人民代表大會常務委員會發布的自2017年6月1日起施行的《中華人民共和國網絡安全法》,個人信息是指以電子或其他方式記錄的、可用於獨立識別或與其他信息結合以識別個人個人信息的各種信息,包括但不限於:個人姓名、出生日期、身份證號、生物識別的個人信息、地址和電話號碼等。《中華人民共和國網絡安全法》還規定:(一)網絡經營者收集和使用個人信息,應當遵循合法、正當和必要的原則。披露數據收集和使用規則,明確表示收集和使用信息的目的、手段和範圍,並徵得收集數據的人的同意;(二)網絡運營者不得收集與其提供的服務無關的個人信息,也不得違反法律、行政法規的規定或者被採集者同意的範圍收集、使用個人信息;並依照法律、行政法規的規定和與用戶達成的協議處置其保存的個人信息;(三)網絡運營者不得泄露、篡改、損壞其收集的個人信息,未經採集者同意,不得向他人提供個人信息。但是,如果信息已經被處理,無法恢復,因此不可能將這些信息與特定的人匹配,則這種情況是例外。2022年9月14日,中國領導的網信辦公佈了《關於修改中華人民共和國網絡安全法的決定(徵求意見稿)》或《中華人民共和國網絡安全法修正案草案》,其中加重了違反網絡安全義務和關鍵信息基礎設施運營者義務的法律責任。截至本年度報告發布之日,《中華人民共和國網絡安全法修正案(草案)》僅公開徵求意見,其各自條款和預期通過或生效日期可能會發生重大變化,存在重大不確定性。

 

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中央網信委辦公室、工業和信息化部、公安部、國家市場監管總局於2019年1月23日聯合發佈《關於開展App非法收集使用個人信息專項整治的公告》,對違反適用法律法規收集使用個人信息的移動應用開展專項整治工作,禁止經營者收集與其服務無關的個人信息,或變相強制用戶授權。2019年11月28日,國家互聯網信息辦公室、工業和信息化部、公安部、國家市場監管總局進一步聯合發佈通知,對非法收集使用個人信息的行爲進行分類認定。

2019年8月22日,中央網信辦發佈《兒童個人信息網絡保護規定》,自2019年10月1日起施行。《兒童個人信息網絡保護規定》適用於通過互聯網收集、存儲、使用、轉移和披露不滿十四周歲兒童的個人信息。《兒童個人信息網絡保護規定》要求,網絡運營者應當爲不滿十四周歲的兒童建立保護個人信息的專門規則和用戶協議,並以醒目、明確的方式告知監護人,並徵得監護人的同意。網絡運營者徵得監護人同意時,應當明確披露若干事項,包括但不限於收集、存儲、使用、轉移和披露該等個人信息的目的、方式和範圍,以及更正和刪除該等個人信息的方法。《兒童個人信息網絡保護規定》還要求,網絡運營者在收集、存儲、使用、轉移、披露此類個人信息時,應遵守一定的監管要求,包括但不限於網絡運營者應指定特定人員負責此類個人信息的保護,並應在最小授權的原則下嚴格授予其工作人員對此類個人信息的信息訪問授權。

根據中國、工業和信息化部等政府部門於2021年3月12日發佈並於2021年5月1日起施行的《關於發佈移動互聯網常見應用必備個人信息範圍規則的通知》,必要個人信息是指確保APP基本功能服務正常運行所必需的個人信息,沒有這些信息,APP就無法實現其基本功能服務。對於學習教育App來說,基本的功能服務是「在線輔導、在線上課等」。必要的個人信息是註冊用戶的手機號碼。

此外,國家市場監管總局頒佈了《網絡交易監督管理辦法》,自2021年5月1日起施行。辦法要求,網絡交易經營者不得以下列方式強迫客戶同意收集和使用與其經營活動沒有直接關係的信息,無論是否變相一次性的一般授權、默認授權、與其他授權捆綁或暫停安裝和使用。否則,該在線交易經營者可能會受到相關法律法規的罰款和後果,包括但不限於停業整頓和吊銷許可證和許可證。

2021年6月10日,全國人大常委會公佈了《中華人民共和國數據安全法》,自2021年9月1日起施行。《中華人民共和國數據安全法》規定了開展數據活動的實體和個人的數據安全和隱私義務。《中華人民共和國數據安全法》還根據數據在經濟社會發展中的重要性,以及數據被篡改、銷燬、泄露、非法獲取或使用對國家安全、公共利益或個人或組織合法權益造成的損害程度,引入了數據分類和分級保護制度。需要對每一類數據採取適當程度的保護措施。例如,重要數據處理者應指定負責數據安全的人員和管理機構,對其數據處理活動進行風險評估,並向主管當局提交風險評估報告。此外,《中華人民共和國數據安全法》規定了可能影響國家安全的數據活動的國家安全審查程序,並對某些數據和信息實施了出口限制。未經中華人民共和國主管機關批准,中華人民共和國境內的任何單位和個人不得向外國司法或執法機關提供儲存在中華人民共和國境內的數據。

 

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On August 17, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Security Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, which came into effect on September 1, 2021. The regulations provide that, among others, critical information infrastructure, or the CIIO, means key network facilities or information systems of critical industries or sectors, such as public communication and information service, energy, transportation, water conservation, finance, public services, e-government affairs and national defense science, the damage, malfunction or data leakage of which may endanger national security, people’s livelihoods and the public interest. Operators shall, based on leveled system for cybersecurity protection, adopt technical protection measures and other necessary measures to deal with cybersecurity security events, defend against cyber-attack and criminal activities, ensure the safe and stable operation of CIIO, and maintain data integrity, confidentiality and availability pursuant to relevant laws, regulations and the mandatory requirements of national standards. Relevant governmental authorities of each critical industry and sector shall be responsible for formulating eligibility criteria and determining the scope of critical information infrastructure operator in the respective industry or sector and operators will be informed about the final determination as to whether they are categorized as critical information infrastructure operators.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect on November 1, 2021. The Personal Information Protection Law aims at protecting the personal information rights and interests, regulating the processing of personal information, ensuring the orderly and free flow of personal information in accordance with the law, and promoting the reasonable use of personal information. According to the Personal Information Protection Law, personal information includes all kinds of identified or identifiable information related to natural persons recorded by electronic or other means, but excludes de-identified information. The Personal Information Protection Law also specified the rules for handling sensitive personal information, which includes biometrics, religious beliefs, specific identities, medical health, financial accounts, trails and locations, and personal information of teenagers under fourteen years old and other personal information, which, upon leakage or illegal usage, may easily infringe the personal dignity or harm of safety of livelihood and property. Personal information handlers shall bear responsibility for their personal information handling activities, and adopt necessary measures to safeguard the security of the personal information they handle. Otherwise, the personal information handlers will be ordered for rectification or suspension or termination of provision of services, confiscation of illegal income, subject to fines or other penalties.

Furthermore, on November 14, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China published the Administrative Regulations on Internet Data Security (Draft for Comments), or the Draft Data Security Regulations, which provides that data processors refer to individuals or organizations that, during their data processing activities such as data collection, storage, utilization, transmission, publication and deletion, have autonomy over the purpose and the manner of data processing. In accordance with the Draft Data Security Regulations, data processors shall apply for a cybersecurity review for certain activities, including, among other things, (i) the listing abroad of data processors that process the personal information of more than one million individuals and (ii) any data processing activity that affects or may affect national security. In addition, the Draft Data Security Regulations requires that data processors that process “important data” or are listed overseas must conduct an annual data security assessment by itself or commission a data security service provider to do so, and submit the assessment report of the preceding year to the municipal cybersecurity department by the end of January each year. As of the date of this annual report, the Draft Data Security Regulations is published for public comments only and the final version and effective date of which are subject to change with substantial uncertainty.

On January 4, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China published the Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, which became effective on February 15, 2022 and repeal the Cybersecurity Review Measures promulgated on April 13, 2020. The Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures provide that a critical information infrastructure operator purchasing network products and services, and network platform operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, which affect or may affect national security, shall apply for cybersecurity review and that network platform operators that hold personal information of over one million users shall apply with the Cybersecurity Review Office for a cybersecurity review before any public offering at a foreign stock exchange.

On January 4, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China published the Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Service Algorithm Recommendation on its website, or the Algorithm Recommendation Provisions, which became effective on March 1, 2022 and raise certain new compliance requirements on internet information service providers using algorithm recommendation technology. Specifically, the Algorithm Recommendation Provisions require that such service providers shall provide users with options that are not specific to their personal characteristics, or provide users with convenient options to cancel algorithmic recommendation services.

 

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On July 7, 2022, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Measures on Security Assessment of the Cross-border Transfer of Data, with effective from September 1, 2022. The measures provide that four types of cross-border transfers of critical data or personal data generated from or collected in the PRC should be subject to a security assessment, which include: (i) a data processor to transfer important data overseas; (ii) either a critical information infrastructure operator, or a data processor processing personal information of more than 1 million individuals, transfers personal information overseas; (iii) a data processor who has, since January 1 of the previous year, transferred personal information of more than 100,000 individuals overseas cumulatively, or transferred sensitive personal information of more than 10,000 individuals overseas cumulatively; or (iv) other circumstances under which security assessment of data cross-border transfer is required as prescribed by the national cyberspace administration.

On October 16, 2023, the Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Regulation on the Cyber Protection of Minors, which took effect as of January 1, 2024. This regulation further improves the regulatory requirements relating to minor’s cyber protection on the basis of the Personal Information Protection Law, pursuant to which (i) network service providers shall prompt and take necessary protective measures once locating minors’ personal information or minors’ personal information is released through the Internet involving private information; (ii) the personnel handling personal information processors shall be approved by the relevant responsible person or his/her authorized management personnel before accessing minors’ personal information, document the instance of access, and implement technical measures to prevent any illegal processing of the personal information of minors; and (iii) the guardians of minors can request to exercise the right to inspect, copy, correct, supplement or delete the personal information of minors. Moreover, this regulation requires network product and service providers to establish and improve obsession prevention systems, reasonably restrict minors’ online consumption behavior, and prevent and counteract undesirable value tendencies.

On March 22, 2024, the Cyberspace Administration of China published the Provisions on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flows, which streamline and provide clarity to the governance framework for outbound data transfers. According to these Provisions, data processors shall identify and declare important data in accordance with relevant provisions. If the data have not been informed or publicly announced as important data by relevant authorities or regions, data processors are not required to report security assessments for their outbound data transfers as important data. These Provisions also establish specific exemptions for outbound data transfers. For instance, data collected and generated in international trade, transnational transportation, academic cooperation, global manufacturing and marketing, which does not contain personal information or important data, is now exempted from compliance requirements regarding outbound data transfers, such as security assessments for outbound data transfer, execution of standard contracts for outbound personal information transfers, or authentication processes for personal information protection. In addition, Pilot Free Trade Zones are permitted to formulate data negative lists at their own discretion, where data processors may provide overseas parties with any data not included in the negative lists without conducting security assessments.

Regulations on Publishing and Distribution of Publications

The State Council promulgated the Administrative Regulations on Publication, or the Publication Regulations, which was most recently amended on November 29, 2020. The Publication Regulations apply to publication activities, i.e., the publishing, printing, copying, importation or distribution of publications, including books, newspapers, periodicals, audio and video products and electronic publications, each of which requires approval from the relevant publication administrative authorities. According to the Publication Regulations, any entity engaging in the activities of publishing, printing, copying, importation or distribution of publications, shall obtain relevant permits of publishing, printing, copying, importation or distribution of publications. We do not engage in publishing business. Instead, Beijing New Oriental Dogwood Cultural Communications Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of New Oriental China, has been cooperating with qualified PRC publishing companies to publish our in-house developed teaching materials and other content.

According to Measures for the Administration of Internal Informative Publications, the editing and printing of internal informative publications is subject to the internal informative publications printing permit, though the permit of publishing is not required. Internal informative publications are defined as publications used for internal information communication and work guidance purpose and are not for sale. Measures for the Administration of Internal Informative Publications particularly clarify that textbooks and ancillary teaching materials should be published by publishing companies and are not internal informative publications. New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries engage in printing and providing teaching handouts and other materials to our students. Under the new regulation, it is uncertain whether printing and providing teaching handouts and other materials to our students would be deemed publishing activities. If the National Press and Publication Administration or its local branches or other competent authorities deem such activities as publishing, we may become subject to significant penalties, fines, legal sanctions or an order suspending our printing and providing of teaching handouts and other materials to our students.

 

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On May 31, 2016, the State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film and Television and the Ministry of Commerce jointly promulgated the Provisions on the Administration of the Publication Market, which govern the wholesale, retail, lease and exhibition of publications. Pursuant to such provisions, institutions carrying on the wholesale of publications shall obtain approval and apply for the Permit for Operating Publications from the publication administration authorities at provincial level, while institutions carrying on the retail of publications shall get approval and apply for the Permit for Operating Publications from the publication administration authorities at county level.

The subsidiaries of New Oriental China and Beijing Xuncheng engaged in the wholesale and retail distribution of books, periodicals and audio-visual products have obtained the relevant Permits for Operating Publications Business. During the term of the above-mentioned permits or licenses, the National Press and Publication Administration or its local counterparts or other competent authorities may conduct annual or random examination or inspection from time to time to ascertain their compliance with applicable regulations and may require for change or renewal of such permits or licenses. If the subsidiaries of New Oriental China and Beijing Xuncheng engaged in the wholesale and retail distribution of books, periodicals and audio-visual products are not able to pass the subsequent inspection or examination, they may not be able to maintain such permits or licenses necessary for their business.

Under the Administrative Provisions on Online Publishing Services, or the Online Publishing Provisions, which was jointly issued by the State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film and Television (currently reformed into the State Administration of Press and Publication (National Copyright Bureau) under the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, any entity providing online publishing services shall obtain an Online Publishing License. “Online publishing services” refer to the provision of online publications to the public through information networks; and “online publications” refer to digital works with publishing features such as having been edited, produced or processed and are available to the public through information networks, including: (i) written works, pictures, maps, games, cartoons, audio/video reading materials and other original digital works containing useful knowledge or ideas in the field of literature, art, science or other fields; (ii) digital works of which the content is identical to that of any published book, newspaper, periodical, audio/video product, electronic publication or the like; (iii) network literature databases or other digital works, derived from any of the aforesaid works by selection, arrangement, collection or other means; and (iv) other types of digital works as may be determined by the State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film and Television. The online distribution of content, including our course materials, may be regarded as an “online publishing service” and we may be required to obtain an Online Publishing License. If the government authorities deem printing and providing physical learning materials to users as “publishing” or “publication distribution,” we may be required to obtain a Permit for Operating Publications. In addition, it remains uncertain whether the PRC government authorities would issue more explicit interpretation and rules or promulgate new laws and regulations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we fail to obtain and maintain the licenses and approvals required for online business in China, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.”

Regulations on Tourism

Tourism Law of the PRC, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC and most recently amended on October 26, 2018, provides that, among other things, to engage in the businesses of tourism, a travel agency shall obtain Travel Agency Operation Permit and meet specific conditions stipulated by laws and regulations. When organizing an outbound touring group, or organizing or receiving an inbound touring group, a travel agency shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions, arrange for a tour leader or tour guide to accompany the touring group in the whole tour. Regulations on Travel Agencies promulgated by the State Council, revised on November 29, 2020, and the implementation rules of Regulations on Travel Agencies, provide that, among other things, travel agent shall mean any entity that engages in the business of attracting, organizing, and receiving tourists, providing tourism services for tourists and operating domestic, outbound or inbound tourism; the aforementioned business shall include but not limit to arranging for transport services, arranging for accommodation services, providing services for tour guides or team leaders, providing services of tourism consultation and tourism activities design. According to the Regulations on Travel Agencies and its implementation rules, any tourism agent that engages in the outbound, inbound and domestic tourism shall apply for a permit to engage in the tourism from the government authorities.

 

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Our subsidiaries that engage in travel agency businesses, for example, Beijing New Oriental Walkite International Travel Co., Ltd, have obtained the Travel Agency Operation Permit.

Guidelines for Overseas Study Tour participated by Primary and Middle School Students (Trial)

The Chinese Ministry of Education promulgated the Guidelines for Overseas Study Tour participated by Primary and Middle School Students (Trial) in July 2014. Under such guidelines, overseas study tours participated in by primary and middle school students means, by adapting to the characteristics of primary and middle school students and the educational needs, programs that organize primary and middle school students to go overseas to learn foreign languages and other short-term curriculum, perform art shows, compete in contests, visit schools, attend summer/winter school programs, or take part in other activities that help students expand their horizon and promote enrichment and enhancement, in the manner of group travel and group accommodation during the academic semesters or vacations. Overseas study tours attended by primary and middle school students shall follow the principles of safety, civility and efficiency. The schedule for study, from the perspective of both the content and the duration, shall be no less than 1/2 of the total schedule. The organizer shall choose legitimate and qualified cooperation institutions, and stress the importance of safe education, and shall appoint a guiding teacher for each group. The organizer shall apply the rules of cost accounting, notify the students and their supervisors of the composition of the fees and expenses, and enter into an agreement as required by law. The school and its staff shall not seek any economic benefit from organizing its own students to attend an Overseas Study Tour.

Regulations Relating to Private Education Fees

On August 17, 2020, Chinese Ministry of Education and other four departments jointly promulgated the Opinions on Further Strengthening and Regulating the Administration of Education Fees, or the Education Fees Opinions, which reiterate the previous provision that the fee level of for-profit private schools is open for market adjustment and can be determined by for-profit private schools at their own discretion, while the fee-collecting regulatory policies for non-profit private schools shall be formulated by the provincial governments. The Education Fees Opinions further clarify that private schools established prior to November 7, 2016 shall be regulated in the same way as non-profit private schools in terms of fee-collecting policies before they have completed the classification registration procedures. Besides the fee-collecting policies, the Education Fees Opinions also contain provisions regarding the management and use of education fees. The Education Fees Opinions require that all education fee revenue of a private school shall be deposited into a bank account filed with education authorities and be used mainly for education activities, the improvement of school conditions, faculty and staff’s compensation and the appropriation of development fund. The Education Fees Opinions propose to explore a special audit system for school education fees, in particular for non-profit private schools. The Education Fees Opinions underline that sponsors of non-profit private schools shall not obtain proceeds from schools’ operating profits, distribute the operating surplus or residual assets, or transfer operating profits through related-party transactions or related parties.

On September 2, 2021, the NDRC, the Chinese Ministry of Education and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly promulgated a Circular on Strengthening the Supervision over Fees for After-School Tutoring on Academic Subjects in Compulsory Education Stage, which provides that fees charged for online and offline after-school tutoring on academic subjects in compulsory education are subject to government-guided prices determined by local education administrations. The circular further provides that by the end of June each year, after-school institutions shall file with the local education administration, development and reform administration and market regulation administration the enrollment brochures, fee standards, teacher qualifications and other materials, along with incomes, costs, profits, related-party transactions and policy implementation information for the previous year.

On March 14, 2023, the General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education jointly with other four authorities issued the Administrative Measures for the Financial Management of After-School Tutoring Institutions, which provides that, among others, (1) tutoring pre-paid fees (including collected in cash) shall be deposited into such institution’s special accounts and shall be separated from its own funds. Tutoring fees shall not be collected in such institution’s other accounts or any third party’s accounts; (2) after-school tutoring institutions shall not accept any tutoring fees paid by means of tutoring loans; (3) after-school tutoring institutions shall use the contract template jointly stipulated by General Office of Chinese Ministry of Education and the State Administration for Market Regulation for the after-school tutoring service, and clearly specify the tutoring fees, refund arrangement and dispute resolutions. After-school tutoring institutions shall offer refunds for any remaining classes in a course to students who withdraw from the course in a timely manner.

 

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Regulations Relating to Advertising and Promotion

The principal regulations governing advertising businesses in China are the PRC Advertising Law and the Advertising Administrative Regulations. These laws, rules and regulations require companies that engage in advertising activities to obtain a business license that explicitly includes advertising in the business scope from the State Administration for Market Regulation or its local branches.

Applicable PRC advertising laws, rules and regulations contain certain prohibitions on the content of advertisements in China (including prohibitions on misleading content, superlative wording, socially destabilizing content or content involving obscenities, superstition, violence, discrimination or infringement of the public interest). Education and/or training advertisements shall not contain the following content: (i) explicit or implicit guarantee for successful enrolment to a higher grade, passing an examination, obtaining a certain degree or qualification or obtaining a certificate, or the effect of education or training; (ii) explicit or implicit expression of participation by the relevant examination body or its personnel, personnel setting examination questions in the education or training; and (iii) recommendation and/or endorsement by scientific research institutes, academic institutions, educational organizations, industry associations, professionals or beneficiaries using their name or image. In addition, advertisements shall accurately describe the product information, including its function, composition, price, use, origin, quality and other information, and shall not deceive or mislead customers. PRC advertising laws and regulations also impose prohibitions and restrictions on advertisements. For instance, superlative wordings such as “the best,” “the most” are prohibited from use in advertisements.

On February 25, 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued Administrative Measures for Internet Advertising, or the Internet Advertising Measures, which became effective on May 1, 2023. According to the Internet Advertising Measures, commercial advertising for direct or indirect marketing goods or services in the form of text, image, audio, video, or other means through websites, web pages, Internet apps, or other Internet media within the territory of PRC shall be applied to the Advertising Law and the Internet Advertising Measures. The Internet Advertising Measures further set out requirements for Internet advertising activities, including among others, (a) with regard to commodities or services ranked under competitive bidding, advertisement publishers shall mark conspicuously the word “advertisement” to distinguish them from the organic search results; (b) where an Internet advertisement is published in the form of pop-up or otherwise, an advertiser and advertisement publisher shall clearly mark the closure sign to ensure the closure of the advertisement by one click; (c) where an Internet advertisement is published by means of algorithmic recommendation or otherwise, the relevant rules of the algorithmic recommendation service and the record of advertisement placement shall be included in the advertisement archives; (d) an Internet platform operator shall, in the process of providing Internet information services, take measures to prevent and stop illegal advertisements; (e) without the consent or request of users, or with explicit refusal by users, it is not allowed to send Internet advertisements to their vehicles, navigation equipment, intelligent home appliances etc.; (f) where the promotion of goods or services by online live streaming constitutes a commercial advertisement, a product seller or service provider shall bear the responsibilities and obligations of the advertiser in accordance with the law.

Advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors are required by applicable PRC advertising laws, rules and regulations to ensure that the content of the advertisements they prepare or distribute is true and in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. Violation of these laws, rules and regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations, the State Administration for Market Regulation or its local branches may revoke the violator’s license or permit for advertising business operations. In addition, advertisers, advertising operators or advertising distributors may be subject to civil liability if they infringe the legal rights and interests of third parties, such as infringement of intellectual proprietary rights, unauthorized use of a name or portrait and defamation.

 

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In addition, the Anti-Unfair Competition Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress requires that business operators shall not make false or misleading commercial promotion for the performance, functions, quality, sales, user evaluation, accolades etc. as to defraud or mislead customers.

The PRC Consumer Protection Law sets out requirements for business operators in their dealings with consumers, including (i) business operators shall ensure the compliance of goods and services with the PRC Product Quality Law and other relevant laws and regulations, and provide accurate information regarding goods, services and the quality and usage of such goods and services to consumers; (ii) business operators shall issue receipts to consumers in accordance with relevant national regulations and business practices or upon customer request, and ensure the quality and function of goods or services are consistent with advertising materials, product descriptions or samples; and (iii) business operators are required to assume the responsibility to repair, replace, return products in accordance with regulations or agreement, and it is prohibited to set out unreasonable or unfair terms for consumers.

Regulations Relating to Food Safety

According to the Administrative Measures for Food Operation License, entities or individuals involved in food operation and catering service in the PRC shall obtain the food operation license. Applications of food operation license shall be filed according to such food operator’s operating types.

According to the PRC Food Safety Law and its implementation regulations, food producers and business operators shall ensure food safety, accept social supervision and assume social obligations in compliance with laws, regulations and food safety standards. The PRC Food Safety Law regulates not only food production and processing, food sales and catering service, but also the use of food additives, food-related products, food storage and transportation by food producers and operators. As stipulated in the PRC Food Safety Law, the quality and safety management of agricultural primary products supplied for food shall be subject to requirements of the PRC Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products Law. However, the market sales of edible agricultural products, establishment of relevant quality safety standards, disclosure in relation to safety information and where required by the PRC Food Safety Law on agricultural inputs, shall be in compliance with the Food Safety Law.

Regulations Relating to Product Quality

According to the PRC Product Quality Law, producers shall assume responsibilities for the product quality produced by them, sellers shall adopt measures to maintain the quality of products for sale, and enterprises may not produce or sell counterfeit products. In additions, any violations of state or industrial standards for health and safety and any other related violations may result in civil liabilities and administrative penalties, such as compensation for damages, fines, suspension or shutdown of business, as well as confiscation of products illegally produced and sold and the proceeds therefrom. Severe violations may subject the responsible individual or enterprise to criminal liabilities. Where a defective product causes personal injury or damage to another person’s property, such person may claim compensation from the producer or seller of the product.

Regulations Relating to Online Livestreaming and Online Sales

On July 12, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a Notice on Development of the Filing Work for Enterprises Providing Internet Live-Streaming Services, which provides that all the companies providing internet live-streaming services shall file with the local authority, otherwise the Cyberspace Administration of China or its local counterparts may impose administrative sanctions on such companies. Pursuant to the Circular on Tightening the Administration of Internet Live-Streaming Services jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, or the MOCT, and several other government agencies on August 1, 2018, livestreaming services providers are required to file with the local public security authority within 30 days after it commences the service online. Pursuant to the Online Trading Supervision and Management Measures promulgated by the State Administration for Market Regulation on March 15, 2021, and effective from May 1, 2021, online trading operators shall follow the principles of legality, propriety and necessity when collecting and using consumers’ personal information, and shall specifically notify consumers about the purpose, method and scope of the collection and use of such information and obtain the consumers’ consent. Online trading operators who collect and use consumers’ personal information should announce their policies on collection and use of such information and should not collect and use the information in breach of laws and regulations and the agreement between the parties. Online trading operators shall fully, truly, accurately and timely disclose commodity or service information to protect consumers’ right to know and choose. Online trading platform operators shall require business operators applying for access to the platform for sale of goods or provision of services to provide their identities, addresses, contact information, administrative licenses and other true information for verification and registration, establish registration files, and verify and update the same at least once every six months, and online trading platform operators shall submit certain identity information of the business operators using the platform to the provincial market regulatory authority at its domicile in January and July each year, respectively. According to the Regulations on the Administration of Commercial Performances promulgated by the State Council on November 29, 2020, performance groups engaged in commercial performance activities and performance agencies engaged in commercial performance operation activities are required to obtain Commercial Performance Permit. Pursuant to the Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Regulation and Administration of Online Livestreaming, a livestreaming platform engaging in commercial online performances shall hold the Internet Culture Operation License. According to the Q&A posted on the website of Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the PRC, if the main content of the livestreaming activities features on sale of goods, such livestreaming activities do not fall within the scope of internet culture activities, no Internet Culture Operation License is required. Based on the Q&A, since our livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy is for providing the sale of agricultural and other products, we are not required to obtain an Internet Culture Operation License for our livestreaming e-commerce business. However, given the potential changes in the interpretation and application of existing PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to obtain an Internet Culture Operation License for our business operations in the future.

 

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The E-Commerce Law of the PRC requires e-commerce operators to follow the principles of voluntariness, equality, fairness and integrity, and to abide by laws and business ethics to participate in market competition in a fair manner. An operator of an e-commerce platform shall neither take advantage of the service agreement, transaction rules, technologies or other means to impose unreasonable restrictions or unreasonable conditions on the transactions of business operators using its platform carried out on its platform, the transaction price and transactions with other business operators, nor charge business operators using its platform unreasonable fees.

According to the Online Livestreaming Service Administrative Measures, it is prohibited to publish information that endanger national security or infringe third-party rights. In addition, the Trial Administrative Measures for Online Livestreaming Sales and Marketing issued on April 23, 2021 and effective from May 25, 2021 stipulate that, among others, online livestreaming channel operators have the obligation to ensure the information provided are genuine and complies with laws, and such online livestreaming channel operators shall also check and record information regarding the products and suppliers.

In China, the prices of a very small number of products and services are guided or fixed by the government. According to the Pricing Law, business operators must, as required by the government departments in charge of pricing, mark the prices explicitly and indicate the name, origin of production, specifications, and other related particulars clearly. Business operators may not sell products at a premium or charge any fees that are not explicitly indicated. Business operators must not commit the specified unlawful pricing activities, such as colluding with others to manipulate the market price, using false or misleading prices to deceive consumers to transact, or conducting price discrimination against other business operators. Failure to comply with the Pricing Law may subject business operators to administrative sanctions such as warning, ceasing unlawful activities, compensation, confiscating illegal gains, fines. The business operators may be ordered to suspend business for rectification, or have their business licenses revoked if the circumstances are severe. We are subject to the Pricing Law as online retailer as well as business operator.

Regulations Relating to Internet Content

The Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services specify that internet information services regarding news, publications, education, medical and health care, pharmacy and medical devices, among other things, are to be examined, approved and regulated by the authorities. Internet information providers are prohibited from providing services beyond those included in the scope of their ICP licenses or filings. Furthermore, these measures clearly specify a list of prohibited content. Internet information providers are prohibited from producing, copying, publishing or distributing information that is humiliating or defamatory to others or that infringes the lawful rights and interests of others. Internet information providers that violate the prohibition may face criminal charges or administrative sanctions by the PRC authorities. Internet information providers must monitor and control the information posted on their websites. If any prohibited content is found, they must remove the offending content immediately, keep a record of it and report to the authorities. Furthermore, in 2019, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Provisions on the Management of Network Information Content Ecology, which became effective on March 1, 2020, to further strengthen the regulation and management of network information content. Pursuant to the Provisions on the Management of Network Information Content Ecology, each network information content service platform is required, among others, (i) not to disseminate any information prohibited by laws and regulations, such as information jeopardizing national security; (ii) to strengthen the examination of advertisements published on such network information content service platform; (iii) to promulgate management rules and platform convention and improve user agreement, such that such network information content service platform could clarify users’ rights and obligations and perform management responsibilities required by laws, regulations, rules and convention; (iv) to establish convenient means for complaints and reports; and (v) to prepare annual work report regarding its management of network information content ecology. In addition, a network information content service platform must not, among others, (i) utilize new technologies such as deep learning and virtual reality to engage in activities prohibited by laws and regulations; (ii) engage in online traffic fraud, malicious traffic rerouting and other activities related to fraudulent account, illegal transaction account or maneuver of users’ account; or (iii) infringe a third party’s legitimate rights or seek illegal interests by way of interfering with information display.

 

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On September 15, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Opinions on Further Enforcing Responsibilities on Website Platforms as the Main Responsible Party for Information Content Management. In accordance with the Opinions, website platforms are required to perform specific responsibilities as the main responsible party for information content management, including, among others, enhancing the platform community rules, strengthening the regulation and management of accounts, improving the content vetting mechanism, improving the quality of information content, managing the dissemination of information content, and strengthening the management of key functions.

Internet information in China is also regulated and restricted from a national security standpoint. The National People’s Congress, China’s national legislative body, has enacted the Decisions on Maintaining Internet Security, which may subject violators to criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (1) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (2) disseminate politically disruptive information; (3) leak state secrets; (4) spread false commercial information; or (5) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit use of the internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leakage of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content.

Amended Company Law

The establishment, operation and management of corporate entities in the PRC are governed by the Company Law of the PRC. On December 29, 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the amended Company Law of the PRC, which came into effect on July 1, 2024 and superseded the prior PRC Company Law which was amended in October 2018. The major revisions made by the amended PRC Company Law included improving the system for the establishment and liquidation of companies, optimizing organizational structures of companies, improving the capital system of companies, strengthening the responsibilities of the controlling shareholder and management staff, and enhancing the social responsibilities of companies, etc. With respect to the period for payment of the registered capital, pursuant to the amended PRC Company Law, all shareholders of a PRC limited liability company shall fully pay up the registered capital subscribed for by such shareholders within five years since the date of establishment of the PRC limited liability company, unless otherwise provided by laws and regulations. On July 1, 2024, the State Council issue the Provisions of the State Council on Implementing the Registered Capital Registration and Management System under the PRC Company Law, which further specified the detailed requirements and measures of the registration and management of registered capital under the amended PRC Company Law. Pursuant to such provisions, there shall be a three-year interim period from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027 for the existing companies to adjust their periods of capital contribution.

Regulations Relating to Anti-Monopoly

The Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and the Interim Provisions on the Review of Concentrations of Undertakings promulgated by the State Administration for Market Regulation require that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by the State Administration for Market Regulation before they can be completed. Where the participation in concentration of undertakings by way of foreign-funded merger and acquisition of domestic enterprises or any other method which involves national security, the examination of concentration of undertakings shall be carried out pursuant to the provisions of the Anti-Monopoly Law and examination of national security shall be carried out pursuant to the relevant laws and regulations. Failure to comply with above regulations may result in an order to stop concentration, dispose the shares/assets or transfer the operation within a stipulated period, or adopt other necessary measures to reinstate the pre-concentration status, or fines.

 

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On February 7, 2021, the Anti-monopoly Commission of the State Council issued the Anti-monopoly Guidelines for the Internet Platform Economy Sector that aims at specifying some of the circumstances under which an activity of internet platforms may be identified as monopolistic act as well as classifying that concentrations involving variable interest entities shall also be subject to anti-monopoly review.

Regulations Relating to Anti Long-Arm Jurisdiction

The Ministry of Commerce issued Provisions on the List of Unreliable Entities, or the Ministry of Commerce Order No. 4 of 2020, on September 19, 2020. Pursuant to the Ministry of Commerce Order No. 4 of 2020, the relevant governmental authorities shall, according to the investigation results and by taking the following factors into comprehensive consideration, decide whether or not to include a foreign entity concerned in the list of unreliable entities, and make an announcement on such inclusion. Such factors include: (i) the extent of damage caused to China’s sovereignty, security and development interests; (ii) the extent of the damage to the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, other organizations or individuals; (iii) whether or not the international economic and trade rules are followed; (iv) other factors that shall be taken into consideration. If a foreign entity is included in the list of unreliable entities, the working mechanism may decide to take one or more of the following measures: (i) restricting or prohibiting the foreign entity from engaging in import or export activities related to China; (ii) restricting or prohibiting the foreign entity’s investment within the territory of China; (iii) restricting or prohibiting the entry of the foreign entity’s relevant personnel or transport vehicles into the territory of China; (iv) restricting or cancelling the work permit, stay or residence qualification of the foreign entity’s relevant personnel in China; (v) imposing a fine corresponding to the seriousness of the case against the foreign entity; and/or (vi) other necessary measures.

On January 9, 2021, the Ministry of Commerce promulgated the Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-Territorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures, or the Ministry of Commerce Order No. 1 of 2021. Pursuant to the Ministry of Commerce Order No. 1 of 2021, where a citizen, legal person or other organization of China is prohibited or restricted by foreign legislation and other measures from engaging in normal economic, trade and related activities with another country (or region) or its citizens, legal persons or other organizations, he/she/it shall truthfully report such matters to the competent department of commerce of the State Council within 30 days. The working mechanism will take following factors into overall account when assessing whether there exists unjustified extraterritorial application of foreign legislation and other measures: (i) whether international law or the basic principles of international relations are violated; (ii) potential impact on China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests; (iii) potential impact on the legitimate rights and interests of the citizens, legal persons or other organizations of China; (iv) other factors that shall be taken into account. If the working mechanism determines that there exists unjustified extra-territorial application of foreign legislation and other measures, the Ministry of Commerce may issue an injunction providing that the relevant foreign legislation and other measures shall not be accepted, executed, or observed. A citizen, legal person or other organization in China may apply for exemption from compliance with an injunction.

Regulations Relating to Foreign Investment

Foreign Investment Access Special Management Measures (Negative List) (2021 Version)

Investment activities in the PRC by foreign investors are governed by the Guiding Foreign Investment Direction, which was promulgated by the State Council in February 2002 and came into effect in April 2002, and the Special Administrative Measures for the Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List), or the 2021 Negative List, which was promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce and National Development and Reform Commission in December 2021 and came into effect in January 2022. The 2021 Negative List sets out the restrictive measures in a unified manner, such as the requirements on shareholding percentages and management, for the access of foreign investments, and the industries that are prohibited for foreign investment. The 2021 Negative List covers 12 industries, and any field not falling in the Negative List shall be administered under the principle of equal treatment to domestic and foreign investment. Under such 2021 Negative List, pre-school education, senior high school education in grades 10 to 12, publishing and value-added telecommunications services are in a restricted industry, meaning foreign educational organizations with relevant qualifications and experience and Chinese educational organizations are only allowed to operate pre-school education, senior high schools, publishing and value-added telecommunication services in cooperative ways by the form of a cooperative joint venture in the PRC. Foreign investment is banned from compulsory education, which means grades 1 to 9. After-school tutoring services and training services which do not grant certificates or diplomas and non-academic vocational training institutions are not listed on the 2021 Negative List.

 

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The PRC Foreign Investment Law and Its Implementation Rules

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The existing foreign-invested enterprises established prior to the implementation of the Foreign Investment Law may keep their corporate forms within five years. Pursuant to the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investors” means natural person, enterprise, or other organization of a foreign country, “foreign-invested enterprises” (FIEs) means any enterprise established under PRC law that is wholly or partially invested by foreign investors and “foreign investment” means any foreign investor’s direct or indirect investment in mainland China, including: (i) establishing FIEs in mainland China either individually or jointly with other investors; (ii) obtaining stock shares, stock equity, property shares, other similar interests in Chinese domestic enterprises; (iii) investing in new projects in mainland China either individually or jointly with other investors; and (iv) making investment through other means provided by laws, administrative regulations, or State Council provisions.

The Foreign Investment Law stipulates that China implements the management system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list to foreign investment and the government generally will not expropriate foreign investment, except under special circumstances, in which case it will provide fair and reasonable compensation to foreign investors. Foreign investors are barred from investing in prohibited industries on the negative list and must comply with the specified requirements when investing in restricted industries on that list. When a license is required to enter a certain industry, the foreign investor must apply for one, and the government must treat the application the same as one by a domestic enterprise, except where laws or regulations provide otherwise. In addition, foreign investors or FIEs are required to file information reports and foreign investment shall be subject to the national security review.

On December 26, 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of the Foreign Investment Law with effect from January 1, 2020 to provide implementing measures and detailed rules to ensure the effective implementation of the Foreign Investment Law.

Restrictions on Foreign Investment in Education

Pursuant to the 2021 Negative List, foreign investment in pre-school education and senior high school education in grades 10 to 12 is restricted, meaning that it shall only take the form of Sino-foreign cooperative schools and the domestic party shall play a dominant role. A dominant role requires that (i) the school’s principal or chief executive must be a PRC national, and (ii) the school’s governing body (including the board of directors, executive council or joint administration committee) must consist of a majority of representatives from the domestic party. Training business is not on the 2021 Negative List.

Sino-foreign cooperation in operating schools is specifically governed by (i) the Regulation on Operating Sino-foreign Cooperative Schools of the PRC, which was promulgated by the State Council in March 2003 and last amended in March 2019 respectively, and (ii) the Implementing Measures for the Regulations on Operating Sino-foreign Cooperative Schools of the PRC, which was issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education in June 2004. Pursuant to these rules, “Sino-foreign cooperative schools” are educational institutions established in China jointly by foreign parties and domestic parties targeting primarily students of PRC nationality. Both the foreign and domestic parties of a Sino-foreign cooperative school shall be educational institutions with the commensurate qualification for running schools and a good track record in providing high quality education. However, no implementing measures or specific guidance has been released as to what specific criteria must be met by the foreign party to demonstrate to the relevant authority that it meets the qualification requirements. The establishment of a Sino-foreign cooperative school shall be approved by the relevant education authority or human resources and social security authority.

 

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On June 18, 2012, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued the Implementation Opinions of the Chinese Ministry of Education on Encouraging and Guiding the Entry of Private Capital into the Field of Education and Promoting the Healthy Development of Private Education, with the aim of encouraging private investment and foreign investment in the field of education. According to these opinions, the proportion of foreign capital contribution in a Sino-foreign cooperative school shall be less than 50%.

Restrictions on Foreign Investment in Publishing

In July 2005, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the National Press and Publication Administration, the NDRC, and Ministry of Commerce jointly formulated the Several Opinions on Drawing Foreign Investment into the Cultural Sector, pursuant to which foreign investors are prohibited from engaging in business such as the publication of books, audio-visual products and electronic publications, and internet publishing. The 2021 Negative List also lists foreign investments in the publication of books, audio-visual products and electronic publications and in the provision of internet publishing services as a prohibited category.

The wholesale and retail of publications is not listed in the 2021 Negative List, indicating that the wholesale and retail of publications is a permitted area where foreign investment can enter. In particular, the Provisions on the Administration of the Publication Market clearly states that PRC allows foreign-invested enterprises to carry out the publication distribution (including wholesale and retail) business.

Restrictions on Foreign Investments in Value-added Telecommunications Services

The Regulations on Administration of Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, or the FITE Regulations, which took effect on January 1, 2002 and last amended on March 29, 2022, are the key regulations for foreign direct investment in telecommunications companies in China. The FITE Regulations stipulate that the foreign investor of a telecommunications enterprise is prohibited from holding more than 50% of the equity interest in a foreign-invested enterprise that provides value-added telecommunications services. Moreover, foreign investors that intend to invest in or establish a value-added telecommunications enterprise operating the value-added telecommunications business must obtain approvals from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Commerce, or their authorized local counterparts, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals.

On July 13, 2006, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, issued the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services, or the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Circular 2006, which requires that (i) foreign investors can only operate a telecommunications business in China through establishing a telecommunications enterprise with a valid telecommunications business operation license; (ii) domestic license holders are prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operation licenses to foreign investors in any form, or providing any resource, sites or facilities to foreign investors to facilitate the unlicensed operation of telecommunications business in China; (iii) value-added telecommunications services providers or their shareholders must directly own the domain names and registered trademarks they use in their daily operations; (iv) each value-added telecommunications services provider must have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and maintain such facilities in the geographic regions covered by its license; and (v) all value-added telecommunications services providers should improve network and information security, enact relevant information safety administration regulations and set up emergency plans to ensure network and information safety. The provincial communications administration bureaus, as local authorities in charge of regulating telecommunications services, may revoke the value-added telecommunications business operation licenses of those who fail to comply with the above requirements or fail to rectify such noncompliance within specified time limits. Due to the lack of any additional interpretation from the regulatory authorities, it remains unclear what impact Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Circular 2006 will have on us or the other PRC internet companies with similar corporate structures and contractual arrangements.

Regulations on Copyright and Trademark Protection

China has adopted legislation governing intellectual property rights, including copyrights, trademarks and domain names. China is a signatory to the main international conventions on intellectual property rights and became a member of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights upon its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001.

 

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Copyright. The National People’s Congress amended the Copyright Law to widen the scope of works and rights that are eligible for copyright protection. The amended Copyright Law extends copyright protection to Internet activities, products disseminated over the Internet and software products. In addition, there is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center.

To address the problem of copyright infringement related to the content posted or transmitted over the Internet, the National Copyright Administration and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly promulgated the Administrative Measures for Copyright Protection Related to the Internet.

Trademark. The PRC Trademark Law protects the proprietary rights to registered trademarks. The Trademark Office under the State Administration for Market Regulation handles trademark registrations and grants a term of ten years to registered trademarks and another ten years to trademarks as requested upon expiry of the prior term. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record. We have registered certain trademarks and logos, including “New Oriental” and “Pop Kids,” with the Trademark Office and are in the process of registering additional marks. In addition, if a registered trademark is recognized as a well-known trademark in a specific case, the proprietary right of the trademark holder may be extended beyond the registered sphere of products and services of the trademark in such case. In July 2014, the State Administration for Market Regulation released Provisions on the Recognition and Protection of Well-Known Trademarks. According to these provisions, well-known trademarks shall be recognized on a case-by-case basis, and be subject to the principle of passive protection. Our trademarks “ LOGO ,” “ LOGO ,” and “ LOGO ” have been recognized as “well-known trademarks” in civil action adjudicated and/or administrative determination in China.

Domain names. Pursuant to the Measures for the Administration of Internet Domain Names, “domain name” shall refer to the character mark of hierarchical structure, which identifies and locates a computer on the internet and corresponds to the Internet protocol (IP) address of that computer and the principle of “first come, first serve” is followed for the domain name registration service. Domain name applicants shall provide true, accurate and complete identification of the domain name holder as requested by the domain name registration service provider.

Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange

Pursuant to applicable PRC regulations on foreign currency exchange, RMB is freely convertible to current account items, such as trade-related receipts and payments, interest and dividend. Capital account items, such as direct equity investments, loans and repatriation of investment, require the prior approval from SAFE or its local counterpart or prior registration with banks for conversion of RMB into a foreign currency.

Domestic companies or individuals can repatriate payments received from abroad in foreign currencies or deposit those payments abroad. Foreign-invested enterprises may retain foreign exchange in accounts with designated foreign exchange banks. Foreign exchange on the current account and capital account can be either retained or sold to financial institutions that have foreign exchange settlement or sales business based on the need of the enterprise without prior approval from SAFE, subject to certain restrictions.

SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142, to regulate the conversion by a foreign-invested company of its capital contribution in foreign currency into RMB. The circular requires that the paid-in capital of a foreign-invested company settled in RMB converted from foreign currencies shall be used only for purposes within the business scope as approved by the authorities in charge of foreign investment or by other competent authorities and as registered with the local branch of Administration for Industries and Commerce and, unless set forth in the business scope or in PRC regulations, may not be used for equity investments within the PRC. In addition, SAFE has strengthened its oversight of the flow and use of the paid-in capital of a foreign-invested company settled in RMB converted from foreign currencies. The use of such RMB paid-in capital may not be changed without SAFE’s approval. Violations of Circular 142 will result in severe monetary or other penalties.

 

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SAFE promulgated SAFE Circular 19, effective in June 2015 to abolish SAFE Circular 142. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third-party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be used, directly or indirectly, for purposes beyond its business scope. Therefore, foreign-invested companies’ applications to make equity investment with their capital were often rejected on the ground of exceeding the business scope. SAFE promulgated SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the limitation on the use of RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company from prohibiting using such capital to issue RMB entrusted loans to prohibiting using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold to our PRC subsidiary, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China. On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated SAFE Circular 28, which, among other things, allows all foreign-invested companies to use RMB converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in China, for so long as there is a truthful equity investment, such equity investment does not violate applicable laws, and such equity investment complies with the negative list on foreign investment. SAFE Circular 28 aims to lift the restriction on foreign-invested companies’ equity investment with capital on the ground of business scope implied by SAFE Circular 19. According to the Circular of SAFE on Optimizing Foreign Exchange Administration to Support the Development of Foreign-related Business promulgated and effective on April 10, 2020 by SAFE, the reform of facilitating the payments of income under the capital accounts shall be promoted nationwide. Under the prerequisite of ensuring true and compliant use of funds and compliance and complying with the prevailing administrative provisions on use of income from capital projects, enterprises which satisfy the criteria are allowed to use income under the capital account, such as capital funds, foreign debt and overseas listing, etc., for domestic payment, without the need to provide proof materials for veracity to the bank beforehand for each transaction.

In December 2023, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Further Deepening Reforms to Facilitate Cross-border Trade and Investment, which, among other things, provides that the use of capital funds of non-financial enterprises, foreign exchange income under foreign debt and RMB funds derived from foreign exchange settlement shall follow the principle of truthfulness and self-use, and shall not be used directly or indirectly for expenditures prohibited by national laws and regulations; unless otherwise expressly provided, it shall not be used directly or indirectly for investment in securities or other investment and wealth management (except for wealth management products and structured deposits with risk ratings of not higher than Level 2); and it shall not be used for the issuance of loans to non-affiliated enterprises (except for those expressly permitted in the scope of business and the four specific areas of China); and shall not be used for the purchase of non-self-use residential properties (except for enterprises engaged in real estate development and operation and real estate leasing and operation). Such circular further specifies that in the event of any inconsistency between the previous regulations and this circular, this circular shall prevail.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Offshore Investment by PRC Residents

Pursuant to the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on the Administration of Foreign Exchange Involved in Overseas Investment, Financing and Round-Trip Investment Conducted by Domestic Residents through Special-Purpose Companies, or SAFE Circular 37, effective in July 2014 and repealed the previous SAFE’s Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents to Engage in Financing and Inbound Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75 on the same date, a PRC Resident, including both PRC domestic institutions and PRC domestic individual residents, shall register with the local branch of SAFE before it establishes or controls a company outside of China with the domestic or overseas assets or equity they legally hold for the purpose of investment and financing and conducting roundtrip investment in China. Such a company located outside of China is referred to as an offshore special purpose vehicle.

Under SAFE Circular 37, failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth above may result in the penalties, including imposition of restrictions on a PRC subsidiary’s foreign exchange activities and its ability to distribute dividends to the SPV.

In June 2015, SAFE promulgated SAFE Circular 13, according to which, in order to simplify the procedures of performing the foreign exchange control policy of direct investment, the registration authorities under SAFE foreign exchange control policies, including the registration of PRC residents under SAFE Circular 37 change from local SAFE branches to local banks authorized by SAFE and SAFE will strengthen the training and supervision for banks in performing the foreign exchange control policy of direct investment. Thus, according to SAFE Circular 13, the registration of PRC residents under SAFE Circular 37 shall be conducted with local banks authorized by SAFE.

 

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Our beneficial owners immediately before our initial public offering who are PRC residents had registered with the local branch of SAFE prior to our initial public offering in 2006.

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

The principal regulations governing dividend distributions by wholly foreign-owned enterprises and Sino-foreign equity joint ventures include:

 

   

Foreign Investment Law; and

 

   

The Implementation Rules of Foreign Investment Law.

As these regulations were newly adopted and replaced the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise Law and all implementing rules thereunder, these regulations do not provide specific dividend distribution rules for foreign invested enterprises. However, they provide that after the conversion from a wholly foreign-owned enterprise or sino-foreign equity joint venture to a foreign invested enterprise under the Foreign Investment Law, distribution method of gains agreed in the joint venture agreements may continue to apply.

Regulations on Labor

Pursuant to the PRC Labor Law, the PRC Labor Contract Law and its Implementing Regulations of the Employment Contracts Law, labor contracts in written form shall be executed to establish labor relationships between employers and employees. Wages cannot be lower than local minimum wage. The employer must establish a system for labor safety and sanitation, strictly abide by state standards, and provide relevant education to its employees. Employees are also required to work in safe and sanitary conditions meeting State rules and standards, and carry out regular health examinations of employees engaged in hazardous occupations.

The Notice of Issues Related to the Management of Employment of Foreigners in China provides that, among other things, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security should cooperate with Ministry of Public Security to carry out regular and irregular investigation on the entities that employ relatively large number of foreigners about their employment of foreigners.

According to the Circular on the Comprehensive Implementation of the Permit System for Foreigners to Work in China promulgated by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Public Security on March 28, 2017, from April 1, 2017, a foreigner who is approved to work in China will be issued a Permit to Working in China. According to the circular, new and detailed regulation of the application and approval process of Permit to Working in China is to be promulgated shortly. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any new and detailed regulation set up regarding application and approval of the Permit to Working in China.

If the employment of foreigners is not in compliance with the above relevant regulations, the employer may become subject to penalties, fines or an order to terminate such employment and to bear all the expenses and costs arising from the repatriation of such foreigner.

Regulations on Employee Share Incentive Awards Granted by Listed Companies

According to a series of notices concerning individual income tax on earnings from employee share incentive awards, issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation, companies that implement employee stock ownership programs shall file the employee stock ownership plans and other relevant documents with the local tax authorities having jurisdiction over such companies before implementing such plans, and shall file share option exercise notices and other relevant documents with local tax authorities before exercise by their employees of any share options, and clarify whether the shares issuable under the employee share options referenced in the notice are shares of publicly listed companies.

 

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SAFE issued the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in a Stock Incentive Plan of an Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, or SAFE Circular 7, in February 2012, pursuant to which if “domestic individuals” (meaning both PRC residents and non-PRC residents who reside in China for a consecutive period of not less than one year, excluding the foreign diplomatic personnel and representatives of international organizations) participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company, shall, among other things, file, on behalf of such individuals, an application with SAFE to conduct SAFE registration with respect to such stock incentive plan, and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the stock purchase or stock option exercise. Such PRC individuals’ foreign exchange income received from the sale of stocks and dividends distributed by the overseas listed company and any other income shall be fully remitted into a collective foreign currency account in China opened and managed by the PRC domestic agent before distribution to such individuals. In addition, such domestic individuals must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with the exercise of their stock options and their purchase and sale of stock. The PRC domestic agent also needs to update registration with the local branches of SAFE within three months after the overseas-listed company materially changes its stock incentive plan or make any new stock incentive plans.

According to SAFE Circular 7, from time to time, we need to make applications or update our registration with local branches of SAFE on behalf of our employees who are affected by our new share incentive plan or material changes in our current share incentive plan. However, we may not always be able to make applications or update our registration on behalf of our employees who hold our restricted shares or other types of share incentive awards in compliance with SAFE Circular 7, nor can we ensure you that such applications or update of registration will be successful. If we or the participants of our share incentive plans who are PRC citizens fail to comply with SAFE Circular 7, we and/or such participants of our share incentive plans may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, there may be additional restrictions on the ability of such participants to exercise their stock options or remit proceeds gained from sale of their stock into China, and we may be prevented from further granting share incentive awards under our share incentive plans to our employees who are PRC citizens.

Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors and Overseas Listing

On August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, promulgated the M&A Rule to more effectively regulate foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises. The M&A Rule, as amended on June 22, 2009, provides that the Ministry of Commerce must be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise and any of the following situations exists: (1) the transaction involves an important industry in China, (2) the transaction may affect national “economic security,” or (3) the PRC domestic enterprise has a well-known trademark or historical Chinese trade name in China. Complying with the requirements of the M&A Rules to complete acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit the ability to complete such transactions.

On February 17, 2023, with the approval of the State Council, the CSRC released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, (1) domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, should fulfill the filing procedure and report relevant information to the CSRC; (2) if the issuer meets both of the following conditions, the overseas offering and listing shall be determined as an indirect overseas offering and listing by a domestic company: (i) any of the total assets, net assets, revenues or profits of the domestic operating entities of the issuer in the most recent accounting year accounts for more than 50% of the corresponding figure in the issuer’s audited consolidated financial statements for the same period; (ii) its major operational activities are carried out in China or its main places of business are located in China, or the senior managers in charge of operation and management of the issuer are mostly Chinese citizens or are domiciled in China; and (3) where a domestic company seeks to indirectly offer and list securities in an overseas market, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity responsible for all filing procedures with the CSRC, and where an issuer makes an application for initial public offering and listing in an overseas market, the issuer shall submit filings with the CSRC within three business days after such application is submitted.

 

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On the same day, the CSRC held a press conference for the release of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures and issued the Notice on Administration for the Filing of Overseas Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, which, among others, clarifies that (1) domestic companies that have been listed on a foreign stock exchange prior to the effective date of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures are not required to go through the filing procedure immediately but may be required to go through the filing procedure if future fund raising activities are involved; (2) a six-month transition period will be granted to domestic companies which, prior to the effective date of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, have already obtained the approval from overseas regulatory authorities or stock exchanges (such as the completion of hearing in the market of Hong Kong or the completion of registration in the market of the United States), but have not completed the indirect overseas listing; if domestic companies fail to complete the overseas listing within such six-month transition period, they are required to file with the CSRC according to the requirements; and (3) the CSRC will solicit opinions from relevant regulatory authorities and complete the filing of the overseas listing of companies with contractual arrangements which duly meet the compliance requirements, and support the development and growth of these companies by enabling them to utilize two markets and two kinds of resources.

On February 24, 2023, the CSRC jointly with other government authorities issued the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Overseas Listing Archives Rules, as a supporting rule to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Pursuant to the Overseas Listing Archives Rules, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas directly or indirectly, and securities companies and securities related service providers providing services to such domestic companies shall establish confidentiality and archives administration system, adopt requisite measures to perform the responsibilities of confidentiality and archives administration, and shall not divulge state secrets and state agencies’ work secrets, or harm state and public interests. The Overseas Listing Archives Rules provide, among others, that before providing or disclosing any document or material which involve state secrets or state agencies’ work secrets, domestic companies shall apply to the competent government authorities for approval and file with the secrecy administration authorities for record.

Regulations on Taxation

PRC Enterprise Income Tax. The National People’s Congress, the Chinese legislature, passed the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, as last amended in 2018. The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law applies a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises Preferential tax treatments grants to industries and projects that are strongly supported and encouraged by the state, and enterprises otherwise classified as “high and new technology enterprises strongly supported by the state” upon re-examination will be entitled to a 15% enterprise income tax rate. The State Council promulgated the implementation rules of the BIT Law in 2007, as last amended in 2019, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation promulgated other supplemental rules in 2008 which were amended in 2016, respectively, regarding new criteria for the granting of “high and new technology enterprises” status. Upon the expiration of the initial term, the enterprise shall file a new application to obtain such status. Loss of any preferential tax treatments previously granted to us could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

According to the Circular On Several Policies for Further Encouraging the Development of Software Industry and Integrated Circuit Industry promulgated by the State Council in January 2011 and the Circular On Policies of Enterprises Income Tax for Further Encouraging the Development of Software Industry and Integrated Circuit Industry, jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation in April 2012 and effective from January 1, 2011, or Circular 27, an enterprise that qualifies as a “software enterprise” established after January 1, 2011, or a software enterprise, is exempt from enterprise income tax for two years beginning in the enterprise’s first profitable year followed by a tax rate of 12.5% for the succeeding three years.

Enterprises which have been entitled to similar tax preferential treatments according to previous tax regulations are allowed to continue enjoying the above preferential treatments until the tax holiday granted to them expires, even though they were established before January 1, 2011.

 

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Pursuant to the Notice on Issues Related to the Enterprise Income Tax Preferential Policies of Software and Integrated Circuit Industry on May 4, 2016, the software enterprises which enjoy preferential tax treatments shall provide filing documents with respect to preferential tax treatments to the relevant tax authority when filing annual enterprise income tax returns for the settlement of tax payments. In addition, pursuant to the Measures for Handling Matters Relating to Preferential Enterprise Income Tax Policies promulgated by the State Administration of Taxation on April 25, 2018, or Circular 23, an enterprise shall independently judge whether it satisfies the conditions prescribed under preferential taxation policies. The enterprises which satisfy such conditions shall calculate the tax reduction amount and enjoy the preferential tax treatments by filling out and submitting the enterprise income tax returns to the competent tax authority, and properly collect and retain relevant materials for future reference. For software enterprises, materials listed in the “follow-up management requirements,” which are contained in the catalog attached to Circular 23, shall be prepared and submitted to the competent tax authority after annual financial settlement completed every year.

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law also provides that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises” and will generally be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on their global income. Although the term “de facto management bodies” is defined as “management bodies which has substantial and overall management and control power on the operation, human resources, accounting and assets of the enterprise,” the circumstances under which an enterprise’s “de facto management body” would be considered to be located in China are currently unclear. A circular issued by the State Administration of Taxation in April 2009 provides that a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with its “de facto management bodies” located within China if the following requirements are satisfied: (1) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations function mainly in the PRC; (2) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in the PRC; (3) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (4) at least half of the enterprise’s directors or senior management with voting rights reside in the PRC.

In addition, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin in August 2011, effective as of September 1, 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. The bulletin clarified certain matters relating to resident status determination, post determination administration and competent tax authorities. It also specifies that when provided with a copy of a PRC tax resident determination certificate from a resident PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, the payer should not withhold 10% income tax when paying the PRC-sourced dividends, interest and royalties to the PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise. Although both the circular and the bulletin only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises and not those by PRC individuals, the determination criteria set forth in the circular and administration clarification made in the bulletin may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax residency status of offshore enterprises and how the administration measures should be implemented, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC individuals.

In addition, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin in January 2014, to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. This bulletin further provided that, among other things, an entity that is classified as a “resident enterprise” in accordance with the circular shall file the application for classifying its status of residential enterprise with the local tax authorities where its main domestic investors registered. From the year in which the entity is determined as a “resident enterprise,” any dividend, profit and other equity investment gain shall be taxed in accordance with the Article 26 of EIT law and the Article 17 and Article 83 of its implementation rules.

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that a maximum income tax rate of 20% may apply to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council has reduced such rate to 10%, in the absence of any applicable tax treaties that may reduce such rate. We are a Cayman Islands holding company and substantially all of our income may be derived from dividends we receive from our operating subsidiaries located in the PRC. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries, the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders and ADS holders may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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PRC Withholding Tax. According to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion, dividends paid to shareholders residing in Hong Kong are subject to a withholding tax of 5% provided that a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns over 25% of the PRC enterprise distributing the dividend and can be considered as a “beneficial owner” and entitled to treaty benefits under the DTA. In January 2018, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated Circular 9, to clarify the definition of beneficial owner under PRC tax treaties and tax arrangements. According to Circular 9, a beneficial owner refers to a party who holds ownership and control over incomes or the rights or assets from which the incomes are derived. In determining whether a resident of the other contracting party to a double taxation agreement, or a DTA, who is applying for enjoying preferential treatment under the DTA has the status as a beneficial owner, comprehensive analysis shall be conducted in light of the actual circumstances of the specific case and based on several factors, include among others, if (1) an applicant is under the obligation to pay 50% or more of the incomes received to any resident of any third country (region) within 12 months upon receipt of the incomes; and (2) if the business activities carried out by an applicant constitutes substantive business activities. Substantive business activities shall include substantive manufacturing, distribution, management and other activities. Whether an applicant’s business activities are substantive shall be determined based on the functions actually performed by the applicant and the risks assumed thereby. The substantive investment and shareholding management activities carried out by the applicant may constitute substantive business activities. Where the applicant concurrently engages in investment and shareholding management activities that do not constitute substantive business activities and other business activities, if the other business activities are not significant enough, the applicant will not be considered as engaging in substantive business activities and hence more likely not a beneficial owner. In addition, if the incomes derived by any of the following applicants from China are dividends, the relevant applicant may be directly determined as having the status of a “beneficial owner”:

 

   

The government of the other contracting party to the relevant DTA;

 

   

A company that is a resident of, and is listed on the market of, the other contracting party to the relevant DTA;

 

   

A resident individual of the other contracting party to the relevant DTA; or

 

   

Where one or more parties referred to in Item (1) through Item (3) directly or indirectly hold 100% of the shares of the applicant, and the mid-tier in the case of indirect shareholding is a resident of China or a resident of the other contracting party to the relevant DTA.

Further, according to Circular 9, agents or designated payees are not beneficial owners. The fact that an applicant collects incomes via an agent or a designated payee does not affect the determination of whether the applicant has the status of a beneficial owner irrespective of whether an agent or a designated payee is a resident of the other contracting party to the relevant DTA.

According to the State Taxation Administration Circular 9, if the business activities carried out by an applicant do not constitute substantive business activities, then such applicant is likely not to be regarded as a beneficial owner. Our wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiaries, Elite Concept Holdings Limited, Winner Park Limited and Smart Shine International Limited, own 100% of our PRC subsidiaries. Thus, dividends paid to us by our PRC subsidiaries through our Hong Kong wholly-owned subsidiaries may be subject to the 5% withholding tax if we and our Hong Kong subsidiaries are considered as “non-resident enterprises” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and our Hong Kong subsidiaries are considered as “beneficial owners” and entitled to treaty benefits under the DTA. If our Hong Kong subsidiaries are not regarded as the beneficial owners of any such dividends, it will not be entitled to the treaty benefits under the DTA. As a result, such dividends would be subject to regular withholding tax of 10% as provided by the PRC domestic law rather than the favorable rate of 5% applicable under the DTA.

In addition, in September 2018, the State Taxation Administration and other authorities jointly promulgated Notice on Expanding Application Scope of the Policy for Temporary Exemption of Withholding Income Tax on Direct Investment by Overseas Investors with Distributed Profits, or Circular 102, which became effective retroactively in January 2018. According to the Circular 102, where overseas investors use the profits obtained from resident enterprises within China to invest directly in the projects that are not prohibited from foreign investment, the deferred tax payment policy shall apply thereto and withholding income tax thereon shall be exempted temporarily. An overseas investor that is entitled to but has not actually enjoyed the policy of temporary exemption of withholding income tax under this Notice may apply to retroactively enjoy such policy within three years from the date of actual payment of relevant tax and for refund of the tax already paid.

According to the Circular 102, for the temporary exemption of overseas investors from payment of withholding income tax, the following conditions must be satisfied at the same time:

 

(1)

Direct investment made by overseas investors with the profits distributed thereto, includes their activities of equity investment with the distributed profits such as capital increase, new establishment and equity purchase and excludes the increase through purchase or distribution and purchase of the shares of listed companies (excluding the conforming strategic investment), specifically including: (i) Increasing through purchase or distribution of the paid-in capital or capital reserve of resident enterprises within PRC; (ii) Investing in new establishment of resident enterprises within PRC; (iii) Purchasing the shares of resident enterprises within China from nonaffiliated parties; and (iv) Other methods prescribed by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation. The enterprises in which overseas investors invest through above investment activities shall be collectively referred to the invested enterprises.

 

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(2)

The profits distributed to overseas investors fall under the dividends, bonus and other equity investment income formed from the actual distribution of the retained income already realized by resident enterprises within China to investors.

 

(3)

Where the profits used by overseas investors for direct investment are paid in cash, relevant amounts shall be transferred directly from the accounts of the profits distributing enterprises to the accounts of the invested enterprises or equity transferors and shall not be circulated among other domestic and overseas accounts before direct investment; where the profits used by overseas investors for direct investment are paid in kind, negotiable securities and other non-cash form, the ownership to relevant assets shall be transferred directly from the profits distributing enterprises to the invested enterprises or equity transferors and shall not be held by other enterprises and individuals on behalf thereof or temporarily.

In October 2018, the State Taxation Administration further promulgated Notice on Issues Relating to Expanding Application Scope of the Policy for Temporary Exemption of Withholding Income Tax on Direct Investment by Overseas Investors with Distributed Profits, which became effective retroactively in January 2018, to implement Circular 102 in detail.

PRC Value-Added Tax. Pursuant to the Provisional Regulations on PRC Value-Added Tax and its implementation regulations, unless otherwise specified by laws and regulations, any entity or individual engaged in the sales of goods, provision of processing, repairs and replacement services, sales of services, intangible assets, real estate and importation of goods within mainland China is generally required to pay a value-added tax, for revenues generated from sales of products, while qualified input value-added tax paid on taxable purchase can be offset against such output value-added tax.

Administrative Measures for Outbound Investment by Enterprises

Administrative Measures for Outbound Investment by Enterprises, or Circular 11, is promulgated by NDRC, on December 26, 2017 and became effective on March 1, 2018. According to Circular 11, to make Outbound Investment, the investor shall go through verification and approval, record-filing and other procedures applicable to outbound investment projects, report relevant information, and cooperate with supervision and inspection. Outbound investments for purpose of Circular 11 are the investment activities whereby an enterprise within PRC, directly or via overseas enterprises under its control, acquires ownership, controlling power, rights of operation and management and other relevant rights and interests overseas by making asset or equity investment, providing financing or guarantee, etc., and the aforementioned investment activities shall include but not limited to (1) acquiring land ownership, land-use rights and other rights and interests overseas; (2) acquiring concession rights to explore or exploit natural resources and other rights and interests overseas; (3) acquiring ownership, rights of operation and management and other rights and interests of infrastructure overseas; (4) acquiring ownership, rights of operation and management and other rights and interests of enterprises or assets overseas; (5) constructing new fixed assets overseas, or renovating or expanding existing fixed assets overseas; (6) establishing a new enterprise overseas or increasing investment in an existing enterprise overseas; (7) setting up a new overseas equity investment fund or purchasing units in an existing overseas equity investment fund; and (8) controlling enterprises or assets overseas by agreements or trusts. Individual resident of PRC who invest overseas via overseas enterprises or enterprises in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions which are under their control shall also be subject to this Circular 11.

 

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According to Circular 11, sensitive outbound investment projects carried out by an enterprise within PRC directly or via the overseas enterprises under their control should obtain verification and prior approval from NDRC. For the purpose of the Circular 11, sensitive outbound investment projects include: (1) Projects involving sensitive countries and regions, including (i) countries and regions that have not established diplomatic relations with China; (ii) countries and regions where war or civil unrest has broken out; (iii) countries and regions in which investment by enterprises shall be restricted pursuant to the international treaties, agreements, etc. concluded or acceded to by China; and (iv) other sensitive countries and regions, and (2) Projects involving sensitive industries, including (i) research, production and maintenance of weaponry and equipment; (ii) development and utilization of cross-border water resources; (iii) news media; and (iv) other industries in which outbound investment needs to be restricted pursuant to China’s laws and regulations as well as related control policies.

Further according to Circular 11, the non-sensitive projects carried out by the overseas enterprise directly controlled by PRC residents, including by means of making asset or equity investment by companies established for financing and investing, such as fund institutions, or providing financing or guarantee, shall complete record-filing with the competent authority prior to the implementation of such project. The non-sensitive projects carried out by the overseas enterprise indirectly controlled by PRC residents with the investment amount over US$300 million shall be reported to the NDRC of relevant information by submitting an information reporting form for large-amount non-sensitive projects.

Where an outbound investment project falls within the scope of administration by verification and approval or record-filing but its investor within the PRC fails to obtain a valid verification and approval document or notice of record-filing, departments in charge of foreign exchange administration and customs, should, pursuant to the law, not process its application, and no financial enterprises should, pursuant to the law, provide relevant fund settlement and financing services.

 

C.

Organizational Structure

Except our e-commerce business that is operated by our majority-owned subsidiary, East Buy, and its subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities, substantially all of our operations are conducted in China through contractual arrangements between our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, New Oriental China (the variable interest entity) and New Oriental China’s schools and subsidiaries and shareholder. The wholly-owned subsidiaries that are currently parties to these contractual arrangements are Beijing Hewstone, Beijing Decision, Beijing Pioneer and Beijing Smart Wood. Beijing Hewstone primarily engages in the educational software development business and also sub-licenses our trademarks to New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries. Beijing Decision primarily engages in the business of providing educational technology services and educational management services. Beijing Pioneer primarily engages in the educational software development business. Beijing Smart Wood primarily engages in the educational software development and consulting business.

 

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The following chart illustrates our company’s organizational structure, including our significant subsidiaries and VIEs as of May 31, 2024:

 

LOGO

 

LOGO   Equity interest for companies.
LOGO   Sponsorship interest for schools.
LOGO   Contractual arrangements including equity pledge agreements, option agreement and proxy agreement, power of attorney, master exclusive service agreement and related service agreements. See “—Contractual Arrangements with New Oriental China, Its Schools and Subsidiaries and Its Shareholder.”
LOGO   Contractual arrangements including equity pledge agreements, option agreement, power of attorney, exclusive management consultancy and cooperation agreement. See “—Contractual Arrangements with Beijing Xuncheng, Its Subsidiaries and Shareholders.”

 

(1)

Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd, or Century Friendship, is 99% owned by Mr. Michael Minhong Yu, our founder and executive chairman, and 1% owned by Mr. Zhihui Yang, our executive president and chief financial officer. In November 2019, Ms. Bamei Li, Mr. Yu’s mother, completed the transfer of the equity interest in Century Friendship held by her to Mr. Michael Minhong Yu and Mr. Zhihui Yang, prior to such transfer, Century Friendship was 80% owned by Mr. Yu and 20% owned by Ms. Bamei Li.

(2)

Excluding certain schools that are separate legal entities but have been counted to our learning centers and certain schools that have been counted as the same school in the same city or region from the perspective of our internal management and our kindergartens.

(3)

Excluding Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries, and consisting of various PRC companies operating our educational materials and distribution business, and overseas study consulting business in China.

 

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PRC laws and regulations restrict and impose conditions on foreign direct investment in companies involved in the provision of educational and value-added telecommunication services. As a result, we conduct substantially all of our business in China through contractual arrangements between our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, and the VIEs and their shareholders. In the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the consolidated affiliated entities contributed in aggregate 99.6%, 99.5% and 99.2% of our total net revenues, respectively.

Contractual Arrangements with New Oriental China, Its Schools and Subsidiaries and Its Shareholder

New Oriental China is a variable interest entity which is directly wholly owned by Century Friendship, a PRC domestic company controlled by Mr. Michael Minhong Yu, our founder and executive chairman. New Oriental China’s schools and subsidiaries hold the requisite licenses and permits necessary to conduct our business and have been directly conducting our business. We have been and are expected to continue to be dependent on New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries to operate our business until we qualify for direct ownership of our business in China under PRC laws and regulations and acquire New Oriental China as our direct, wholly-owned subsidiary. We have entered into contractual arrangements with New Oriental China, its schools and subsidiaries and its shareholder, which enable us to:

 

   

have power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries;

 

   

receive substantially all of the economic benefits from New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries in consideration for the services provided by our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China; and

 

   

have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in New Oriental China, when and to the extent permitted by PRC law, or request the existing shareholder of New Oriental China to transfer all or part of the equity interest in New Oriental China to another PRC person or entity designated by us at any time in our discretion.

We are therefore considered the primary beneficiary of these entities, whose financial results are consolidated in New Oriental Education & Technology Group Co., Inc.’s consolidated financial statements under the U.S. GAAP for accounting purposes.

These contractual arrangements are summarized in the following paragraphs.

Equity Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the equity pledge agreements dated as of May 25, 2006 among New Oriental China, all of the eleven shareholders of New Oriental China, Beijing Hewstone and Beijing Decision, each shareholder of New Oriental China agreed to pledge his or its equity interests in New Oriental China to Beijing Hewstone and Beijing Decision to secure the performance of obligations of New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries under the existing service agreements and any such agreements to be entered into in the future. The shareholders of New Oriental China agreed not to transfer, sell, pledge, dispose of or otherwise create any encumbrance on their equity interests in New Oriental China without the prior written consent of Beijing Decision and Beijing Hewstone. All parties to the equity pledge agreement have agreed that the equity pledge agreement is binding upon New Oriental China’s shareholders and their successors.

In January 2012, the ten former shareholders of New Oriental China completed the transfer of all of their equity interests in New Oriental China to Century Friendship, a PRC domestic enterprise controlled by Mr. Michael Minhong Yu, our founder and executive chairman, without consideration. Prior to the transfer, Century Friendship had held 53% of the equity interests in New Oriental China while the ten former shareholders of New Oriental China held the remaining equity interests. The purpose of the transfers was to further strengthen our corporate structure by simplifying the shareholding structure of New Oriental China.

Pursuant to the five equity pledge agreements dated April 23, 2012 among New Oriental China, Century Friendship and five of our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, namely Beijing Hewstone, Beijing Decision, Shanghai Smart Words, Beijing Pioneer and Beijing Smart Wood, Century Friendship agreed to pledge its equity interests in New Oriental China to these five subsidiaries to secure New Oriental China’s and its schools and subsidiaries’ performance of their obligations under the relevant principal agreements, and Century Friendship has agreed not to transfer, sell, pledge, dispose of or otherwise create any encumbrance on its equity interests in New Oriental China without the prior written consents of our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China. Upon the conclusion of the master exclusive service agreement on September 19, 2014 between Beijing Pioneer and New Oriental China, the list of principal agreements has been updated to include the master exclusive service agreement and the relevant service agreements. The equity pledges of Century Friendship under these equity pledge agreements have been registered with the Haidian District, Beijing branch of the State Administration for Market Regulation. The terms of the April 2012 equity pledge agreements are substantially the same as the 2006 equity pledge agreements.

 

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2017年2月,作爲我們精簡公司結構的努力的一部分,我們取消了上海Smart Words作爲新東方中國及其學校、子公司和股東合同安排的一方。上海智詞在這些合同安排下的權利和義務已由北京決定承擔。二零一二年四月的股權質押協議已作出修訂,以反映上述變動,而該等協議的其他條款則維持不變。經修訂的協議項下的世紀友誼股權質押已在國家市場監管總局北京市分局海淀區登記。

獨家期權協議。吾等與新東方中國及新東方中國股東於不同日期訂立獨家購股權協議,並於二零零六年五月二十五日修訂。繼新東方中國十名前股東於2012年初完成向世紀友誼轉讓其於新東方中國的全部股權後,世紀友誼作爲新東方中國的唯一股東,於2012年4月23日與我們於中國的全資附屬公司上海智字及新東方中國簽署新的期權協議,取代先前的獨家期權協議。2017年2月16日,北京決定與世紀友誼、新東方中國簽訂新的期權協議,取代此前日期爲2012年4月23日的期權協議。根據目前的期權協議,世紀友誼有責任向北京決定出售,而北京決定在適用的中國法律允許其擁有新東方中國的部分或全部股權時,擁有其全權酌情向世紀友誼購買其於新東方中國的部分或全部股權的獨家、不可撤銷及無條件權利。此外,北京決定擁有獨家選擇權,可要求世紀友誼隨時酌情決定將世紀友誼於新東方中國的全部或部分股權轉讓予北京決定指定的另一名中國人士或實體。北京決定支付的收購價將爲發生該等股份轉讓時適用中國法律所允許的最低對價金額。

授權書。2012年12月3日,世紀友誼以新東方唯一股東中國的身份,與我們在中國的全資子公司之一北京先鋒和新東方中國簽訂了委託協議和授權書,世紀友誼不可撤銷地任命並組成北京先鋒爲其事實律師代表世紀友誼行使世紀友誼就其於新東方中國的股權所擁有的任何及所有權利。本委託書及委託書於2012年12月3日生效,取代世紀友誼於2012年4月23日簽署的委託書。委託協議和委託書在新東方中國存續期間繼續有效。世紀之友無權終止委託協議和委託書,也無權撤銷對事實律師未經北京先鋒事先書面同意。

服務協議。我們於中國的全資附屬公司已與新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司訂立一系列服務協議,使彼等可實質上獲得新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司的全部經濟利益。2014年9月19日,我們的全資子公司之一北京先鋒與新東方中國訂立了經修訂的總獨家服務協議,使我們在中國的全資子公司能夠實質上獲得新東方中國及其學校和子公司的全部經濟利益。於主獨家服務協議訂立後,我們全資附屬公司之間現有的各項服務協議將繼續有效;但如與主獨家服務協議的條款及條件有任何衝突,則以主獨家服務協議爲準。

根據主獨家服務協議,北京先鋒擁有獨家權利提供或指定任何關聯實體爲新東方中國及其學校和附屬公司提供協議附表2所載的技術和業務支持服務,包括新招生系統開發服務、教育軟件銷售和其他運營服務。每個服務提供商有權根據服務的技術難度和複雜性以及在相關期間提供服務所產生的實際勞動力成本等因素來確定與其提供的服務相關的費用。本協議期限爲十年,期滿可自動延期。北京先鋒公司可隨時通過以下方式終止協議30天本協議應事先書面通知新東方中國,而新東方中國及其學校和子公司均不能終止本協議。於截至2022年、2022年、2023年及2024年5月31日止財政年度,我們的中國附屬公司根據所有服務協議從新東方中國及其學校及附屬公司收取的服務費總額分別爲280.8美元、696.0美元及298.3美元。 根據修訂後的實施細則,進一步修訂了大師專屬服務協議,自2021年9月1日起生效,將北京昌平新東方雙語學校和北京新東方揚州外國語學校排除在該協議之外。

 

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與北京訊成、其子公司和股東的合同安排

繼2018年2月中國自願從全國股票交易所和報價退市後,北京訊成通過一系列重組交易,通過一系列合同安排,成爲由我們的控股子公司東置控股的可變利益實體。北京德信東方網絡技術有限公司,或東方買的全資中國子公司德信東方,已與北京訊成及其子公司和股東簽訂了合同安排,這使我們能夠通過東方買:

 

   

有權指揮北京迅成及其子公司的活動,並對其經濟業績產生最重大的影響;

 

   

從北京訊成及其子公司獲得實質上的全部經濟利益;以及

 

   

擁有獨家選擇權,可在中國法律允許的範圍內購買北京訊城的全部或部分股權,或要求北京訊城的任何現有股東隨時酌情將北京訊城的全部或部分股權轉讓給吾等指定的另一名中國人士或實體。

因此,我們被認爲是這些實體的主要受益者,其財務業績在新東方教育科技集團股份有限公司的S根據美國公認會計准則合併財務報表進行會計處理。

以下各段概述了這些合同安排。

股權質押協議。根據德信東方、北京訊成及其當時所有股東於2018年5月10日訂立的股份質押協議,北京訊成當時各股東同意不可撤銷及無條件地將其於北京訊城的股權質押予德信東方,以確保北京訊成、其當時的股東及相關附屬公司履行獨家購股權協議、授權書、獨家管理諮詢及業務合作協議及承諾書項下的義務。北京訊成當時的股東同意,未經德信東方事先書面同意,不會轉讓或處置質押股權,也不允許任何第三方對質押股權產生任何產權負擔。質押於向有關當局登記時生效,並將繼續有效,直至北京訊成、其附屬公司及其當時的股東履行主要協議項下的所有合約責任或終止主要協議或在德信東方向其他各方發出書面終止通知後30天爲止,兩者以較遲者爲準。

獨家期權協議。日期爲2018年5月10日的獨家期權購買協議由德信東方、北京訊成及其當時的所有股東簽訂。根據該協議,北京訊城的股東無條件及不可撤銷地同意授予德信東方獨家選擇權,以中國法律允許的最低對價收購北京訊城的全部或部分股權。如中國法律規定收購價爲零對價以外的金額,北京訊成的股東承諾向德信東方或其指定的任何第三方退還他們應收到的收購價金額。德信東方擁有唯一的自由裁量權,可以決定是否部分、全部或全部行使選擇權。未經德信東方事先書面同意,不得出售、轉讓或以其他方式處置北京迅成的任何資產。此外,未經德信東方事先書面同意,北京訊成當時的股東不得轉讓或允許對其在北京訊城的股權產生任何產權負擔、擔保或擔保。北京訊成當時的股東亦承諾,如果他們從北京訊成獲得任何利潤分配或股息,他們將立即向德信東方支付或轉讓該等款項,但須根據相關法律法規繳納相關稅款。本協議將持續有效,直至德信東方或其指定的第三方收購北京訊城的全部股權爲止。德信東方可通過以下方式單方面終止本協議30天 提前書面通知。

 

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Powers of Attorney. On May 10, 2018, each of Beijing Xuncheng’s then shareholders executed a power of attorney whereby such shareholder irrevocably appoints Dexin Dongfang or any person designated by Dexin Dongfang as its attorney-in-fact to exercise on the then shareholder’s behalf any and all rights the then shareholder has in respect of its equity interests in Beijing Xuncheng. The power of attorney will remain effective as long as the then shareholder holds any equity interest in Beijing Xuncheng. On May 10, 2018, Beijing Xuncheng also executed a power of attorney whereby it irrevocably appoints Dexin Dongfang or any person designated by Dexin Dongfang as its attorney-in-fact to exercise on its behalf any and all rights it has in respect of its equity interest in its current or future majority-owned subsidiaries. The power of attorney will remain effective as long as Beijing Xuncheng continues to hold any equity interest in its subsidiaries.

Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement. Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement dated as of May 10, 2018 was entered into by and among Dexin Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries, and all of its then shareholders. Pursuant to the agreement, Dexin Dongfang has the exclusive right to provide, or designate any third party to provide Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries with corporate management services, intellectual property licenses, technical and business supports, and other additional services as the parties may agree from time to time. Without Dexin Dongfang’s prior written consent, neither Beijing Xuncheng nor any of its subsidiaries may accept foregoing services from a third party. Dexin Dongfang owns all intellectual property rights arising out of the performance of this agreement. In exchange for the services, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries agree to pay their entire income to Dexin Dongfang as the service fee. In addition, without Dexin Dongfang’s prior written consent, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries shall not enter into any transactions that may affect its assets, obligations, rights or operations, other than those transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business. Dexin Dongfang has the right to appoint directors, general managers, financial controllers and other senior managers Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries. Without Dexin Dongfang’s prior written consent, Beijing Xuncheng shall not change or remove any directors or make any distribution to its shareholders. This agreement will remain effective until terminated upon the agreement of the parties.

Letters of Undertaking. As of the date of this annual report, Century Friendship directly held the entire equity interest in New Oriental China, the sole shareholder of Beijing Xuncheng. To ensure stability and continued validity and enforceability of the foregoing agreements, Century Friendship and its shareholders, our founder Mr. Yu and Ms. Li Bamei, have executed a letter of undertaking dated May 10, 2018 whereby they undertake not to enter into any arrangement, including pledge, sale, disposal or creation of other third-party rights, in relation to Century Friendship’s equity interests in New Oriental China which may adversely affect the implementation of the foregoing agreements entered into by New Oriental China unless they have obtained consent from East Buy or Dexin Dongfang, and the counterparties or beneficiaries of such arrangement have executed written undertaking(s) to the effect that they will not affect the performance of the foregoing agreements entered into by New Oriental China. The general partner of each limited partnership that holds equity interest in Beijing Xuncheng executed a similar letter of undertaking as of May 10, 2018 to the same effect. In addition, Century Friendship and its shareholders undertook not to participate in, invest in, own or manage any businesses competing with that of Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries as long as they continue to hold equity interest in Beijing Xuncheng.

Supplemental Agreement. Pursuant to the supplemental agreement dated October 10, 2019 entered into by and among Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng Heli Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Zhuhai Chongsheng, a wholly-owned PRC subsidiary of East Buy, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and all of its shareholders, Zhuhai Chongsheng joined as a party to the contractual agreements between Dexin Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and shareholders (including the Exclusive Option Agreement, Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement, Letters of Undertaking and Powers of Attorney). Pursuant to the supplemental agreement, Zhuhai Chongsheng assumed the same rights and share the same obligations as Dexin Dongfang under the contractual agreements.

 

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Acceptance Letter. Beijing Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Beijing Xuncheng, executed a letter of acceptance dated October 10, 2019 whereby it assumed the same rights and obligations as Beijing Xuncheng’s subsidiary under the Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement. In addition, Beijing Xinyuanfang Human Resource Service Co., Ltd. and Dongfang Optimization (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., each as a subsidiary of Beijing Xuncheng, executed a letter of acceptance dated January 12, 2022 whereby each assumed the same rights and obligations as Beijing Xuncheng’s subsidiary under the Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement. Furthermore, Oriental Selection (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Dongfang Optimization (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. executed a letter of acceptance dated January 4, 2023 whereby it assumed the same rights and obligations as Beijing Xuncheng’s subsidiary under the Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement. In March 2024, Oriental Selection (Zhuhai) Tourism Culture Co., Ltd., Oriental Selection (Jiaxing) Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. and Time with Yuhui (Beijing) Technology Ltd, or Time with Yuhui, executed a letter of acceptance, whereby each of them assumed the same rights and obligations as Beijing Xuncheng’s subsidiary under the Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement. On July 25, 2024, Beijing Xuncheng, Mr. Yuhui Dong, and Time with Yuhui, entered into an agreement under which Beijing Xuncheng agreed to sell, and Mr. Yuhui Dong agreed to acquire, 100% of the equity of Time with Yuhui. In August 2024, Time with Yuhui ceased to be a consolidated affiliated entity of East Buy and the financial results of Time with Yuhui has no longer been consolidated into the consolidated financial statements of East Buy. In connection with the sale, the letter of acceptance executed by Time with Yuhui ceased to be effective.

Second Supplemental Agreement. Pursuant to the second supplemental agreement dated February 1, 2021 entered into by and among Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng, Xi’an Ruiying Huishi Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Hainan Haiyue, Wuhan Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Wuhan Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and all of its shareholders, Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue and Wuhan Dongfang joined as parties to the contractual agreements between Dexin Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and then shareholders (including the Exclusive Option Agreement, Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement, Letters of Undertaking and Powers of Attorney) and the supplemental agreement. Pursuant to the second supplemental agreement, Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue and Wuhan Dongfang assumed the same rights and share the same obligations as Dexin Dongfang and Zhuhai Chongsheng under the contractual agreements and the supplemental agreement.

Third Supplemental Agreement. Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng, Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue, Wuhan Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and Beijing Xuncheng’s then registered shareholders entered into a third supplemental agreement on May 24, 2023, pursuant to which, from the date which Linzhi Tencent Technology Co., Ltd. and the seven limited partnerships cease to be the shareholders of Beijing Xuncheng, Linzhi Tencent Technology Co., Ltd., such seven limited partnerships shall cease to have any rights or obligations under the contractual agreements (including the Exclusive Option Agreement, Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement, Letters of Undertaking and Powers of Attorney), the supplemental agreement and the second supplemental agreement; and from the same date, New Oriental China shall act as the sole shareholder of Beijing Xuncheng, and each of Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng, Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue, Wuhan Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and New Oriental China shall continue to be bound the contractual agreements, the supplemental agreement and the second supplemental agreement.

In May 2023, the seven limited partnerships and Linzhi Tencent Technology Co., Ltd., the former shareholders of Beijing Xuncheng, ceased to be the shareholders of Beijing Xuncheng by means of capital withdrawal. Beijing Xuncheng has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Oriental China since then.

Fourth Supplemental Agreement. Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng, Xi’an Ruiying, Hainan Haiyue, Wuhan Dongfang, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and Beijing Xuncheng’s then registered shareholders entered into a fourth supplemental agreement on March 7, 2024, pursuant to which, from the dates on which the equity interests of Beijing Kuxue Huisi Network Technology Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Ruiying are transferred to New Oriental China, and the date on which Wuhan Dongfang deregisters, each of Beijing Kuxue Huisi Network Technology Co., Ltd., Xi’an Ruiying and Wuhan Dongfang shall cease to have any rights or obligations under the contractual agreements (including the Exclusive Option Agreement, Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement, Equity Pledge Agreement, Letters of Undertaking and Powers of Attorney), the supplemental agreement, the second supplemental agreement and third supplemental agreement; other parties to the contractual agreements, the supplemental agreement, the second supplemental agreement and third supplemental agreement shall continue to be bound by such agreements. As of the date of this annual report, the equity interests of Beijing Kuxue Huisi Network Technology Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Ruiying have been transferred to New Oriental China and Wuhan Dongfang has been deregistered.

 

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On July 24, 2021, the General Office of State Council and the General Office of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly promulgated the Alleviating Burden Opinion, which provides, among others, that (i) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from raising funds by listing on stock markets or conducting any capitalization activities; (ii) foreign capital is prohibited from controlling or participating in any Academic AST Institutions through mergers and acquisitions, entrusted operation, joining franchise or variable interest entities; (iii) online tutoring for preschool-age children is prohibited, and offline academic subjects (including foreign language) tutoring services for preschool-age children is also strictly prohibited. The Alleviating Burden Opinion provides that any violation of the foregoing shall be rectified. The Alleviating Burden Opinion further states that the administration and supervision over academic subjects tutoring institutions for students on grade ten to twelve shall be implemented by reference to the relevant provisions of the Alleviating Burden Opinion. It remains uncertain as to how and to what extent the administration over academic subjects tutoring institutions for students on grade ten to twelve will be implemented by reference of the Alleviating Burden Opinion.

In the opinion of Tian Yuan Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel:

 

   

(i) the corporate structure of New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries, and our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, and (ii) the corporate structure of Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries, Dexin Dongfang and Zhuhai Chongsheng are not in violation of existing PRC laws and regulations; and

 

   

(i) the contractual arrangements among our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China, New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries and the shareholder of New Oriental China, and (ii) the contractual arrangements among Dexin Dongfang, Zhuhai Chongsheng, Beijing Xuncheng and its subsidiaries and then shareholders are valid, binding and enforceable under, and do not violate, PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

We have been advised by our PRC legal counsel, however, that the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws and regulations are subject to changes. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities will not in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. For example, if the relevant government authorities take a different view from ours on the Preschool Opinions and/or the Amended Implementation Rules and determine that our for-profit and/or non-profit kindergartens shall be excluded from our company, we may be requested to unwind the contractual arrangements for some or all of our kindergartens. We have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that if the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business in China do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the business, we could be subject to severe penalties. The imposition of any of these penalties could result in a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our China business do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the enforcement of laws, and changes in laws and regulations in China could adversely affect us.”

 

D.

Property, Plants and Equipment

Our headquarters are located in Beijing, China, where we own approximately 49,000 square meters of office and training center. In addition, we own an aggregate of approximately 99,000 square meters of space for our schools, learning centers and bookstores in Xi’an, Tianjin, Kunming, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Changsha, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou and Hefei. We lease all of our facilities for our schools, learning centers and bookstores in over 50 other cities throughout China. For more information concerning our schools, learning centers and bookstores, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Our Network.”

 

ITEM 4A.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

 

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ITEM 5.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 20-F. This discussion may contain forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” or in other parts of this annual report on Form 20-F.

 

A.

Operating Results

General Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

We have benefited significantly from favorable demographic trends, the overall economic growth and the demand for high-quality educational services in China. We expect that the demand for private educational services in China will be driven by (i) increasing disposable income per capita along with increasing level of urbanization, (ii) increasing education and employment opportunities requiring educational services beyond school curriculum, and (iii) advancement and wide application of innovative technology.

However, any adverse changes in the economic conditions or regulatory environment in China may have a material adverse effect on the private education industry in China, which in turn may harm our business and results of operations and any heightened tension in international relations or global pandemic can have an adverse impact on our overseas related businesses, such as test preparation and consulting services. For example, on July 24, 2021, the General Office of State Council and the General Office of Central Committee of the Communist Party of China jointly promulgated the Alleviating Burden Opinion, which provides, among others, that (i) Academic AST Institutions are prohibited from raising funds by listing on stock markets or conducting any capitalization activities; (ii) foreign capital is prohibited from controlling or participating in any Academic AST Institutions through mergers and acquisitions, entrusted operation, joining franchise or variable interest entities; (iii) online tutoring for preschool-age children is prohibited, and offline academic subjects (including foreign language) tutoring services for preschool-age children is also strictly prohibited. The Alleviating Burden Opinion provides that any violation of the foregoing shall be rectified. The Alleviating Burden Opinion further states that the administration and supervision over academic subjects tutoring institutions for students on grade ten to twelve shall be implemented by reference to the relevant provisions of the Alleviating Burden Opinion. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Private Education—Regulations on After-School Tutoring” for more details.

In line with the development of our livestreaming e-commerce business, our results of operations are also affected by the general factors affecting the livestreaming e-commerce industry, including the level of overall economic growth, increase in per capita disposable income and growth in consumer spending, the growing popularity of online shopping, improvements in logistics infrastructure, among others.

Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

While our business is influenced by factors affecting the private education industry in China generally and by conditions in each of the geographic markets we serve, we believe our business is more directly affected by company-specific factors such as the number of student enrollments, the amount of course fees and our operating cost and expenses.

The number of student enrollments is in turn largely driven by the demand for our courses, our ability to maintain the consistency and quality of our teaching, our established brand and reputation and effectiveness of our marketing and brand promotion efforts, our ability to optimize our comprehensive online and offline integrated education ecosystem and our OMO (online-merge-offline) standardized digital classroom teaching system on a constant basis, the locations of our schools and learning centers, and our ability to respond to competitive pressure, as well as seasonal factors. The demand for our courses also depends on the continued use of admissions and assessment tests by educational institutions and governmental authorities both in China and abroad. We determine course fees primarily based on demand for our courses, the targeted market for our courses, the subject of the course, the geographic location of the school, cost of services, and the course fees charged by our competitors for the same or similar courses. We typically adjust course fees or school fees based on the market conditions of the city where the particular school is located, subject to the relevant local governmental authority’s advance approval, if required. The level of our operating cost and expenses will depend on our ability to carry out our systemized and centralized approach to improve operational efficiency through refinement of our centralized operation platform that supports all service offerings and continued investment in technologies.

 

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Our future results of operations will depend significantly upon our ability to maintain and increase student enrollments both online and offline and offer a greater variety of courses, including those related to non-academic subjects. Our business changes may result in substantial demands on our management, operational, technological, financial and other resources. To manage and support our further development, we must improve our existing operational, administrative and technological systems and our financial and management controls, and recruit, train and retain additional qualified teachers and school management personnel as well as other administrative and sales and marketing personnel, particularly as we grow outside of our existing areas. We will continue to implement additional systems and measures and recruit qualified personnel in order to effectively manage and support our business. If we cannot achieve these improvements, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

The results of operations of our livestreaming e-commerce business are more directly affected by certain company specific factors, including: our ability to attract and engage consumers and increase GMV on East Buy; our ability to develop high-quality and cost-effective private label products; our ability to enhance supply chain management capabilities, among others.

Selected Statements of Operations Items

Net Revenues. In the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, we generated total net revenues of US$3,105.2 million, US$2,997.8 million and US$4,313.6 million, respectively.

We currently derive revenues from the following sources:

 

   

net service revenues, which accounted for 98.2%, 84.9% and 81.2% of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively; and

 

   

net product revenues, which accounted for 1.8%, 15.1% and 18.8% of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Net Service Revenues. Our net service revenues consist of revenues from educational services and test preparation courses, commission revenue of livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy, online education, overseas study consulting services and study tours, and other services. Revenues from educational services and test preparation courses accounted for 86.0%, 63.9% and 63.0%, respectively, of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

We recognize revenues from course fees collected for enrollment in our educational services and test preparation courses and online education proportionally as we deliver the instruction over the period of the course. Course fees are generally paid in advance by students and are initially recorded as deferred revenue. Students are entitled to a short-term trial period which commences on the date the course begins. Tuition refunds are provided to students if they decide within the trial period that they no longer want to take the course. After the trial period, if a student withdraws from a class, usually only those collected but unearned portion of the fee is available to be refunded. We recognize revenues from the commission revenue of livestreaming e-commerce business through East Buy at a point when the customer purchases the merchants’ products through the e-commence platforms.

In compliance with the Alleviating Burden Opinion and applicable rules, regulations and measures, we ceased offering K-9 Academic AST Services in China at the end of 2021. Such cessation had a substantial adverse impact on our financial performance for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022.

Net Product Revenues. Our net product revenues consist of revenues from the sale of East Buy private label products and the books and other educational materials developed or licensed by us. We recognize revenues from the sales of East Buy private label products when control of the promised goods is transferred to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for the goods. We distribute and sell books and other educational materials developed or licensed by us through our own distribution channels, which consist of our bookstores and websites, and also through third-party distributors. We normally provide books and other educational materials that are required for our courses and do not separately charge students for these items. We recognize revenues from sales of books and other educational materials when the products are sold to end customers. As we believe successful content development is important to the success of our business, we intend to continually enhance the quality and breadth of our education content offerings and distribute more books and other educational materials through our own bookstores, as well as third-party distributors.

 

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Operating Cost and Expenses

Our operating cost and expenses consist of cost of revenues, selling and marketing expenses and general and administrative expenses. The following table sets forth the components of our operating cost and expenses as a percentage of total net revenues for the periods indicated.

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
(in thousands, except percentages)    US$     %     US$     %     US$     %  

Net revenues

     3,105,246       100.0       2,997,760       100.0       4,313,586       100.0  

Operating cost and expenses:

            

Cost of revenues

     (1,754,291     (56.5     (1,409,438     (47.0     (2,050,960     (47.5

Selling and marketing

     (466,895     (15.0     (444,693     (14.8     (660,586     (15.3

General and administrative

     (1,866,573     (60.1     (953,583     (31.8     (1,251,615     (29.0
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating cost and expenses

     (4,087,759     (131.6     (2,807,714     (93.6     (3,963,161     (91.8
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues for educational services and test preparation courses primarily consists of teaching fees and performance-linked bonuses paid to our teachers and rental payments for our schools and learning centers and, to a lesser degree, depreciation and amortization of property and equipment used in the provision of educational services, as well as costs of course materials.

Our teachers consist of both full-time teachers and contract teachers. Full-time teachers deliver instruction and may also be involved in management, administration and other functions at our schools. Full-time teachers’ compensation and benefits primarily consist of teaching fees based on hourly rates, performance-linked bonuses based on student evaluations, as well as base salary, annual bonus and standard employee benefits in connection with their services other than teaching. Compensation of our contract teachers, who we mainly hire based on fluctuation in demand, is comprised primarily of teaching fees based on hourly rates and performance-linked bonuses based on student evaluations and other factors. We account for teaching fees and performance-linked bonuses paid to our teachers as cost of revenues as they are directly associated with the provision of educational services.

Cost of revenues for private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and other services primarily consists of labor cost and procurement cost of goods.

Cost of books and other educational materials primarily consist of printing costs of books and other materials, and licenses fees, royalties and other fees paid to content licensors, publishing companies and third-party distributors.

Selling and Marketing. Expenses Our selling and marketing expenses primarily consist of human resources expenses and other expenses relating to advertising, seminars, marketing and promotional trips and other community activities for brand promotion purpose.

General and Administrative. Expenses Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of compensation and benefits of administrative staff, R&D expenses, costs of third-party professional services, rental and utilities payments relating to office and administrative functions, and depreciation and impairment of property and equipment and other long-lived assets used in our general and administrative activities.

 

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Share-based Compensation Expenses

We account for share-based compensation expenses in accordance with an authoritative accounting pronouncement, which requires share-based compensation expense to be determined based on the fair value of our common shares as of their grant date. The following table sets forth the allocation of our share-based compensation expenses (including East Buy’s share-based compensation expenses), both in absolute amount and as a percentage of total share-based compensation expenses, among our employees based on the nature of work which they were assigned to perform. See “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers” for a description of our share-based compensation programs.

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
     2022     2023      2024  
(in thousands, except percentages)    US$     %     US$      %      US$      %  

Allocation of Share-based Compensation Expense:

               

Cost of revenues

     (131     (0.1     2,749        3.1        19,966        16.3  

Selling and marketing

     (2,437     (1.8     5,750        6.4        26,053        21.3  

General and administrative

     135,536       101.9       81,289        90.5        76,440        62.4  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     132,968       100.0       89,788        100.0        122,459        100.0  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

For options granted to our employees and directors, we record share-based compensation expenses based on the fair value of our common shares underlying options as of the date of option grant and amortize the expenses over the vesting periods of the options. For non-vested equity shares granted to employees and directors, we record share-based compensation expenses based on the quoted market price of our ADSs on the grant date and amortize the expenses over the vesting periods of the non-vested equity shares.

Taxation

Cayman Islands

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Under the current law of the Cayman Islands, we are not subject to income or capital gains tax. Our majority-owned subsidiary, East Buy, is incorporated in the Cayman Islands. The dividend payments of East Buy are not subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, from the year of assessment 2018/2019 onwards, the subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to profits tax at the rate of 8.25% on assessable profits up to HK$2,000,000; and 16.5% on any part of assessable profits over HK$2,000,000. Under the Hong Kong tax law, our Hong Kong subsidiaries are exempted from the Hong Kong income tax on its foreign-derived income. Hong Kong does not impose a withholding tax on dividends.

PRC

Our operating entities in China are subject to value-added tax at varying rates ranging from 3% to 13% on their respective net revenues. Our operating entities that provide educational services are subject to a simple value-added tax collection method and a 3% value-added tax rate since June 2016.

With regard to income tax, enterprises in China are generally subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Some of our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities are entitled to a favorable statutory tax rate of 15% because of their qualifications as “High and New Technology Enterprises” or because of favorable local tax treatment. In addition, some of our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities are entitled to an exemption from the enterprise income tax for two years beginning the enterprise’s first profitable year followed by a tax rate of 12.5% for the succeeding three years because of their qualifications as “Newly Established Software Enterprises.”

 

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In addition, under the current regulatory regime, whether our schools are entitled to any preferential income tax treatment remains unclear, and practice varies across different cities in China. Pursuant to the Implementation Rules for the Law for Promoting Private Education (2004), private schools that do not require reasonable returns enjoy the same preferential tax treatment as public schools, while the preferential tax treatment policies applicable to private schools requiring reasonable returns shall be separately formulated by the relevant authorities under the State Council. The Amended Private Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 2017, no longer uses the term “reasonable return.” Instead, under the Amended Private Education Law, sponsors of private schools may choose to establish non-profit or for-profit private schools at their own discretion, except that private schools in compulsory education area can only be registered as non-profit private schools, and after-school tutoring institutions providing tutoring services on academic subjects can only be registered as non-profit private schools under the Alleviating Burden Opinion. Pursuant to the Amended Private Education Law, non-profit private schools will be entitled to the same tax benefits as public schools while taxation policies for for-profit private schools are still unclear. Due to a lack of implementation rules, whether our schools can be entitled to any preferential income tax treatment remains unclear. In practice, tax treatments for private schools vary across different cities in China. For example, private schools in certain cities are subject to a 25% standard enterprise income tax, while in other cities, private schools are subject to a fixed amount of enterprise income tax each year as determined by the local tax authority in lieu of the 25% standard enterprise income tax or are not required to pay enterprise income tax at all. Among our schools in four major cities from which we derived a significant portion of our revenues in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, three schools are subject to the standard 25% enterprise income tax rate and one school was not required by the governing tax bureau to pay any enterprise income tax from its establishment through May 31, 2024.

For additional information on PRC regulations on taxation, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Taxation.” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The discontinuation of any preferential tax treatments currently available to us could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.”

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of mainland China were deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, which may subject us to PRC income tax for our global income and withholding for any dividends we pay to our non-PRC shareholders and ADS holders.”

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. The operating results in any period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period.

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
(in thousands of US$ except share and per share data)    2022      2023      2024  

Net revenues:

        

Net service revenues

     3,050,022        2,544,729        3,500,998  

Net product revenues

     55,224        453,031        812,588  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total net revenues

     3,105,246        2,997,760        4,313,586  

Operating cost and expenses:(1)

        

Cost of revenues

     (1,754,291      (1,409,438      (2,050,960

Selling and marketing

     (466,895      (444,693      (660,586

General and administrative

     (1,866,573      (953,583      (1,251,615

Total operating cost and expenses

     (4,087,759      (2,807,714      (3,963,161
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating income/(loss)

     (982,513      190,046        350,425  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest income

     123,542        114,453        153,589  

 

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     For the Years Ended May 31,  
(in thousands of US$ except share and per share data)    2022      2023      2024  

Interest expense

     (4,050      (707      (298

Realized gain from long-term investments

     22,004        767        185  

Impairment loss from long-term investments

     (129,350      (8,056      (30,007

(Loss)/gain from fair value change of investments

     (14,933      (860      19,025  

Loss from deconsolidation of subsidiaries

     (79,609      —         —   

Miscellaneous income, net

     32,411        12,888        922  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Provision for income taxes:

        

Current

     (44,378      (97,594      (130,927

Deferred

     (91,934      31,528        21,237  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Provision for income taxes

     (136,312      (66,066      (109,690
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss from equity method investments

     (51,466      (7,102      (58,933
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income/(loss)

     (1,220,276      235,363        325,218  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Less: Net (loss)/income attributable to non-controlling interests

     (32,555      58,022        15,627  

Net income/(loss) attributable to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.’s shareholders

     (1,187,721      177,341        309,591  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income/(loss) per common share attributable to shareholders of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.(2)

        

-Basic

     (0.70      0.11        0.19  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

-Diluted

     (0.70      0.10        0.18  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic net income/(loss) per common share

     1,696,419,232        1,678,264,547        1,653,597,432  

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted net income/(loss) per common share

     1,696,419,232        1,685,631,987        1,669,499,952  

 

(1)

Share-based compensation expenses are included in our operating cost and expenses as follows:

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
(in thousands of US$)    2022      2023      2024  

Cost of revenues

     (131      2,749        19,967  

Selling and marketing

     (2,437      5,750        26,052  

General and administrative

     135,536        81,289        76,439  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     132,968        89,788        122,458  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(2)

Each ADS represents ten common shares.

Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2024 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2023

Net Revenues. Our total net revenues increased by 43.9% from US$2,997.8 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$4,313.6 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase was due to the increase in net revenues from our new educational business initiatives and East Buy private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business.

 

   

Net Service Revenues. Our net service revenues increased by 37.6% from US$2,544.7 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$3,501.0 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase was primarily due to the increase in net revenues from our new educational business initiatives, such as our non-academic tutoring courses.

 

   

Net Product Revenues. Net product revenues increased by 79.4% from US$453.0 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$812.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, primarily due to the significant increase in the sales of East Buy private label products through our livestreaming e-commerce platform in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

Operating Cost and Expenses. Our total operating cost and expenses increased by 41.2% from US$2,807.7 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$3,963.2 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase resulted from increases in each of our cost of revenues, selling and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses. We track the number of teachers, schools and learning centers as a key indicator for our operating cost and expenses and manage our expenditures and budget on educational businesses accordingly. Our total numbers of schools and learning centers were 81 and 944, respectively, as of May 31, 2024, compared to 85 and 663, respectively, as of May 31, 2023. We employed approximately 26,600 and 35,700 teachers as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

 

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Cost of Revenues. Our cost of revenues increased by 45.5% from US$1,409.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$2,051.0 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase was in line with the increase in revenues and primarily due to the increase in the cost of revenues for the private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business and accelerated capacity expansion for educational businesses in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

 

   

Selling and Marketing Expenses. Our selling and marketing expenses increased by 48.5% from US$444.7 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$660.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase was primarily due to the increased human resources expenses and administrative expenses incurred in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

 

   

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses increased by 31.3% from US$953.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$1,251.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. This increase was primarily due to an increase of US$169.3 million in human resources expenses, and an increase of US$99.7 million in administrative expenses as a result of the increased headcount as we grew our network of learning centers in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

Other Income, net. Our net other income increased by 21.0% from US$118.5 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$143.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, primarily as a result of the US$153.6 million of interest income.

Provision for Income Tax. Our income tax expense increased by 66.0% from US$66.1 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$109.7 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. The increase was primarily due to the increase in current income tax expenses.

Net Income. As a result of the foregoing, our net income increased by 38.2% from US$235.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 to US$325.2 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024.

Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2023 Compared to Fiscal Year Ended May 31, 2022

Net Revenues. Our total net revenues decreased by 3.5% from US$3,105.2 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$2,997.8 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease was due to cessation of K-9 Academic AST services since the end of 2021 to be in compliance with applicable regulations, rules and policies in China, partially offset by the increase in net revenues from our new educational business initiatives and East Buy private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business.

 

   

Net Service Revenues. Our net service revenues decreased by 16.6% from US$3,050.0 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$2,544.7 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to the decrease in revenues from educational services and test preparation courses from US$2,535.3 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$1,825.2 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 mainly as a result of the cessation of K-9 Academic AST services, partially offset by the increase in net revenues from our new educational business initiatives, such as our non-academic tutoring courses and intelligent learning system and devices.

 

   

Net Product Revenues. Net product revenues increased by 720.3% from US$55.2 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$453.0 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, primarily due to the significant increase in the sales of East Buy private label products through our livestreaming e-commerce platform in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023.

Operating Cost and Expenses. Our total operating cost and expenses decreased by 31.3% from US$4,087.8 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$2,807.7 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease resulted from decreases in each of our cost of revenues, selling and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses. We track the number of teachers, schools and learning centers as a key indicator for our operating cost and expenses and manage our expenditures and budget accordingly. Our total numbers of schools and learning centers were 85 and 663, respectively, as of May 31, 2023, compared to 107 and 637, respectively, as of May 31, 2022. We employed approximately 26,300 and 26,600 teachers as of May 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

 

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Cost of Revenues. Our cost of revenues decreased by 19.7% from US$1,754.3 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$1,409.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease was in line with the decrease in revenues and primarily due to the cessation of K-9 Academic AST services since the end of 2021, partially offset by the increase in the cost of revenues for the private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023.

 

   

Selling and Marketing Expenses. Our selling and marketing expenses decreased by 4.8% from US$466.9 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$444.7 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to the decreased human resources expenses and administrative expenses incurred in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023.

 

   

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses decreased by 48.9% from US$1,866.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$953.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to the enhanced efficiency in human resource management and the downsize in daily operating expenses as we downsized learning centers due to cessation of K-9 Academic AST services in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022.

Other Income/Loss, Net. Compared to net other loss of US$50.0 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022, we had net other income of US$118.5 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, primarily as a result of the US$114.5 million of interest income.

Provision for Income Tax. Our income tax expense decreased by 51.5% from US$136.3 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 to US$66.1 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to increase in current income tax expenses and the recognition of deferred tax assets.

Net Income. As a result of the foregoing, our net income for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 was US$235.4 million, compared to net loss of US$1,220.3 million for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022.

Discussion of Segment Operations

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022, as a result of the changes in the regulatory environment, we reduced our operating segments from seven to four. The four segments include (i) educational services and test preparation courses, which was formerly named as “K-12 AST, test preparation, and other courses,” (ii) online education and other services, which was formerly named as “online education,” (iii) overseas study consulting services, and (iv) educational materials and distribution, which was formerly named as “content development and distribution.” Our prior operating segments, primary and secondary school education, pre-school education and study tour, were no longer reviewed by our chief operating decision maker and thus, no longer considered as operating segments. These segments were aggregated as other services for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022. We identified educational services and test preparation courses, online education and other services and overseas study consulting services as our three reportable segments for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022. Our operating segment, educational materials and distribution, individually did not exceed the 10% quantitative threshold during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022, and as a result, was aggregated in others.

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, we identified four operating segments, including (i) educational services and test preparation courses, (ii) private label products and livestreaming e-commerce, which was formerly named as “online education and other services,” (iii) overseas study consulting services, and (iv) educational materials and distribution. We identified educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and other services, and overseas study consulting services as our three reportable segments for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. Our operating segment, educational materials and distribution, individually did not exceed the 10% quantitative threshold during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023, and as a result, was aggregated in others.

 

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For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we identified four operating segments, including (i) educational services and test preparation courses, (ii) private label products and livestreaming e-commerce, which was formerly named as “private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and other services,” which change is due to the transfer of online education business from this segment to educational services and test preparation courses, (iii) overseas study consulting services, and (iv) educational materials and distribution. We identified educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and overseas study consulting services as our three reportable segments for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. Our operating segment, educational materials and distribution, individually did not exceed the 10% quantitative threshold during the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, and as a result, was aggregated in others. Prior period segment information has been restated to conform to the fiscal year 2024 presentation.

Net revenues from our educational services and test preparation courses accounted for 86.0%, 63.9% and 63.0%, respectively, of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Net revenues from private label products and livestreaming e-commerce accounted for 0.1%, 18.6% and 20.9%, respectively, of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Net revenues from overseas study consulting services accounted for 10.5%, 11.8% and 10.2%, respectively, of our total net revenues in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. We recognize revenues from course fees collected for enrollment in our educational services and test preparation courses and online education proportionally as we deliver the instruction over the period of the course. We recognize revenues from the sales of private label products when control of the promised goods is transferred to the customer.

Cost of revenues for our educational services and test preparation courses primarily consists of teaching fees and performance-linked bonuses paid to our teachers, rental payments for our schools and learning centers and, to a lesser degree, depreciation and amortization of property and equipment used in the provision of educational services. Cost of revenues for our private label products and livestreaming e-commerce business primarily consists of labor cost and procurement cost of goods. Cost of overseas study consulting services primarily consists of application cost and staff costs.

Selling and marketing expenses for each of our reportable segments primarily consist of marketing and promotion expenses and other costs related to our selling and marketing activities for the corresponding reportable segment.

General and administrative expenses for each of our reportable segments primarily consist of compensation and benefits of administrative staff of our reportable segments, compensation and benefits, rental and utilities payments relating to office and administrative functions of our reportable segments, depreciation and amortization of property and equipment used in the general and administrative activities of our reportable segments and, to a lesser extent, costs to develop our curriculum.

The following table lists our net revenues and operating cost and expenses by reportable segment for the periods indicated.

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
(in thousands of US$)    2022      2023      2024  

Net revenues of the reportable segments:

        

Educational services and test preparation courses

     2,669,020        1,914,865        2,716,174  

Private label products and livestreaming e-commerce

     3,003        557,508        900,614  

Overseas study consulting services

     325,901        354,764        439,744  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total net revenues of the reportable segments

     2,997,924        2,827,137        4,056,532  

Total net revenues of our company

     3,105,246        2,997,760        4,313,586  

Operating cost and expenses of the reportable segments:

        

Cost of revenues:

        

Educational services and test preparation courses

     (1,508,412      (793,423      (1,027,889

Private label products and livestreaming e-commerce

     (2,476      (345,211      (677,270

Overseas study consulting services

     (165,673      (179,284      (214,602

Selling and marketing:

        

Educational services and test preparation courses

     (346,508      (261,606      (348,121

Private label products and livestreaming e-commerce

     (6,264      (45,611      (124,975

Overseas study consulting services

     (72,847      (80,528      (92,865

General and administrative:

        

Educational services and test preparation courses

     (1,362,285      (519,765      (755,074

Private label products and livestreaming e-commerce

     (18,818      (34,238      (77,626

Overseas study consulting services

     (61,258      (61,861      (57,204
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating cost and expenses of the reportable segments

     (3,544,541      (2,321,527      (3,375,626
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating cost and expenses of our company

     (4,087,759      (2,807,714      (3,963,161

 

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截至2024年5月31日的財政年度與截至2023年5月31日的財政年度

可報告部門的淨收入

教育服務和備考課程的淨收入

我們的教育服務和備考課程的淨收入增長了41.8%,從截至2023年5月31日的財年的19.149億美元增長到截至2024年5月31日的財年的27.162億美元,這主要是由於我們提供的課程和課程的學生註冊人數增加。

自有品牌產品和直播的淨收入電子商務

自有品牌產品和直播的淨收入電子商務而其他服務從截至2023年5月31日的財年的557.5億美元增加到2024年5月31日的900.6億美元,增長了61.5%,這主要是由於East Buy採取的多平台戰略、多樣化的產品類別和SKU以及East Buy發起的會員日促銷活動。

留學諮詢服務淨收入

留學諮詢服務的淨收入從截至2023年5月31日的財年的354.8億美元增長至2024年5月31日的439.7億美元,主要是由於計劃出國留學的學生數量增加。

應報告分部的運營成本和費用

教育服務和備考課程的運作成本和開支

 

   

收入成本。我們的教育服務和備考課程的收入成本增長了29.6%,從截至2023年5月31日的財年的793.4億美元增加到截至2024年5月31日的財年的10.279億美元,這主要是由於教學人員成本和課程研究人員成本的增加。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用。我們的教育服務和備考課程的銷售和營銷費用增加了33.1%,從截至2023年5月31日的財年的261.6億美元增加到截至2024年5月31日的財年的348.1億美元,這主要是由於我們增加了營銷努力和增加了營銷人員。

 

   

一般和行政費用。與截至2023年5月31日的財年相比,我們的教育服務和備考課程的一般和行政費用增加了45.3%,從截至2023年5月31日的財年的519.8億美元增加到截至2024年5月31日的財年的755.1億美元,這主要是由於「-運營結果-截至2024年5月31日的財年-運營成本和費用-一般和管理費用」中討論的因素。

自有品牌產品和直播的運營成本和費用電子商務

 

   

收入成本.自有品牌產品和直播的收入成本 電子商務 從截至2023年5月31日財年的3.452億美元增加96.2%至截至2024年5月31日財年的6.773億美元,主要是由於商品採購成本和自有品牌產品的運輸成本增加。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用.自有品牌產品和直播的銷售和營銷費用 電子商務 從截至2023年5月31日財年的4,560萬美元增加174.0%至截至2024年5月31日財年的1.250億美元,主要是由於員工成本增加。

 

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目錄表
   

一般和行政費用。自有品牌產品和直播的一般和管理費用電子商務增長126.7%,由截至2023年5月31日的財政年度的3,420萬美元增至截至2024年5月31日的財政年度的7,760萬美元,主要是由於員工成本和基於股份的薪酬支出增加所致。

留學諮詢服務的運營成本和費用

 

   

收入成本。海外留學諮詢服務的收入成本從截至2023年5月31日的財年的179.3億美元增加到2024年5月31日的214.6億美元,增幅爲19.7%,這主要是由於諮詢申請成本的增加。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用。海外留學諮詢服務的銷售和營銷費用從截至2023年5月31日的財年的8,050萬美元增加到截至2024年5月31日的財年的9,290萬美元,增幅爲15.3%,主要是由於員工成本以及營銷和推廣費用的增加。

 

   

一般和行政費用。留學諮詢服務的一般和行政費用從截至2023年5月31日的財年的6,190萬美元下降到截至2024年5月31日的財年的5,720萬美元,降幅爲7.5%,這主要是由於員工成本的減少。

截至2023年5月31日的財政年度與截至2022年5月31日的財政年度

可報告部門的淨收入

教育服務和備考課程的淨收入

與截至2022年5月31日的財年相比,我們的教育服務和備考課程的淨收入下降了28.3%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的26.69億美元降至截至2023年5月31日的財年的19.149億美元,這主要是由於「-運營業績-截至2023年5月31日的財年-淨收入-淨服務收入」中討論的因素。

自有品牌產品和直播的淨收入電子商務

自有品牌產品和直播的淨收入電子商務增長18,465.0%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的300萬美元增至截至2023年5月31日的財年的557.5億美元,通過我們的直播顯著增加了East Buy自有品牌產品的銷售額電子商務在截至2023年5月31日的財年中,我們擴大了自有品牌產品的產品類別。

留學諮詢服務淨收入

留學諮詢服務的淨收入從截至2022年5月31日的財年的325.9億美元增長至2023年5月31日的354.8億美元,增長8.9%,主要原因是計劃出國留學的學生數量增加。

應報告分部的運營成本和費用

教育服務和備考課程的運作成本和開支

 

   

收入成本。與截至2022年5月31日的財年相比,我們的教育服務和備考課程的收入成本下降了47.4%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的15.084億美元降至截至2023年5月31日的財年的793.4億美元,這主要是由於「-運營結果-截至2023年5月31日的財年-運營成本和支出-收入成本」中討論的因素。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用。與截至2022年5月31日的財年相比,我們的教育服務和備考課程的銷售和營銷費用下降了24.5%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的346.5億美元降至截至2023年5月31日的財年的261.6億美元,這主要是由於「-運營業績-截至2023年5月31日的財年-運營成本和支出-銷售和營銷費用」中討論的因素。

 

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目錄表
   

一般和行政費用。與截至2022年5月31日的財年相比,我們的教育服務和備考課程的一般和行政費用下降了61.8%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的13.623億美元降至截至2023年5月31日的財年的519.8億美元,這主要是由於「-運營結果-截至2023年5月31日的財年-運營成本和費用-一般和管理費用」中討論的因素。

自有品牌產品和直播的運營成本和費用電子商務

 

   

收入成本.自有品牌產品和直播的收入成本 電子商務增長13,842.3%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的250萬美元增至截至2023年5月31日的財年的345.2億美元,主要是由於勞動力成本和商品採購成本的增加。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用.自有品牌產品和直播的銷售和營銷費用 電子商務增長628.1%,從截至2022年5月31日的財年的630萬美元增至截至2023年5月31日的財年的4560萬美元,這主要是由於員工成本的增加。

 

   

一般和行政費用。自有品牌產品和直播的一般和管理費用電子商務增長81.9%,由截至2022年5月31日的財政年度的1,880萬美元增至截至2023年5月31日的財政年度的3,420萬美元,主要原因是員工成本和基於股份的薪酬支出增加。

留學諮詢服務的運營成本和費用

 

   

收入成本。海外留學諮詢服務的收入成本從截至2022年5月31日的財年的165.7億美元增加到2023年5月31日的179.3億美元,增幅爲8.2%,主要是由於諮詢申請成本的增加。

 

   

銷售和營銷費用。海外留學諮詢服務的銷售和營銷費用從截至2022年5月31日的財年的7,280萬美元增加到截至2023年5月31日的財年的8,050萬美元,增幅爲10.5%,這主要是由於員工成本的增加。

 

   

一般和行政費用。留學諮詢服務的一般和行政費用從截至2022年5月31日的財年的6,130萬美元增加到截至2023年5月31日的財年的6,190萬美元,增幅爲1.0%,這主要是由於員工成本的增加。

 

B.

流動性與資本資源

我們的主要流動資金來源是經營活動產生的現金。截至2024年5月31日,我們分別擁有13.894億美元的現金和199.7美元的現金等價物和限制性現金。我們的現金和現金等價物包括手頭現金和流動投資,不受取款或使用的限制,到期日不超過三個月,存放在銀行和其他金融機構。雖然我們鞏固了新東方中國及其學校和子公司的業績,但我們無法直接獲得新東方中國的現金和現金等價物或未來收益。然而,根據我們的子公司向新東方中國及其學校和子公司提供服務的合同安排,新東方中國及其學校和子公司的部分現金餘額將支付給我們在中國的全資子公司。

下表列出了截至2024年5月31日我們在中國內外的現金及現金等價物、限制性現金和短期投資的摘要。

 

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     Cash, cash
equivalents
and
restricted
cash in
RMB
     Cash, cash
equivalents
and
restricted
cash in other
currencies
     Total
Cash, cash
equivalents
and
restricted
cash
     Short-term
investments
in RMB
     Short-term
investments
in other
currencies
     Total
short-term
investments
 

Entities outside China

     6,362        232,526        238,888        —         76,672        76,672  

VIEs in China

     942,546        799        943,345        1,401,593        —         1,401,593  

Non-VIEs in China

     404,635        2,236        406,871        587,314        —         587,314  

Entities inside China

     1,347,181        3,035        1,350,216        1,988,907        —         1,988,907  

Total

     1,353,543        235,561        1,589,104        1,988,907        76,672        2,065,579  

Although we consolidate the results of the VIEs, our access to the consolidated affiliated entities is only through the contractual arrangements with the VIEs. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with New Oriental China, Its Schools and Subsidiaries and Its Shareholder” and “—Contractual Arrangements with Beijing Xuncheng, Its Subsidiaries and Shareholders.” For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see “—Holding Company Structure.”

We expect to require cash to fund our ongoing business needs, particularly the rent and other cost and expenses relating to developing new businesses. Other cash needs include acquisitions of businesses and properties that complement our operations when suitable opportunities arise. We have not encountered any difficulties in meeting our cash obligations to date. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the foreseeable future.

The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

 

     For the Years Ended May 31,  
(in thousands of US$)    2022      2023      2024  

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities

     (1,280,453      971,008        1,122,643  

Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities

     1,168,532        (37,411      (1,153,922

Net cash provided by/(used in) financing activities

     (230,858      (246,867      (160,438
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes

     (94,821      (75,830      (24,606
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

     (437,600      610,900        (216,323

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the period

     1,623,127        1,194,527        1,805,427  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period

     1,194,527        1,805,427        1,589,104  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to US$1,122.6 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024. Our net cash used in operating activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024 reflected net income of US$325.2 million, as adjusted by the reconciliation of certain non-cash items, including US$100.6 million in depreciation and US$122.5 million in share-based compensation expense. Additional factors affecting operating cash flow included an increase in the deferred revenue in the amount of US$468.2 million due to the increased amount of course fees received during the period, and an increase in the accrued expenses and other current liabilities account of US$160.0 million, primarily due to an increase in accrued employee salary expenses and welfare benefits.

Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to US$971.0 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023. Our net cash used in operating activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 reflected net income of US$235.4 million, as adjusted by the reconciliation of certain non-cash items, including US$117.0 million in depreciation and US$89.8 million in share-based compensation expense. Additional factors affecting operating cash flow included an increase in the deferred revenue in the amount of US$469.3 million due to the increased amount of course fees received during the period, and an increase in the accrued expenses and other current liabilities account of US$83.4 million, primarily due to an increase in accrued employee salary expenses and welfare benefits.

Net cash used in operating activities amounted to US$1,280.5 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022. Our net cash used in operating activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 reflected net loss of US$1,220.3 million, as adjusted by the reconciliation of certain non-cash items, including US$192.3 million in depreciation and US$133.0 million in share-based compensation expense. Additional factors affecting operating cash flow included a decrease in the deferred revenue in the amount of US$925.0 million, and a decrease in the accrued expenses and other current liabilities account of US$315.8 million, primarily due to a decrease in accrued employee salary expenses and welfare benefits.

 

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Investing Activities

We lease all of our facilities except for part of the premises for the Beijing, Xi’an, Tianjin, Kunming, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Changsha, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Hangzhou and Hefei schools, which premises we own. Our cash used in investing activities is primarily related to the premises for the facilities we own and equipment used in our operations, our investment in term deposits and short-term investments.

Net cash used in investing activities amounted to US$1,153.9 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, compared to net cash used in investing activities amounted to US$37.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 and net cash provided by investing activities of US$1,168.5 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022.

Net cash used in investing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024 was primarily attributable to net cash of US$792.9 million used for investing in short-term investments and term deposits.

Net cash used in investing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to purchase of property and equipment of US$143.0 million and partially offset by net proceeds of US$117.3 million from investing in short-term investments and term deposits.

Net cash provided by investing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to proceeds from maturity of short-term investments of US$2,041.0 million, partially offset by purchase of short-term investments of US$540.8 million and purchase of property and equipment of US$150.7 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities amounted to US$160.4 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, compared to net cash used in financing activities amounted to US$246.9 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 and net cash used in financing activities amounted to US$230.9 million in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022.

Net cash used in financing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024 was primarily attributable to the funds used for share repurchase in the amount of US$62.9 million and purchase of non-controlling interest in the amount of US$84.5 million.

Net cash used in financing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2023 was primarily attributable to the funds used for share repurchase in the amount of US$191.6 million and the unsecured senior notes repurchase in the amount of US$48.8 million.

Net cash used in financing activities in the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to the unsecured senior notes repurchase in the amount of US$222.0 million.

Material cash requirements

Our material cash requirements as of May 31, 2024 and any subsequent interim period primarily include our capital expenditures, operating lease commitments, long-term debt obligations and funds used for share repurchase and dividend payment.

The expansion of our existing program, service and product offerings to new areas and launch of new business initiatives have required investment. Our capital expenditures were US$150.7 million, US$143.0 million and US$283.4 million in the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. Our capital expenditures are incurred primarily in connection with facility acquisitions, leasehold improvements and investments in equipment, technology and operating systems. We believe that we will be able to fund our capital needs in the foreseeable future through cash generated from our operating activities.

 

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Our operating lease commitments consist of the commitments under the lease agreements for our schools, learning centers, office premises and other facilities. As of May 31, 2024, the payment due within one year and thereafter for our operating lease commitments amounted to US$707.3 million.

Our long-term debt obligations consist of the principal amount and cash interests in connection with unsecured senior notes issued in July 2020. In July 2020, we issued unsecured senior notes for a principal amount of US$300 million which were listed in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The notes bear fixed interest rate at 2.125% with interest payable semiannually in arrears on January 2 and July 2 of each calendar year, commencing on January 2, 2021. As of May 31, 2024, we repurchased an aggregate principal amount of US$285.6 million of the notes with a total cash consideration of US$271.0 million, and the outstanding principal amount of the unsecured senior notes was US$14.4 million.

On July 26, 2022, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to US$400 million of the Company’s ADSs or common shares during the period from July 28, 2022 through May 31, 2023. In June 2023 and May 2024, our board of directors further authorized to extend the share repurchase program by twelve months through May 31, 2024 and May 31, 2025, respectively. In August 2024, our board of directors approved an adjustment to the share repurchase program, increasing the aggregate value of shares that we are authorized to repurchase under the share repurchase program from US$400 million to US$700 million. As of September 16, 2024, we repurchased an aggregate of 9,093,038 ADSs under this share repurchase program. See “Item 16E. Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers.”

On August 19, 2024, our board of directors declared a special cash dividend in the amount of US$0.60 per ADS or US$0.06 per common share to holders of ADSs and common shares of record as of the close of business on September 9, 2024. The aggregate amount of cash dividends to be paid was approximately US$100.0 million.

We intend to fund our existing and future material cash requirements with our existing cash balance. We will continue to make cash commitments, including capital expenditures, to support the growth of our business.

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We do not have retained or contingent interests in assets transferred. We have not entered into contractual arrangements that support the credit, liquidity or market risk for transferred assets. We do not have obligations that arise or could arise from variable interests held in an unconsolidated entity, or obligations related to derivative instruments that are both indexed to and classified in our own equity, or not reflected in the statement of financial position.

Other than as discussed above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations or guarantees as of May 31, 2024.

Holding Company Structure

Overview

New Oriental is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct substantially all of our business in China through contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities, and their schools and subsidiaries and shareholders. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with New Oriental China, Its Schools and Subsidiaries and Its Shareholder” and “—Contractual Arrangements with Beijing Xuncheng, Its Subsidiaries and Shareholders” for a summary of these contractual arrangements. In the fiscal years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the consolidated affiliated entities contributed in aggregate 99.6%, 99.5% and 99.2%, respectively, of our total net revenues. Our operations not conducted through contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities primarily consist of the leasing of our commercial property. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the consolidated affiliated entities accounted for an aggregate of 56.1% and 62.2%, respectively, of our total assets, and 95.2% and 96.7%, respectively, of our total liabilities. The assets not associated with the consolidated affiliated entities primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short-term investments. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, US$1,013.3 million and US$1,031.0 million, respectively, of these assets were denominated in U.S. dollars, and US$1,240.6 million and US$1,364.2 million, respectively, of these assets were denominated in RMB and the remaining are denominated in other foreign currencies, including British pounds and Hong Kong dollars.

 

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As a holding company, New Oriental’s ability to pay dividends and other cash distributions to its shareholders depends in part upon dividends and other distributions paid to it by our PRC subsidiaries. The amount of dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries to us primarily depends on the service fees paid to our PRC subsidiaries from the variable interest entities, and, to a lesser degree, our PRC subsidiaries’ retained earnings. As of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the total amount of service fees payable to our PRC subsidiaries from the variable interest entities under the service agreements was US$580.8 million, US$61.8 million and US$309.1 million, respectively.

Conducting our operations through contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities entails a risk that we may lose the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the variable interest entities, which may result in our being unable to consolidate their financial results with our results and may impair our access to their cash flow from operations and thereby reduce our liquidity. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” for more information, including the risk factors titled “If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our China business do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations” and “We rely on contractual arrangements for our operations in China, which is not as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership.”

Dividend Distributions

Under PRC law, each of our PRC subsidiaries, variable interest entities and their respective subsidiaries which is not a for-profit private school is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory surplus reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital and to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profit to fund the reserve fund at the discretion of our board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation. In addition, each of our schools that requires or does not requires reasonable returns in China is required to allocate a certain amount out of its annual net income or annual increase in the net assets, if any, to its development fund for the construction or maintenance of the school or procurement or upgrade of educational equipment. For our schools which have elected to require reasonable returns, this amount shall be no less than 25% of the annual net income of the school, and for our schools which have elected not to require reasonable returns, this amount shall be equivalent to no less than 25% of the annual increase in the net assets of the school, if any. Each of our schools that is for-profit or non-profit in China is required to allocate a certain amount to its development fund for the development of the school. In the case of a for-profit private school, this amount shall be no less than 10% of the audited annual net income of the school, while in the case of a non-profit private school, this amount shall be equal to no less than 10% of the audited annual increase in the unrestricted net assets of the school, if any. Upon the effectiveness of the Amended Law for Promoting Private Education in September 2017, sponsors of for-profit private schools are entitled to retain the profits and proceeds from the schools and the operation surplus may be allocated to the sponsors pursuant to the PRC Company Law and other relevant laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations.

Pursuant to contractual arrangements that our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China have with the variable interest entities, the earnings and cash of variable interest entities and their schools and subsidiaries are used to pay service fees in RMB to our PRC subsidiaries in the manner and amount set forth in these agreements. After paying the applicable withholding taxes and making appropriations for its statutory reserve requirement, the remaining net profits of our PRC subsidiaries would be available for distribution to three Hong Kong-incorporated intermediate holding companies wholly owned by our company, and from these three Hong Kong-incorporated intermediate holding companies to our company. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure” for a diagram of our corporate structure. As of May 31, 2024, the net assets of our PRC subsidiaries and variable interest entities and their schools and subsidiaries which were restricted due to statutory reserve requirements and other applicable laws and regulations, and thus not available for distribution, were in aggregate US$956.1 million, and the net assets of our PRC subsidiaries and variable interest entities and their schools and subsidiaries which were unrestricted and thus available for distribution were in aggregate US$2,374.6 million. We do not believe that these restrictions on the distribution of our net assets will have a significant impact on our ability to timely meet our financial obligations in the future. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our wholly-owned subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries or New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business” for more information.

 

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Furthermore, cash transfers from our PRC subsidiaries to our Hong Kong-incorporated intermediate holding companies are subject to PRC government control of currency conversion. Restrictions on the availability of foreign currency may affect the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and New Oriental China and its schools and subsidiaries to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.”

 

C.

Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

Technology Capabilities and Infrastructure

Our continuous development in technology capabilities has contributed to our sustained success in the private education industry. We believe our strong technology capabilities enable us to deliver a superior learning experience and improve our operational efficiency. We employ experienced research and development personnel to build, maintain and upgrade our technologies and systems. We had approximately 3,000, 2,900 and 3,200 research and development personnel as of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Our online and offline integration

We have integrated our offline network and operations with online technology for our educational services and operations. Our OMO system serves as the core of this integration. We developed and launched our OMO system in 2014 as a standardized digital classroom teaching system to digitalize our offline teaching materials and education resources. Capitalizing on our technology advancements, we continued to upgrade the functions and features of our OMO system over the years and it has evolved into an online education system, with a comprehensive set of technologies and initiatives that complements and supports students’ offline learning activities and improves students’ learning experience. Our OMO system has been extensively integrated into our educational services and operations.

Leveraging our big data analytics capabilities, our OMO system provides multiple interactive online learning features that benefit students, teachers, and parents, including offering self-adaptive and interactive courseware to students, pushing customized content to students, recommending additional courses based on their online study records and performance, offering real-time feedback to parents to help improve students’ academic performance and closely connecting teachers, students and parents. Our OMO system also helps teachers prepare lessons, both those delivered online and offline, through a standardized and structured process. Based on our rich database, teaching materials can be generated automatically and tailored to the needs of the specific classes.

Big data analytics technology

Throughout our long operating history, we have accumulated a large student data base, including complex students’ learning behavior and performance data, and extensive data on teaching techniques, materials, and resources, while maintaining a high standard of data protection and privacy. We have built strong data analytics capabilities using algorithms, models and data analytics tools. Our OMO system leverages big data analysis to enhance our operational efficiency, including understanding students’ learning needs and generating customized teaching content and services for each student, as well as allowing teachers to prepare lessons through a standardized and structured process. Our OMO system not only benefits from our extensive data accumulated over our long operating history and as a result of our large scale, but also constantly accumulates more data from all participants in the education ecosystem, such as students, teachers, parents, and administrators, through a wide range of interfaces and terminals. As the database expands with the accumulation of new data, we continue to advance and evolve our data analytics capabilities. The continued accumulation of data also enables us to develop new teaching services, which in turn feeds new data back into the system, creating a virtuous cycle.

 

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AI-powered technologies

Our access to a vast amount of student data enables us to develop and refine robust AI technologies. We have developed a series of AI-driven learning systems and learning tools to improve teaching and learning efficiency, including:

Proprietary self-adaptive learning system. Since 2014, we have developed our self-adaptive learning system which dynamically adjusts the course content based on students’ in-class performance and progress to help them to better grasp key knowledge points.

Proprietary computerized assessment testing system. We have developed our computerized assessment testing system which tests students’ capabilities and presents summary reports on students’ performance in class and within their student group.

Interactive courseware. We have developed digital interactive courseware which standardizes course materials and provides more interaction between teachers and students.

Realskill. Realskill is a learning platform developed by a joint venture between our company and an AI company in China. The platform utilizes our teaching expertise, materials, data and other resources with deep learning algorithms. The platform automatically and intelligently grades and comments on students’ writing for IELTS and TOEFL and speaking practices for TOEFL based on AI-powered analysis of authentic test materials. The platform can be used by students for personal learning purposes and teaching institutions for teaching services and platform and engine access.

Technology Platform and Infrastructure

Our technology platform is designed to provide systems that help distinguish ourselves in the marketplace, operate cost-effectively and accommodate future growth. Our technology platform is a combination of our proprietary self-adaptive learning systems, content management systems, interactive courseware, exam platforms, computerized assessment testing systems, and big data analytics. We have been investing in infrastructure to achieve simplification of the storage and processing of large amounts of data, facilitation of the deployment and operation of large-scale programs and services, automation of much of the administration of our business, and the ability to scale both capacity and functionality and build large clusters seamlessly.

One of our ongoing focuses is to maintain reliable systems. We have implemented performance monitoring for all key web and business systems to enable us to respond quickly to potential problems. Based on cluster technology, our system can identify errors and isolate failed servers automatically so that our customers can access our services at any time. Our websites are hosted at third-party facilities in Beijing. These facilities provide redundant utility systems, a backup electric generator and 24-hour a day server support. All servers have redundant power supplies and file systems to maximize system and data availability. We regularly back up our database on a server hosted at an Internet data center to minimize the impact of data loss due to system failures. We do not capitalize any related costs.

Application of 5G

We have partnered with hardware service providers and telecom operators to provide remote education services leveraging 5G technologies to further differentiate us from smaller-scale peers and at the same time reduce reliance on local teachers. We have also been helping students from remote and less developed areas to gain access to high quality teaching content with the help of 5G technology and we are committed to continuing to do so as the technology improves.

Intellectual Property

Our trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights distinguish our services and products from those of our competitors and contribute to our competitive advantage in our target markets. To protect our brand and other intellectual property, we rely on a combination of trademark, copyright and trade secrets laws as well as confidentiality agreements with our employees, contractors and others. As of May 31, 2024, we had 28 main works of art copyrights and 45 main software copyrights in China relating to various aspects of our operations, and 16 main trademark registrations in China, of which “ LOGO ,” “ LOGO ,” and “ LOGO ” have been recognized as “well-known trademarks” in civil action adjudicated and/or administrative determination in China. Our main websites are located at www.xdf.cn, www.neworiental.org, www.eastbuy.com and www.koolearn.com. In addition, we have registered other domain names, including dogwood.com.cn, blingabc.com and ileci.com.

 

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我們採取了指導方針、程序和保障措施,旨在教育我們的員工和承包商尊重第三方知識產權的重要性,並發現和防止我們的員工或承包商侵犯或可能侵犯此類第三方權利的任何行爲或活動。指導方針規定了某些關鍵原則和政策,我們要求我們的所有員工和承包商遵守這些原則和政策,作爲他們僱用的基本條件。我們爲確保遵守這些原則和政策而實施的程序和保障措施包括指派專職人員監督和強制執行這些知識產權準則的遵守情況,特別是我們的內容控制小組,他們負責審查我們課程材料的內容,以確保我們的教室沒有使用侵權材料。我們還努力確保我們的營銷材料在分發給公衆之前得到適當管理人員的審查和批准。我們相信,這些指導方針、程序和保障措施增強了我們避免侵權或潛在侵權活動的能力,減少了我們對第三方索賠的風險,並保護了我們作爲尊重第三方知識產權的公司的聲譽。

保險

我們維持各種保單,以防範風險和意外事件。我們爲我們的一些學校和學習中心購買了有限責任保險。我們還根據當地政府的要求爲員工提供社會保障保險。我們認爲我們的保險範圍與中國其他私立教育機構的保險範圍一致。

 

D.

趨勢信息

關於已知趨勢、不確定性、需求、承諾或事件的討論,請參閱「-A.經營業績」,這些趨勢、不確定性、需求、承諾或事件可能對我們的淨收入、運營收入、盈利能力、流動資金或資本資源產生重大影響,或導致披露的財務信息不一定表明未來的經營業績或財務狀況。除本年報其他部分所披露者外,吾等並不知悉自2024年6月1日以來期間的任何趨勢、不確定性、需求、承諾或事件,該等趨勢、不確定性、需求、承諾或事件合理地可能對本公司的收入、收入、盈利能力、流動資金或資本資源產生重大影響,或會導致所披露的財務信息不一定指示未來的經營結果或財務狀況。

 

E.

關鍵會計估計

我們根據美國公認會計原則編制財務報表,這要求我們做出影響資產、負債、收入、成本和費用報告金額的估計和假設,以及或有資產和負債的披露。實際結果可能與這些估計不同。我們不斷根據最新的可獲得信息、我們自己的歷史經驗以及我們認爲在這種情況下相關的其他因素來評估這些估計和假設。我們的管理層已經與我們的董事會討論了這些估計的制定、選擇和披露。由於我們的財務報告過程本質上依賴於估計和假設的使用,在不同的假設或條件下,實際結果可能與這些估計不同。

如一項會計政策要求根據作出估計時高度不確定事項的假設作出會計估計,且如可合理使用的不同估計,或合理地可能定期發生的會計估計的變動,可能對綜合財務報表造成重大影響,則該政策被視爲關鍵。我們認爲以下討論的政策對於理解我們經審計的綜合財務報表至關重要,因爲它們涉及對我們管理層的判斷的最大依賴。您應閱讀以下對關鍵會計政策、判斷和估計的描述,並結合我們的合併財務報表和本年度報告中包含的其他披露。

 

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第3級公允價值計量可供出售投資

可供出售投資按公允價值報告,未實現收益和虧損計入累計其他全面收益,作爲股東權益的一部分。個人公允價值的下降可供出售由於信貸相關因素導致的低於攤銷成本的投資被確認爲信貸損失準備,而如果公允價值的下降不是由於信貸相關因素造成的,則損失計入其他全面收益/(虧損)。

這個可供出售分類爲3級資產的投資在貼現現金流法中採用收益法進行估值,在反向解算法中採用市場法進行估值。貼現現金流分析和反向求解方法需要使用重要的不可觀察的投入(3級投入),這些投入涉及重大的管理判斷和估計,如收入增長率和加權平均資本成本。

所得稅和遞延稅項資產估值免稅額

我們使用資產負債法來覈算所得稅。根據這一方法,遞延稅項資產和負債是根據資產和負債的財務報告和稅基之間的差額、扣除營業虧損結轉和抵扣後的差額來確定的,適用的稅率將在差額預期沖銷的期間生效。稅率變動對遞延稅項的影響在變動期間的綜合經營報表中確認。當認爲部分或全部遞延稅項資產更有可能無法變現時,遞延稅項資產減值準備。

我們通過報告因納稅申報單中採取或預期採取的不確定稅收頭寸而產生的未確認稅收優惠的負債來計入不確定的稅收頭寸。當我們相信稅務機關根據稅務立場的技術優點進行審查後,稅務立場很可能會維持時,稅務優惠便會從不確定的稅務立場中確認。我們確認與所得稅支出中未確認的稅收優惠相關的利息和罰款(如果有)。

在確定估值免稅額時,需要作出重大判斷。在評估是否需要估值免稅額時,我們會考慮所有因素的來源,包括預計未來應課稅收入、扭轉應稅暫時性差異和持續的稅務籌劃策略等估計。如果確定我們能夠實現超過賬面淨值的遞延稅項資產,或者我們無法實現遞延稅項資產,我們將在作出此類確定的期間調整估值準備,並對收益進行相應的增加或減少。

 

項目 6。

董事、高級管理人員和員工

 

A.

董事和高級管理人員

下表列出了截至本年度報告日期的有關我們的高管和董事的信息。

 

名字

  

年齡

  

職位/頭銜

于敏洪

   61    執行主席

周成剛

   62    董事和首席執行官

楊志輝

   50    執行總裁兼首席財務官

****

   59    主任

Robin Yanhong Li

   55    獨立董事

李丁彬

   56    獨立董事

約翰·莊陽

   69    獨立董事

先生。 邁克爾·敏洪 是我們公司的創始人,自2001年8月以來一直擔任我們董事會主席。他於2001年至2016年9月擔任我們的首席執行官。餘先生目前擔任我們擁有多數股權的子公司East Buy Holding Limited(HKEx:1797)的董事會主席、執行董事兼首席執行官。在1993年創辦第一所學校之前,於先生於1985年至1991年擔任北京大學英語講師。於先生獲得北京大學英語學士學位。

 

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Mr. Chenggang Zhou has served as our director since November 2010 and chief executive officer since September 2016. Mr. Zhou joined New Oriental in 2000 and has held multiple positions in our company since then, including president, executive president for domestic business, executive vice president, vice president and president of Beijing and Shanghai New Oriental Schools. Prior to joining us, Mr. Zhou was a correspondent for the Asia Pacific region and a program host at BBC. Mr. Zhou received his bachelor’s degree in English from Suzhou University in China and his master’s degree in communications from Macquarie University, Australia.

Mr. Zhihui Yang has served as our executive president since January 2021 and chief financial officer since April 2015. He held multiple positions since he joined our company in April 2006, including vice president of finance, deputy director of president office and senior financial manager. Mr. Yang has served as an independent director of DiDi Global Inc. (OTC: DIDIY) since April 2023. Prior to joining us, Mr. Yang served as the financial director of Beijing Hua De Xin Investment Co., Ltd. from July 2002 to March 2006. From August 1997 and May 2002, Mr. Yang worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior auditor. Mr. Yang received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Guanghua School of Management of Peking University.

Mr. Louis T. Hsieh has served as our director since March 2007 and senior advisor since January 2016. From May 2009 to January 2016, Mr. Hsieh served as our president, and from December 2005 to April 2015, he served as our chief financial officer. Mr. Hsieh also serves as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee since May 2014, of JD.com Inc. (Nasdaq: JD; HKEX: 9618), a leading technology driven e-commerce company in China listed on Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and an independent director of YUM China (NYSE: YUMC; HKEX: 9987) from November 2016 to June 2023, and chairman of the audit committee from 2016 to 2019, of Yum China Holdings, Inc. From May 2017 to October 2019, Mr. Hsieh served as the global chief financial officer of NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO; HKEX: 9866; SGX: NIO), a leading electric car original equipment manufacturer. From April 2021 to May 2024, he served as the global chief financial officer of Hesai Technology (NASDAQ:HSAI), a global leader in 3-D Lidar solutions. Prior to joining us in 2005, Mr. Hsieh was the chief financial officer of ARIO Data Networks, Inc. in San Jose, California from 2004 to 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Hsieh was a managing director for the private equity firm of Darby Asia Investors (HK) Limited from 2002 to 2003. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Hsieh was the managing director and the Asia-Pacific tech/media/telecoms head of UBS Capital Asia Pacific, the private equity division of UBS AG. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Hsieh was a technology investment banker at JP Morgan in San Francisco, California, where he was a vice president, and Credit Suisse First Boston in Palo Alto, California, where he was an associate. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Hsieh was a corporate and securities attorney at White & Case LLP in Los Angeles. Mr. Hsieh holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University, an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, and a J.D. degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr. Robin Yanhong Li has served as our independent director since September 2006. Mr. Li is a co-founder of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU; HKEX: 9888), a leading AI company with strong Internet foundation. Mr. Li has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Baidu since its inception in January 2000 and as its chief executive officer since February 2004. He served as the president of Baidu from February 2000 to December 2003. Prior to founding Baidu, Mr. Li worked as an engineer at Infoseek, a pioneer in the Internet search engine industry, and as a senior consultant for IDD Information Services. Mr. Li received a bachelor’s degree in information science from Peking University and a master’s degree in computer science from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Mr. Denny Ting Bun Lee has served as our independent director since September 2006. Mr. Lee currently also serves as the chairman of the audit committees and independent non-executive director on the boards of NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO; HKEX: 9866; SGX: NIO) and Jianpu Technology Inc. (OTCQB: AIJTY). From April 2002 to June 2022, Mr. Lee served as a director of NetEase, Inc., formerly known as NetEase.com, Inc., which is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (NASDAQ: NTES) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX: 9999). He was the chief financial officer of NetEase.com, Inc. from April 2002 to June 2007 and its financial controller from November 2001 to April 2002. Prior to joining NetEase.com, Inc., Mr. Lee worked in the Hong Kong office of KPMG for more than ten years. Mr. Lee graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University majoring in accounting and is a member of The Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants and The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.

Dr. John Zhuang Yang has served as our independent director since August 2007. From July 2021, he has also served as an independent director of UXIN Limited, which is a used car company listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Dr. Yang was Co-Dean and Professor of Management of the Beijing International MBA Program (BIMBA) at National School of Development of Peking University from 2001 to 2020. He is now Professor Emeritus of Peking University and an adjunct professor of management at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University. Dr. Yang holds a Ph.D. degree in business administration from Columbia University, a master’s degree in sociology from Columbia University, a master’s degree in international and public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and a bachelor’s degree from the English Language and Literature Department of Peking University.

 

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Employment Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as a conviction of or plea of guilty to a felony, negligence or dishonesty to our detriment and failure to perform agreed duties after a reasonable opportunity to cure the failure, death, or physical or mental incapacitation. We may also terminate an executive officer’s employment without cause. In such case we are required to provide severance compensations as expressly required by applicable law. An executive officer may terminate his employment with us at any time with a one-month prior notice if there is a material reduction in his authority, duties and responsibilities or if there is a material reduction in his annual salary before the next annual salary review. An executive officer may also resign prior to the expiry of the term of his employment agreement if our board approves his resignation or agrees to an alternative arrangement with such executive officer.

Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his duties in connection with the employment, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. Our executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets. In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his employment and one year following the termination or expiry of such employment agreement. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (1) approach our clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer for the purpose of doing business with such person or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (2) assume employment with or provide services as a director for any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, in any business which is in direct or indirect competition with our business or (3) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination.

 

B.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

For the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we paid an aggregate of approximately US$1.5 million in cash to our executive officers and non-executive directors as a group. In addition, we made contributions to the pension insurance, medical insurance, housing fund, unemployment and other benefits for the benefits of our executive officers and non-executive directors in the aggregate amount of US$47.2 thousand. See “—Share Incentives” below for more information. No executive officer is entitled to any severance benefits upon termination of his employment with our company except as required under applicable PRC law.

Share Incentives

2016 Share Incentive Plan

We adopted our 2016 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2016 plan, in January 2016 to continue to provide incentives to employees, directors and consultants after the expiration of our 2006 plan. The maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards (including options) granted under the 2016 plan is 100,000,000 shares (taking into account the one-for-ten share split that took effect on March 10, 2021). The 2016 plan has a term of 10 years, unless terminated earlier. As of May 31, 2024, an aggregate of 21,469,262 non-vested equity shares remain outstanding under the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, excluding non-vested equity shares that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant date.

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2016 plan.

 

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圖則的修訂.我們的董事會可以隨時修改、暫停或終止2016年計劃。除非我們決定遵循本國做法,否則對2016年計劃的以下修訂需要獲得我們股東的批准:(i)增加2016年計劃下可用的股份數量,(ii)延長2016年計劃的期限,(iii)將期權的行使期延長至十年以上,及(iv)根據適用法律或證券交易所規則,有必要且可取股東批准的任何其他修訂。

2016年計劃的其餘條款與上述2006年計劃的條款基本相同。

下表總結了截至2024年9月16日的未償 非既得利益 根據我們的2016年計劃向我們的董事和執行官授予股權(考慮到 十分之一 股份分割於2021年3月10日生效)。

 

名字

   普普通通
股份
潛在的
傑出的
NES
   鍛鍊
價格(美元/
共享)
   授予日期:    背心日期

于敏洪

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

周成剛

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

楊志輝

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

****

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

Robin Yanhong Li

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

李丁彬

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

約翰·莊陽

   *       09/09/2022    06/30/2025

 

*

不到我們未償還有投票權證券總額的1%。

非既得利益股權獎勵。

East Buy股票期權計劃

2018年7月13日,East Buy董事會批准了一名員工的股票期權計劃,即East Buy首次公開募股前購股權計劃,根據該計劃,根據授予東買任何董事、員工、承包商或關聯公司(包括爲他們設立的任何員工福利信託的被提名人和/或受託人)的獎勵,東買有權發行最多47,836,985股東買股票。截至2024年5月31日,根據East Buy,獲得East Buy總計25,940,885股票的期權仍未償還首次公開募股前購股權計劃。在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,沒有期權被沒收,也沒有股票被註銷。

2019年1月30日,East Buy董事會批准了一名員工的股票期權計劃,即East Buy上市後購股權計劃,根據該計劃,East Buy獲授權根據授予East Buy或其聯屬公司董事、僱員等的獎勵,於East Buy發行最多91,395,910股股份。截至2024年5月31日,根據East Buy,獲得East Buy總計34,483,946股票的期權仍未償還上市後購股權計劃。在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,獲得East Buy股票2,036,188股的期權被沒收或取消。東方人買上市後 東購2023年計劃(定義見下文)於2023年3月生效後,購股權計劃已終止,前提是根據 上市後 終止前的購股權計劃將繼續有效並可根據授予條款和原始條款行使 上市後 股票期權計劃規則。

2023年3月9日,East Buy股東批准了一項員工股份激勵計劃,即East Buy 2023計劃,根據該計劃,East Buy有權根據授予East Buy或其附屬公司董事、員工等的獎勵發行最多101,351,871股East Buy股份。截至2024年5月31日,根據East Buy 2023年計劃,獲得East Buy總計17,646,330股股份的獎勵仍然未償還。截至2024年5月31日的財年,獲得399,000股East Buy股票的獎勵被沒收或取消。

 

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C.

董事會慣例

我們的董事會目前由六名董事組成,其中包括三名獨立董事和三名現任或曾經是我們的執行官員的董事。《紐約證券交易所上市公司手冊》第303A.01節要求,每家上市公司在紐交所上市一週年後,董事會中必須有過半數的獨立董事。根據紐約證券交易所上市公司手冊第303A.00節授予外國私人發行人的例外情況,我們已選擇在我們的董事會方面遵循我們本國的做法。董事不需要通過資格審查的方式持有該公司的任何股票。董事可對其有重大利害關係的任何合同、擬議合同或安排投票。董事可以行使公司的一切權力,借入資金,將公司的業務、財產和未催繳資本抵押,並在借入資金時發行債券或其他證券,或作爲公司或任何第三方的任何義務的抵押品。我們的獨立董事每年至少舉行一次執行會議,在此期間只有獨立董事出席。根據執行會議討論的性質,三名獨立董事均可主持執行會議。在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,我們的董事會召開會議或以一致書面同意通過決議18次。

董事會各委員會

我們在董事會下設立了三個完全獨立的委員會:審計委員會、薪酬委員會和提名和公司治理委員會。我們已經通過了三個委員會的章程。委員會章程可在我們的網站上查閱,網址爲:http://investor.neworiental.org.各委員會的成員和職能如下所述。

審計委員會。我們的審計委員會由李廷彬先生、Robin Yanhong Li先生和莊楊博士組成。李先生是我們審計委員會的主席。我們審計委員會的所有成員都符合《紐約證券交易所上市公司手冊和規則》第303a節中的獨立要求10A-3根據《交易法》。

本公司董事會已決定,李定邦先生同時在另外兩家上市公司的審計委員會任職,不會削弱他在本公司審計委員會有效服務的能力。審計委員會監督我們的會計和財務報告流程,以及對我們公司財務報表的審計。除其他事項外,審計委員會負責:

 

   

選擇獨立的註冊會計師事務所和前置審批 所有審計和 非審計允許由獨立註冊會計師事務所從事的業務;

 

   

與獨立註冊會計師事務所審查任何審計問題或困難以及管理層的回應;

 

   

審查和批准法規第404條定義的所有擬議關聯方交易 S-K根據修訂後的1933年《美國證券法》;

 

   

與管理層和獨立註冊會計師事務所討論年度經審計的財務報表;

 

   

審查內部控制是否足夠的主要問題,以及針對重大控制缺陷而採取的任何特別審計步驟;以及

 

   

分別定期與管理層和獨立註冊會計師事務所舉行會議。

在截至2024年5月31日的財政年度內,審計委員會召開會議或一致書面同意通過決議六次,並與董事會其他成員一起批准了某些其他事項四次,包括審計委員會批准兩次季度收益發布、半年度業績和年度業績。

薪酬委員會

 

   

我們的薪酬委員會由Robin Yanhong Li先生、李廷彬先生和莊楊博士組成。Li先生是我們薪酬委員會的主席。我們薪酬委員會的所有成員都符合《紐約證券交易所上市公司手冊》第303a節的「獨立性」要求。薪酬委員會協助董事會審查和批准與我們的董事和高管有關的薪酬結構,包括所有形式的薪酬。我們的首席執行官不能出席任何審議他的薪酬的委員會會議。除其他事項外,薪酬委員會負責:

 

   

審查和批准我們首席執行官的總薪酬方案;

 

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目錄表
   

審查並向董事會建議我們董事的薪酬;以及

 

   

定期審查和批准任何長期激勵性薪酬或股權計劃、計劃或類似安排、年度獎金以及員工養老金和福利計劃。

在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,薪酬委員會兩次以一致書面同意通過決議,並與董事會其他成員一起批准了某些其他事項一次。

提名和公司治理委員會

 

   

我們的提名和公司治理委員會由莊楊博士、Robin Yanhong Li先生和李廷彬先生組成。楊博士是我們提名和公司治理委員會的主席。我們的提名和公司治理委員會的所有成員都符合紐約證券交易所上市公司手冊第303a節的「獨立性」要求。提名和公司治理委員會協助董事會挑選有資格成爲我們董事的個人,並確定董事會及其委員會的組成。除其他事項外,提名和公司治理委員會負責:

 

   

遴選並推薦董事會提名的候選人蔘加選舉或連任進入董事會,或接受任命以填補任何空缺;

 

   

每年與董事會一起就獨立性、年齡、技能、經驗和爲我們提供服務等特點審查董事會的當前組成;

 

   

就公司管治的法律和實務的重大發展,以及我們遵守適用的法律和法規的情況,定期向董事會提供意見,並就公司管治的所有事宜和任何須採取的補救行動,向董事會提出建議;以及

 

   

監督遵守我們的商業行爲和道德準則,包括審查我們程序的充分性和有效性,以確保適當的合規。

在截至2024年5月31日的財年中,提名和公司治理委員會以一致書面同意通過了一次決議。

董事的職責

根據開曼群島法律,我們的董事有責任忠誠地真誠行事,以期實現我們的最佳利益。我們的董事也有責任行使他們實際擁有的技能,以及一個合理審慎的人在類似情況下會行使的謹慎和勤奮。在履行對我們的注意義務時,我們的董事必須確保遵守我們的組織章程大綱和章程細則。如果我們董事的責任被違反,股東有權要求損害賠償。

董事及高級人員的任期

我們的官員是由董事會選舉產生,並由董事會酌情決定的。我們的董事不受任期的限制,直到他們以普通決議或全體股東一致書面決議辭職或被免職。董事將自動被免職,如果除其他事項外,董事(1)破產或與債權人達成任何安排或和解;或(2)被本公司發現精神不健全或變得不健全。

 

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D.

員工

截至2022年、2022年、2023年和2024年5月31日,我們分別有46,653名、50,438名和67,935名全職員工,以及6,418名、5,068名和7,070名合同制教師和工作人員。我們與全職員工簽訂僱傭合同,其中包含標準的保密條款。我們還簽訂了獨立的保密協議,並競業禁止與我們的主要全職員工簽訂協議。我們的合同制教師通常與我們簽訂獨家服務協議。

按照中國的規定,我們參加了市、省政府爲我們的企業組織的各種職工社會保障計劃基於中國的專職職工,包括養老金、失業保險、生育保險、工傷保險、醫療保險和住房保險。根據中國法律,我們必須不時爲我們的員工福利計劃繳費。基於中國的全職僱員的工資、獎金和某些津貼的一定比例,但不得超過地方政府在中國中規定的最高金額。

我們認爲我們與員工的關係總體上是良好的。

 

E.

股份所有權

下表列出了有關我們普通股的實益所有權的信息:

 

   

我們的每一位董事和行政人員;以及

 

   

我們認識的每一位實益擁有我們5%以上普通股的人。

除特別註明外,實益所有權截至2024年9月16日。

 

     實益擁有的股份  
     (1)      %(2)  

董事及行政人員:

     

于敏洪(3)

     199,352,640        12.2  

周成剛

     *        *  

楊志輝

     *        *  

****

     *        *  

Robin Yanhong Li

     *        *  

李丁彬

     *        *  

約翰·莊陽

     *        *  

全體董事和高級管理人員爲一組(4)

     208,098,025        12.7  

主要股東:

     

虎步發展有限公司(5)

     198,385,540        12.1  

FMR LLC及其附屬公司(6)

     89,227,574        5.5  

GIC私人有限公司(7)

     82,282,305        5.0  

 

*

低於1%

(1)

根據美國證券交易委員會規則確定實益權屬。

(2)

對於此表中包括的每個個人和集團,所有權百分比的計算方法是將該個人或集團實益擁有的股份數量除以(I)1,635,288,333,即截至2024年9月16日已發行的普通股數量和(Ii)除以非既得利益將在2024年9月16日後60天內歸屬的個人或團體持有的股權。

(3)

包括(I)由於敏洪先生全資擁有的英屬維爾京群島公司TigerStep Developments Limited持有的165,235,000股普通股及(Ii)3,411,764股美國存託憑證(每股相當於10股相關普通股),包括由TigerStep Development Limited持有的3,315,054股美國存託憑證及餘先生持有的96,710股美國存託憑證。透過一項信託安排,于敏洪先生及其家人於TigerStep Developments Limited持有實益權益。張宇先生的營業地址是北京市海淀區海淀中街6號6號,郵編100080,人民Republic of China。

(4)

包括(I)普通股和(Ii)非既得權益2024年9月16日後60天內由我們所有董事和高級管理人員作爲一個集團持有的股權。

(5)

TigerStep Developments Limited是一家在英屬維爾京群島註冊成立的公司,由於敏洪先生全資擁有。泰步發展有限公司的註冊地址爲Oleander Building,Suites醇-7OL-8, 13 a JR奧尼爾大道,PO Box 2416,Port Purcell,Tortola,VG 1110,英屬維爾京群島。

 

137


目錄表
(6)

代表89,227,574股由FMR LLC和阿比蓋爾·P·約翰遜實益擁有的普通股,如FMR LLC和阿比蓋爾·P·約翰遜於2024年2月9日提交給美國證券交易委員會的附表13G中所述(「附表13G」)。如附表13G所述,根據1940年《投資公司法》,約翰遜家族成員,包括董事董事長兼首席執行官阿比蓋爾·P·約翰遜,可被視爲對FMR LLC組成控股集團。FMR LLC的地址是美國馬薩諸塞州波士頓Summer Street 245號,郵編:02210。

(7)

代表(I)72,369,822股普通股,包括2,815,951股美國存託憑證代表的28,159,510股普通股;及(Ii)10,912,483股普通股,包括由政府投資公司私人有限公司實益擁有的3,976,560股美國存託憑證代表的3,976,560股普通股,有關報告載於政府投資公司於2024年7月5日提交美國證券交易委員會的附表13G(下稱「附表13G」)。如附表13G所述,新加坡政府投資公司對其實益擁有的72,369,822股股份擁有唯一投票權及處置權,並與新加坡金融管理局分享其實益擁有的10,912,483股股份的投票權及處置權。GIC由新加坡政府全資擁有,新加坡政府放棄該等股份的實益擁有權,如附表13G所述。政府資訊中心的地址是羅賓遜路168號。#37-01首都大廈,新加坡068912。

我們的現有股東沒有一個擁有與其他股東不同的投票權。據我們所知,我們不是由另一家公司、任何外國政府或任何其他自然人或法人單獨或共同直接或間接擁有或控制的。我們不知道有任何安排可能會在隨後的日期導致我們公司控制權的變更。

截至2024年9月16日,我們有1,635,288,333股已發行普通股,而德意志銀行信託公司美洲公司作爲我們美國存托股份融資的託管機構,是我們在美國普通股的唯一記錄持有人,持有我們全部已發行普通股的約49.5%。在美國,我們美國存託憑證的實益持有人數量遠遠超過我們普通股在美國的一個紀錄持有者。

 

F.

披露登記人追討錯誤判給的補償的行動

不適用。

 

項目 7。

大股東及關聯方交易

 

A.

大股東

請參閱「第6項:董事、高級管理人員和僱員--E股份所有權」。

 

B.

關聯方交易

從East Buy收購在線教育業務

2023年11月21日,作爲我們業務線重組的一部分,精英概念控股有限公司、我們的全資子公司和新東方中國與東方買及其子公司和可變權益實體訂立了一項協議,據此,精英概念控股有限公司和新東方中國同意收購東方買的在線教育業務,總代價爲人民幣15億元。這一對價是雙方經過公平談判後商定的,涉及獨立估值。此次收購於2024年3月完成。完成後,在線教育業務從East Buy的合併財務報表中解除合併,現在由我們在教育服務項下記錄。

與新東方中國及其學校、子公司和股東的合同安排

本公司與新東方中國及其子公司和股東訂立的合同安排摘要,見《公司-C.公司組織結構信息--與新東方中國、其學校、子公司和股東的合同安排》。

與北京訊成、其子公司和股東的合同安排

本公司與北京訊城、其子公司和股東簽訂的合同安排摘要,請參閱《公司-C.組織結構信息--與北京訊城及其子公司和股東的合同安排》。

僱傭協議

見「第6項.董事、高級管理人員和僱員--A.董事和高級管理人員」,了解我們與高級管理人員簽訂的僱用協議的說明。

 

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股票激勵

關於我們爲我們的董事、高級管理人員和其他個人提供的基於股份的薪酬的說明,請參閱項目6.董事、高級管理人員和僱員--b.董事和高管人員的薪酬。

與關聯方的租賃安排

自2010年4月以來,我們一直在北京大都會控股有限公司或大都會控股有限公司擁有的一棟建築中租用幾層辦公空間。於二零一二年三月,由本公司執行主席餘敏洪先生全資擁有的英屬維爾京群島公司Fine Talent Holdings Limited從其前擁有人手中收購Metropolis Holding的全部股權,而該等權益與本公司無關。因此,我們與Metropolis Holding的租賃協議成爲關聯方交易。截至2024年5月31日,我們的24個運營實體根據一系列租賃協議從Metropolis Holding租用了辦公空間。這些租約的條款和條件,包括租金,與同一大廈的其他租戶大致相同。這些租賃協議通常爲三年,到期後可在雙方同意的情況下續簽。租賃安排得到我們所有董事的批准,包括所有無利害關係的董事。在截至2024年5月31日的財政年度內,我們累計向Metropolis Holding支付了1,090萬美元的租金。截至2024年5月31日,Metropolis Holding應支付的金額爲450萬美元,其中包括預付租金和租金按金。此外,Metropolis Holding作爲一家物業管理公司,還爲公司提供多個租用樓層的辦公空間的物業管理服務。截至2024年5月31日,大都會控股的應收金額爲30萬美元,這是應計但未支付的服務費。

向關聯方收購保薦權益

於2023年6月及2024年2月,吾等分別以13.80萬美元及138.1美元收購了執行董事長Mr.Yu持有的北京市昌平區妙豐書院培訓學校或北京妙豐培訓學校9.09%及90.91%的贊助權益。就收購事項,吾等向北京苗峯提供本金爲3,620萬美元的貸款,主要用於取得北京苗峯正在申請登記的土地使用權,以供吾等日後營運用途。自2024年2月起,我們已成爲北京苗峯的獨家贊助商,因此北京苗峯從此不再是關聯方。

對關聯方的貸款

北京邁森國際教育諮詢有限公司是我們的股權投資方。截至2022年5月31日,貸款未償還餘額爲4,020萬美元,已全部減值。

與其他關聯方的交易

北京點石經緯科技有限公司,或稱點石經緯,是我們的股權投資人。2021年10月,我們與點評經緯簽訂了購買學習設備的採購協議,其中5240萬美元被記錄爲成本。餘額爲2020萬美元,是截至2022年5月31日向點評經緯支付的預付款。2022年5月31日之後,我們將對點評經緯的股權投資轉讓給了點評經緯創始人,並終止了與點評經緯的業務合作。

於截至2024年5月31日止財政年度內,本公司錄得來自其他關聯方的收入達2.51億美元。截至2024年5月31日,我們共欠其他關聯方710萬美元,欠其他關聯方2.38億美元。

 

C.

專家和律師的利益

不適用。

 

項目 8。

財務信息

 

A.

合併報表和其他財務信息

見“第18項。「財務報表。」

 

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法律和行政訴訟

我們不時地受到法律或監管程序、調查和與我們業務開展相關的索賠的影響。

訴訟

從2022年2月開始,我們的公司和我們的某些高管和董事在紐約南區美國地區法院提起的兩起相關證券集體訴訟中被列爲被告。2022年6月,這些行動被合併到Re New Oriental Education&Technology Group Inc.證券訴訟,編號。1:22-CV-01014。2022年9月2日,首席原告提交了修訂後的合併起訴書,據稱是代表在2018年10月23日至2021年7月25日期間購買或收購我公司美國存託憑證的一類人,指控被告的陳述包含有關我公司業務和合規做法的據稱錯誤陳述和遺漏,違反了1934年《證券交易法》和規則10b-5據此頒佈。原告於2022年12月9日提交了第二份修訂後的合併起訴書。被告的駁回動議截至2024年5月,已全面通報並進行了辯論。最高法院尚未對該動議做出裁決。這一行動仍處於初步階段,我們無法估計與此案解決有關的可能結果或損失或可能的損失範圍。

有關針對我們的懸而未決的集體訴訟的風險和不確定因素,請參閱「第3項.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們的業務相關的風險-我們和我們的某些董事和高級管理人員已被列爲一起可能對我們的業務、財務狀況、經營業績、現金流和聲譽產生重大不利影響的假定股東集體訴訟的被告。」

我們過去曾受到版權、商標和商號侵權索賠和法律訴訟,其中包括侵犯我們分發的材料中第三方的版權,以及在營銷和推廣我們的一個節目時未經授權使用第三方名稱,我們未來可能會不時受到類似索賠和法律訴訟的影響。請參閱「項目3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們業務相關的風險-第三方過去曾根據我們或我們的教師編寫和/或分發的書籍和其他教學或營銷材料的內容對我們提出知識產權侵權索賠,並可能在未來對我們提出類似的索賠。」

股利政策

2024年8月19日,我們的董事會宣佈向美國存託憑證持有人和截至2024年9月9日收盤登記在冊的普通股持有人發放特別現金股息,金額爲每股美國存托股份0.6美元或每股普通股0.06美元。擬派發的現金股息總額約爲100.0-100萬美元。我們目前沒有任何股息政策。

新東方是一家在開曼群島註冊成立的控股公司。我們可能依賴我們在中國的子公司的股息,以及新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們支付的諮詢費、許可費和其他費用來滿足我們的現金需求,包括我們可能產生的任何債務。中國法規可能會限制我們的中國子公司和新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們支付股息的能力。見「項目3.關鍵信息-D.風險因素-與我們公司結構相關的風險-我們可能依賴我們全資子公司支付的股息和其他股權分配來爲我們可能有的任何現金和融資需求提供資金,我們子公司或新東方中國及其學校和子公司向我們付款的能力的任何限制都可能對我們開展業務的能力產生重大不利影響。」

我們的董事會完全有權決定是否宣佈和分配股息。即使我們的董事會決定派發股息,派息的形式、頻率和數額也將取決於我們未來的運營和收益、資本要求和盈餘、一般財務狀況、合同限制和董事會可能認爲相關的其他因素。如果我們支付任何股息,我們將向美國存托股份持有人支付與我們普通股持有人相同的金額,符合存款協議的條款,包括根據該協議應支付的費用和開支。

 

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B.

Significant Changes

Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

 

ITEM 9.

THE OFFER AND LISTING

 

A.

Offering and Listing Details

See “—C. Markets.”

 

B.

Plan of Distribution

Not applicable.

 

C.

Markets

Our ADSs have been listed on the NYSE since September 7, 2006 and trade under the symbol “EDU.” Prior to August 18, 2011, each of our ADSs represented four common shares. On August 18, 2011, we effected a change in the ratio of our ADSs to common shares from one ADS representing four common shares to one ADS representing one common share. Our common shares have been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since November 9, 2020 under the stock code “9901.” On April 8, 2022, we effected a change in the ratio of our ADSs to common shares from one ADS representing one common share to one ADS representing ten common shares.

 

D.

Selling Shareholders

Not applicable.

 

E.

Dilution

Not applicable.

 

F.

Expenses of the Issue

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

A.

Share Capital

Not applicable.

 

B.

Memorandum and Articles of Association

We are a Cayman Islands company and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act, Cap 22 (Act 3 of 1961, as consolidated and revised) of the Cayman Islands, or the Companies Act, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The following are summaries of material provisions of our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association in effect as of the date of this annual report insofar as they relate to the material terms of our common shares.

Registered Office and Objects

Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, P.O. Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands, or at such other place as our board of directors may from time to time decide. The objects for which our company is established are unrestricted and we have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Act, as amended from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

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Board of Directors

A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. A director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract or arrangement in which he is materially interested. A director may exercise all the powers of our company to borrow money, mortgage its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and issue debentures or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any obligation of our company or of any third party. The directors may receive such remuneration as our board may from time to time determine. There is no age limit requirement with respect to the retirement or non-retirement of a director. See also “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—C. Board Practices—Duties of Directors” and “—Terms of Directors and Officers.”

Common Shares

General. All of our outstanding common shares are fully paid and non-assessable. Certificates representing the common shares are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.

Dividends. The holders of our common shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to the Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association.

Voting Rights. Each common share is entitled to one vote on all matters upon which the common shares are entitled to vote. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. A poll may be demanded by our chairman or any shareholder holding at least 10% of the shares given a right to vote at the meeting, present in person or by proxy.

A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of at least two shareholders present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorized representative, which hold in aggregate at least one-tenth of the voting share capital, for as long as the shares remain listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, or otherwise at least one-third of our voting share capital. Shareholders’ meetings are held annually and may be convened by our board of directors on its own initiative or upon a request to the directors by shareholders holding in aggregate (i) not less than 10% of our voting share capital for as long as the shares remain listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, or (ii) otherwise not less than 33% of our voting share capital. The minimum notice period required to convene an annual general meeting is 21 days, and any other general meeting shall be called by at least 14 days’ notice as long as our shares remain listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, or otherwise at least seven business days’ notice.

All general meetings (including the annual general meeting, any adjourned meeting or postponed meeting) may be held as a physical meeting, as a hybrid meeting or as an electronic meeting, as may be determined by the board of directors in its absolute discretion in accordance with the third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the common shares cast in a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the common shares. A special resolution is required for important matters such as a change of name. Holders of the common shares may affect certain changes by ordinary resolution, including increasing the amount of our authorized share capital, consolidating and dividing all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing share capital, and canceling any shares.

Transfer of Shares. Subject to the restrictions of our memorandum and articles of association, as applicable, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her common shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form prescribed by the New York Stock Exchange or in any other form approved by our board.

Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, decline to register any transfer of any common share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any common share unless (1) the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the common shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; (2) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of common shares; (3) the instrument of transfer is duly and properly signed; (4) in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the common share is to be transferred does not exceed four; (5) the shares conceded are free of any lien in favor of us; or (6) a fee of such maximum sum as the New York Stock Exchange may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our board of directors may from time to time require, is paid to us in respect thereof.

 

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If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within two months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal. The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.

Liquidation. On a return of capital on winding up or otherwise (other than on conversion, redemption or purchase of shares), assets available for distribution among the holders of common shares shall be distributed among the holders of the common shares on a pro rata basis. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders proportionately.

Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares. Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time or times of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid on the specified time are subject to forfeiture.

Redemption of Shares. Subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, we may issue shares on terms that are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by special resolution.

Variations of Rights of Shares. All or any of the special rights attached to any class of shares may, subject to the provisions of the Companies Act, be varied either with the written consent of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

Inspection of Books and Records. Holders of our common shares have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records. However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements. See “—H. Documents on Display.”

Limitations on the Right to Own Shares. There are no limitations on the right to own our shares.

Disclosure of Shareholder Ownership. There are no provisions in our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed. An exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, is required to maintain a beneficial ownership register at its registered office that records details of the persons who ultimately own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the equity interests or voting rights of the company or otherwise exercise ultimate effective control over the management of the company or are identified as exercising control of the company through other means. The beneficial ownership register is not a public document and is only accessible by a designated competent authority of the Cayman Islands. Such requirement does not, however, apply to an exempted company with its shares listed on an approved stock exchange, which includes the NYSE. Accordingly, for so long as our shares are listed on the NYSE, we are not required to maintain a beneficial ownership register provided our corporate services provider files certain required particulars in respect of such listing with the competent authority of the Cayman Islands.

Differences in Corporate Law

The Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England but does not follow recent statutory enactments in England. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States.

 

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Mergers and Similar Arrangements. The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a combined company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association.

The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must, in addition, represent 75% in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that (a) the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met; (b) the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; (c) the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and (d) the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act.

If an arrangement and reconstruction is thus approved, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

Shareholders’ Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, there are exceptions to the foregoing principle, including when (a) a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires; (b) the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and (c) those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association permit indemnification of officers and directors for losses, damages, costs and expenses incurred in their capacities as such unless such losses or damages arise from dishonesty or fraud which may attach to such directors or officers. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation. In addition, we intend to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors and senior executive officers that will provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

 

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Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Anti-Takeover Provisions in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Some provisions of our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders.

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the company—a duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a profit based on his or her position as director (unless the company permits him to do so) and a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interest or his or her duty to a third party. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his or her duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his or her knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

In addition, directors of a Cayman Islands company must not place themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests. However, this obligation may be varied by the company’s articles of association, which may permit a director to vote on a matter in which he has a personal interest provided that he has disclosed that nature of his interest to the board. Our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that a director with an interest (direct or indirect) in a contract or arrangement or proposed contract or arrangement with the company must declare the nature of his interest at the meeting of the board of directors at which the question of entering into the contract or arrangement is first considered, if he knows his interest then exists, or in any other case at the first meeting of the board of directors after he is or has become so interested.

A general notice may be given at a meeting of the board of directors to the effect that (i) the director is a member/officer of a specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested in any contract or arrangement which may after the date of the notice in writing be made with that company or firm; or (ii) he is to be regarded as interested in any contract or arrangement which may after the date of the notice in writing to the board of directors be made with a specified person who is connected with him, will be deemed sufficient declaration of interest. Following the disclosure being made pursuant to our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and subject to any separate requirement for Audit Committee approval under applicable law or the listing rules of the NYSE, and unless disqualified by the chairman of the relevant board meeting, a director may vote in respect of any contract or arrangement in which such director is interested and may be counted in the quorum at such meeting. However, even if a director discloses his interest and is therefore permitted to vote, he must still comply with his duty to act bona fide in the best interest of our company.

In comparison, under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He or she must not use his or her corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

 

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Shareholder Proposals. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided that it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

There are no statutory requirements under Cayman Islands law allowing our shareholders to requisition a shareholders’ meeting. However, under our third amended and restated articles of association, on the requisition of shareholders representing not less than 33% of the voting rights entitled to vote at general meetings, the board shall convene an extraordinary general meeting. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings, and our third amended and restated articles of association do not require us to call such meetings every year.

Cumulative Voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. As permitted under Cayman Islands law, our third amended and restated articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

Removal of Directors. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our third amended and restated articles of association, directors may be removed by an ordinary resolution of shareholders.

Transactions with Interested Shareholders. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.

Dissolution; Winding Up. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board. Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

 

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Under the Companies Act, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders.

Variation of Rights of Shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law and our third amended and restated articles of association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class only with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.

Amendment of Governing Documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law, our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of our shareholders.

Rights of Non-Resident or Foreign Shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.

Directors’ Power to Issue Shares. Subject to applicable law, our board of directors is empowered to issue or allot shares or grant options and warrants with or without preferred, deferred, qualified or other special rights or restrictions.

 

C.

Material Contracts

We have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with New Oriental China, Its Schools and Subsidiaries and Its Shareholder” and “—Contractual Arrangements with Beijing Xuncheng, Its Subsidiaries and Shareholders” or elsewhere in this annual report on Form 20-F.

 

D.

Exchange Controls

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange.”

 

E.

Taxation

The following discussion of the material Cayman Islands, PRC and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or common shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F, all of which are subject to change. This discussion does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our ADSs or common shares, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws. Accordingly, each investor should consult its own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in our ADSs or common shares applicable under its particular circumstances.

Cayman Islands Taxation

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to the holders of our ADSs or common shares levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is a party to a double tax treaty entered into with the United Kingdom in 2010 but otherwise is not party to any double tax treaties. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

 

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PRC Taxation

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered as a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a PRC enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, although the dividends paid to one resident enterprise from another may qualify as “tax-exempt income.” The implementation rules of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law define de facto management as “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise. The State Administration of Taxation has issued circular to provide that a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a PRC company group will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with its “de facto management body” located within China if all of the following requirements are satisfied: (i) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations function are mainly in the PRC; (ii) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in the PRC; (iii) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in the PRC; and (iv) at least half of the enterprise’s directors with voting right or senior management reside in the PRC. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin on August 3, 2011, effective as of September 1, 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. The bulletin clarified certain matters relating to resident status determination, post-determination administration and competent tax authorities. It also specifies that when provided with a copy of a PRC tax resident determination certificate from a resident PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise, the payer should not withhold 10% income tax when paying the PRC-sourced dividends, interest and royalties to the PRC-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise. Although both the circular and the bulletin only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises and not those by PRC individuals, the determination criteria set forth in the circular and administration clarification made in the bulletin may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax residency status of offshore enterprises and the administration measures should be implemented, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC individuals. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation issued a bulletin on January 29, 2014, to provide more guidance on the implementation of the above circular. This bulletin further provided that, among other things, an entity that is classified as a “resident enterprise” in accordance with the circular shall file the application for classifying its status of residential enterprise with the local tax authorities where its main domestic investors registered. From the year in which the entity is determined as a “resident enterprise,” any dividend, profit and other equity investment gain shall be taxed in accordance with the Article 26 of EIT law and the Article 17 and Article 83 of its implementation rules. If we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, dividends distributed to our non-PRC enterprise shareholders by us, or the gain our non-PRC enterprise shareholders may realize from the transfer of our common shares or ADSs, may be treated as PRC-sourced income and therefore be subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law.

For more information on PRC taxation applicable to our company, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations on Taxation” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—A. Operating Results—Taxation.”

U.S. Federal Income Taxation

The following discussion is a summary of U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to U.S. Holders (as defined below) of the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or common shares. The following discussion applies only to U.S. Holders (as defined below) that hold our ADSs or common shares as capital assets (generally, property held for investment) under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. This discussion is based upon existing U.S. federal tax law as in effect on the date of this annual report, which is subject to differing interpretations or change (possibly with retroactive effect), and there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service or a court will not take a contrary position. Moreover, this summary does not address the U.S. federal estate, gift, Medicare, backup withholding, and minimum tax considerations, or any state, local, and non-U.S. tax considerations, relating to the ownership and disposition of our ADSs or common shares.

The following discussion does not deal with the tax consequences to any particular holder or to persons in special tax situations such as:

 

   

banks;

 

   

financial institutions;

 

   

insurance companies;

 

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broker-dealers;

 

   

traders that elect to mark to market;

 

   

tax-exempt entities (including private foundations);

 

   

pension plans;

 

   

cooperatives;

 

   

holders that are not U.S. Holders;

 

   

persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

 

   

real estate investment trusts;

 

   

regulated investment companies;

 

   

persons liable for minimum tax;

 

   

persons holding ADSs or common shares as part of a straddle, hedging, conversion, constructive sale, or other integrated transaction for United States federal income tax purposes;

 

   

persons that actually or constructively own 10% or more of our stock (by vote or value);

 

   

persons holding ADSs or common shares through partnerships or other pass-through entities; or

 

   

persons who acquired ADSs or common shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as compensation.

U.S. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL TAX RULES TO THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES AS WELL AS THE STATE, LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX, MINIMUM TAX, MEDICARE TAX AND NON-INCOME TAX (SUCH AS THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX) CONSIDERATIONS OF THE OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF ADSS OR COMMON SHARES.

The discussion below of the United States federal income tax consequences to “U.S. Holders” will apply if you are the beneficial owner of ADSs or common shares and you are, for U.S. federal income tax purposes,

 

   

a citizen or individual resident of the U.S.;

 

   

a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) organized under the laws of the United States, any state or the District of Columbia;

 

   

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust that (1) is subject to the supervision of a court within the U.S. and the control of one or more U.S. persons or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of common shares or ADSs, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding our common shares or ADSs and partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the United States federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership or disposition of our common shares or ADSs.

 

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If you hold ADSs, it is generally expected that you should be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying common shares represented by those ADSs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The remainder of this discussion assumes that a U.S. Holder of our ADSs will be treated in this manner.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations

A non-United States corporation, such as our company, will be a “passive foreign investment company,” or a “PFIC,” for United States federal income tax purposes, if either (1) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (2) 50% or more of the value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. For this purpose, cash and assets readily convertible into cash are categorized as passive assets and the company’s goodwill and other unbooked intangibles associated with active business activities may generally be classified as active assets. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents, royalties, and gains from the disposition of passive assets. If a non-U.S. corporation directly or indirectly owns at least 25% (by value) of the stock of another corporation, such corporation will be treated, for purposes of the PFIC tests, as owning a proportionate share of the assets and earning a proportionate share of the other corporation’s assets and receiving a proportionate share of the other corporation’s income.

Although the law in this regard is unclear, we treat the VIES (including their subsidiaries) as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with these entities, and, as a result, we are considered the primary beneficiary of these entities and consolidate their operating results in our combined financial statements under the U.S. GAAP for accounting purposes.

Assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended May 31, 2024. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis that depends, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets and the value of our assets. As previously disclosed, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended May 31, 2023. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or future taxable years because the value of our assets for the purpose of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. If our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become a PFIC for the current taxable year or future taxable years. Under circumstances where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming a PFIC may substantially increase. If we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares even if we cease to be a PFIC.

Taxation of Distributions on the ADSs or Common Shares

Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, the gross amount of all our distributions (including the amount of any tax withheld) paid to you with respect to the ADSs or common shares out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles, will generally be included in your gross income as ordinary dividend income on the date actually or constructively received by the depositary, in the case of ADSs, or by you, in the case of common shares. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of U.S. federal income tax principles, any distribution paid will generally be reported as a “dividend” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction allowed to corporations in respect of dividends received from other U.S. corporations.

With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, including individuals, dividends may be “qualified dividend income” which is taxed at the lower applicable capital gains rate provided that (1) the ADSs or common shares, as applicable, are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or we are eligible for the benefit of the income tax treaty between the U.S. and the PRC, (2) the non-United States corporation is not a passive foreign investment company for either its taxable year in which the dividend was paid or the preceding taxable year and (3) certain holding period requirements are met. Although we expect our ADSs will be considered to be readily tradable on the NYSE, which is an established securities market in the U.S., there can be no assurance that our ADSs will be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in the future. Since we do not expect that our common shares will be listed on an established securities market in the U.S., it is unclear whether dividends that we pay on our common shares that are not backed by ADSs currently meet the conditions required for the reduced tax rate.

In the event, however, that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be eligible for the benefits of the U.S.-PRC income tax treaty (the “Treaty”). U.S. Holders are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for dividends paid with respect to our ADSs or common shares.

 

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Dividends paid on our ADSs and common shares will generally be treated as income from foreign sources for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes and will generally constitute passive category income. In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC withholding taxes on dividends paid on our ADSs or common shares. A U.S. Holder may be subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on our ADSs or common shares. A U.S. Holder who does not elect to claim a foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld may instead claim a deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes in respect of such withholdings, but only for a year in which such U.S. Holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex. U.S. Holders are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.

As discussed above, assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended May 31, 2024. However, as previously disclosed, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended May 31, 2023. With certain exceptions, if we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares even if we cease to be a PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate on dividends with respect to our ADSs or common shares under their particular circumstances.

Taxation of Disposition of Shares

Subject to the passive foreign investment company rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder will generally recognize taxable gain or loss on any sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of an ADS or common share equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition of the ADS or common share and such holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ADS or common share. The gain or loss will generally be capital gain or loss. A non-corporate U.S. Holder, including an individual, who has held the ADS or common share for more than one year will be eligible for reduced capital gains rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any such gain or loss will generally be treated as U.S. source income or loss for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, which will generally limit the availability of foreign tax credits.

In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, gains from the disposition of the ADSs or common shares may be subject to PRC income tax and will generally be U.S. source, which may limit the ability to receive a foreign tax credit. If a U.S. Holder is eligible for the benefits of the Treaty, such holder may be able to elect to treat such gain as PRC source income under the Treaty. Pursuant to U.S. Treasury regulations, however, if a U.S. Holder is not eligible for the benefits of the Treaty or does not elect to apply the Treaty, then such holder may not be able to claim a foreign tax credit arising from any PRC tax imposed on the disposition of the ADSs or common shares. The rules regarding foreign tax credits and deduction of foreign taxes are complex. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of our ADSs or common shares, including the availability of a foreign tax credit or deduction in light of their particular circumstances, including their eligibility for benefits under the Treaty, and the potential impact of the recently issued U.S. Treasury regulations.

As discussed above, assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended May 31, 2024. However, as previously disclosed, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended May 31, 2023. With certain exceptions, if we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares even if we cease to be a PFIC. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax considerations of the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or common shares under their particular circumstances.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

As discussed above, assuming that we are the owner of our VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended May 31, 2024. However, as previously disclosed, we believed that we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended May 31, 2023. If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, and unless the U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules that have a penalizing effect, regardless of whether we remain a PFIC, on (1) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year to a U.S. Holder that is greater than 125 percent of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or common shares, and (2) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or common shares. Under these PFIC rules:

 

   

such excess distribution and/or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ADSs or common shares;

 

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such amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable years in the U.S. Holder’s holding period prior to the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC (a “pre-PFIC year”), will be taxable as ordinary income;

 

   

such amount allocated to each prior taxable year, other than the current taxable year or a pre-PFIC year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as applicable, for each such year; and

 

   

an interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the tax attributable to each prior taxable year, other than the current taxable year or a pre-PFIC year.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares and any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is also a PFIC (i.e., a lower-tier PFIC), such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC and would be subject to the rules described above on certain distributions by a lower-tier PFIC and a disposition of shares of a lower-tier PFIC even though such U.S. Holder would not receive the proceeds of those distributions or dispositions. U.S. Holders are advised to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries.

If we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or common shares even if we cease to meet the threshold requirements for PFIC status. However, if we cease to be a PFIC, provided that you have not made a mark-to-market election, as described below, you may avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a “deemed sale” election with respect to the ADSs or common shares, as applicable. If such election is made, you will be deemed to have sold our ADSs or common shares you hold at their fair market value and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described in the following paragraphs. After the deemed sale election, so long as we do not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, your ADSs or common shares with respect to which such election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC and you will not be subject to the rules described below with respect to any “excess distribution” you receive from us or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs or common shares. The rules dealing with deemed sale elections are very complex. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if we cease to be a PFIC and such election becomes available to you.

As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election for such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above, provided that such stock is “regularly traded” (as defined below) within the meaning of applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election for the ADSs or common shares, such holder will generally include in income for each year that we are treated as a PFIC with respect to such holder an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ADSs or common shares as of the close of your taxable year over the holder’s adjusted basis in such ADSs or common shares. A U.S. Holder will be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the ADSs or common shares over their fair market value as of the close of the taxable year. However, such deductions will be allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains on the ADSs or common shares included in a U.S. Holder’s income for prior taxable years. Amounts included in a U.S. Holder’s income under a mark-to-market election, as well as gain on the actual sale or other disposition of the ADSs or common shares, will be treated as ordinary income. Ordinary loss treatment will also apply to the deductible portion of any mark-to-market loss on the ADSs or common shares, as well as to any loss realized on the actual sale or disposition of the ADSs or common shares, to the extent that the amount of such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included for such ADSs or common shares. A U.S. Holder’s basis in the ADSs or common shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts. If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election in respect of a corporation classified as a PFIC and such corporation ceases to be classified as a PFIC, the U.S. Holder will not be required to take into account the gain or loss described above during any period that such corporation is not classified as a PFIC.

The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which is stock that is traded in other than de minimis quantities on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (“regularly traded”) on a qualified exchange or other market, as defined in applicable United States Treasury regulations. Our ADSs are listed on the NYSE, which is a qualified exchange or market for these purposes. Consequently, if the ADSs continue to be listed on the NYSE and are regularly traded, and a U.S. Holder holds ADSs, we expect that the mark-to-market election would be available to such U.S. Holder if we are a PFIC. However, there can be no assurance in this regard. Only our ADSs, and not our common shares, are listed on the NYSE. Consequently, if a U.S. Holder holds common shares that are not represented by ADSs, such holder generally will not be eligible to make a mark-to-market election if we are a PFIC. Because a mark-to-market election cannot technically be made for equity interests in any lower-tier PFICs that we own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to its indirect interest in any investments held by us that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the case of a U.S. Holder who has held ADSs or common shares during any taxable year in respect of which we were classified as a PFIC and continues to hold such ADSs or common shares (or any portion thereof) and has not previously determined to make a mark-to-market election, and who is now considering making a mark-to-market election, special tax rules may apply relating to purging the PFIC taint of such ADSs or common shares.

 

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We do not intend to provide information necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from (and generally less adverse than) the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.

If a U.S. Holder holds ADSs or common shares in any year in which we are treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder, the U.S. Holder will generally be required to file United States Internal Revenue Service Form 8621 and such other form as is required by the United States Treasury Department. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the potential reporting requirements that may apply and the U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding and disposing of our ADSs or common shares if we are treated as a PFIC, including the possibility of making a mark-to-market election and the unavailability of the election to treat us as a qualified electing fund.

 

F.

Dividends and Paying Agents

Not applicable.

 

G.

Statement by Experts

Not applicable.

 

H.

Documents on Display

We are subject to the periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act. Under the Exchange Act, we are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. In particular, we are required to file annually a Form 20-F within four months after the end of each fiscal year. All information we file with the SEC can be obtained over the internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of quarterly reports and proxy statements, and officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

We will furnish Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary of our ADSs, with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders’ meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, upon our request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders’ meeting received by the depositary from us.

In accordance with NYSE Rule 203.01, we will post this annual report on our website at http://investor.neworiental.org. In addition, we will provide hardcopies of our annual report to shareholders, including ADS holders, free of charge upon request.

 

I.

Subsidiary Information

Not applicable.

 

J.

Annual Report to Security Holders.

We intend to submit the annual report provided to security holders in electronic format pursuant to the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited as an exhibit to a current report on Form 6-K.

 

ITEM 11.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Risk

Our exposure to interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income generated by excess cash invested in liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and term deposits with maturities of greater than three months and less than a year. We have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest risk exposure. Interest-earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk. We have not been exposed, nor do we anticipate being exposed, to material risks due to changes in interest rates. However, our future interest income may be lower than expected due to changes in market interest rates. A hypothetical one percentage point decrease in interest rates would have resulted in a decrease of approximately US$48.7 million in our interest income for the year ended May 31, 2024.

 

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Foreign Exchange Risk

The conversion of Renminbi into other currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against other currencies, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. It is difficult to predict how market forces or government policies may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and other currencies in the future.

 

ITEM 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

 

A.

Debt Securities

Not applicable.

 

B.

Warrants and Rights

Not applicable.

 

C.

Other Securities

Not applicable.

 

D.

American Depositary Shares

Fees and Charges Our ADS holders May Have to Pay

The depositary of our ADS facility, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, shall charge the following fees for the services performed under the terms of the deposit agreement, unless otherwise agreed in writing by us and the depositary; provided, however, that no fees shall be payable upon distribution of cash dividends so long as the charging of such fee is prohibited by the exchange, if any, upon which the ADSs are listed:

 

   

to any person to whom ADSs are issued or to any person to whom a distribution is made in respect of ADS distributions pursuant to stock dividends or other free distributions of stock, bonus distributions, stock splits or other distributions (except where converted to cash), a fee not in excess of US$5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) so issued under the terms of the deposit agreement to be determined by the depositary;

 

   

to any person surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of deposited securities including, inter alia, cash distributions made pursuant to a cancellation or withdrawal, a fee not in excess of US$5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) so surrendered;

 

   

to any holder of ADSs, a fee not in excess of US$0.05 per ADS held for the distribution of cash proceeds, including cash dividends or sale of rights and other entitlements, not made pursuant to a cancellation or withdrawal;

 

   

to any holder of ADSs, a fee not in excess of US$5.00 per 100 ADSs (or portion thereof) issued upon the exercise of rights; and

 

   

for the operation and maintenance costs in administering the ADSs, an annual fee of US$0.05 or less per ADSs (such fee to be assessed against holders of record as of the date or dates set by the depositary as it sees fit and collected at the sole discretion of the depositary by billing such holders for such fee or by deducting such fee from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions).

 

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In addition, holders, beneficial owners, persons depositing our common shares for deposit and persons surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of deposited securities will be required to pay the following charges:

 

   

taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges;

 

   

such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of our common shares or other deposited securities with the foreign registrar and applicable to transfers of common shares or other deposited securities to or from the name of the custodian, the depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;

 

   

such cable, telex, facsimile and electronic transmission and delivery expenses as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing common shares or holders and beneficial owners of ADSs;

 

   

the expenses and charges incurred by the depositary in the conversion of foreign currency;

 

   

such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to common shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs;

 

   

the fees and expenses incurred by the depositary in connection with the delivery of deposited securities, including any fees of a central depository for securities in the local market, where applicable; and

 

   

any additional fees, charges, costs or expenses that may be incurred by the depositary from time to time.

Any other charges and expenses of the depositary under the deposit agreement will be paid by our company upon agreement between the depositary and us. All fees and charges may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the depositary and our company but subject, in the case of fees and charges payable by holders or beneficial owners, to the limitations set forth in the Form of ADR.

We will pay all other charges and expenses of the depositary and any agent of the depositary (except the custodian) pursuant to agreements from time to time between us and the depositary. The fees described above may be amended from time to time.

The depositary collects its fees for issuance and cancellation of ADSs directly from investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions, or by directly billing investors, or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may generally refuse to provide services until its fees for those services and any other unpaid fees are paid.

Fees and Other Payments Made by the Depositary to Us

The depositary has agreed to reimburse us for the establishment and maintenance of the ADS program and to provide us with assistance in relation to our investor relations program, the training of staff and certain other matters. Further, the depositary has agreed to share with us certain fees payable to the depositary by holders of ADSs. In the fiscal year ended May 31, 2024, we received a sum of US$1.4 million for the expenses related to our investor relations program, directors and officers liability and company insurance reimbursement, listing fees and legal service fees. The payment we received was recognized in other income.

 

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Conversion between Common Shares and ADSs

Dealings and Settlement of Common Shares in Hong Kong

Our common shares trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in board lots of 100 common shares following a share subdivision that took effect on March 10, 2021. Dealings in our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will be conducted in Hong Kong dollars.

The transaction costs of dealings in our common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange include:

 

   

Hong Kong Stock Exchange trading fee of 0.005% of the consideration of the transaction, charged to each of the buyer and seller;

 

   

Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong transaction levy of 0.0027% of the consideration of the transaction, charged to each of the buyer and seller;

 

   

Financial Reporting Council transaction levy of 0.00015% of the consideration of the transaction, charged to each of the buyer and seller;

 

   

trading tariff of HK$0.50 on each and every purchase or sale transaction. The decision on whether or not to pass the trading tariff onto investors is at the discretion of brokers;

 

   

transfer deed stamp duty of HK$5.00 per transfer deed (if applicable), payable by the seller;

 

   

ad valorem stamp duty at a total rate of 0.2% of the value of the transaction, with 0.1% payable by each of the buyer and the seller;

 

   

stock settlement fee, which is currently 0.002% of the gross transaction value, subject to a minimum fee of HK$2.00 and a maximum fee of HK$100.00 per side per trade;

 

   

brokerage commission, which is freely negotiable with the broker (other than brokerage commissions for IPO transactions which are currently set at 1% of the subscription or purchase price and will be payable by the person subscribing for or purchasing the securities); and

 

   

the Hong Kong share registrar, Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited, will charge HK$2.50 (or such higher fee as may from time to time be permitted under the Hong Kong Listing Rules), for each transfer of common shares from one registered owner to another, each share certificate canceled or issued by it and any applicable fee as stated in the share transfer forms used in Hong Kong.

Investors must settle their trades executed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange through their brokers directly or through custodians. For an investor who has deposited his/her common shares in his/her stock account or in his/her designated CCASS participant’s stock account maintained with CCASS, settlement will be effected in CCASS in accordance with the General Rules of CCASS and CCASS Operational Procedures in effect from time to time. For an investor who holds the physical certificates, settlement certificates and the duly executed transfer forms must be delivered to his/her broker or custodian before the settlement date.

Conversion between Common Shares Trading in Hong Kong and ADSs

In connection with the initial public offering of common shares in Hong Kong, or the Hong Kong IPO, we have established a branch register of members in Hong Kong, or the Hong Kong share register, which is maintained by our Hong Kong Share Registrar, Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited. Our principal register of members, or the Cayman share register, continues to be maintained by our principal share registrar, Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, in the Cayman Islands.

As described in further detail below, holders of common shares registered on the Hong Kong share register are able to convert these shares into ADSs, and vice versa.

 

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Converting Common Shares Trading in Hong Kong into ADSs

An investor who holds common shares registered in Hong Kong and who intends to convert them to ADSs to trade on the NYSE must deposit or have his or her broker deposit the common shares with the depositary’s Hong Kong custodian, Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch, Hong Kong, or the custodian, in exchange for ADSs.

A deposit of common shares trading in Hong Kong in exchange for ADSs involves the following procedures:

 

   

If common shares have been deposited with CCASS, the investor must transfer common shares to the depositary’s account with the custodian within CCASS by following the CCASS procedures for transfer and submit and deliver a duly completed and signed letter of transmittal to the custodian via his or her broker.

 

   

If common shares are held outside CCASS, the investor must arrange to deposit his or her common shares into CCASS for delivery to the depositary’s account with the custodian within CCASS, submit and deliver a duly completed and signed letter of transmittal to the custodian via his or her broker.

 

   

Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, if applicable, and subject in all cases to the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary will issue the corresponding number of ADSs in the name(s) requested by an investor and will deliver the ADSs to the designated DTC account of the person(s) designated by an investor or his or her broker.

For common shares deposited in CCASS, under normal circumstances, the above steps generally require two business days. For common shares held outside CCASS in physical form, the above steps may take 14 business days, or more, to complete. Temporary delays may arise. For example, the transfer books of the depositary may from time to time be closed to ADS issuances. The investor will be unable to trade the ADSs until the procedures are completed.

Converting ADSs to Common Shares Trading in Hong Kong

An investor who holds ADSs and who intends to convert his/her ADSs into common shares to trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange must cancel the ADSs the investor holds and withdraw common shares from our ADS program and cause his or her broker or other financial institution to trade such common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

An investor that holds ADSs indirectly through a broker should follow the broker’s procedure and instruct the broker to arrange for cancelation of the ADSs, and transfer of the underlying common shares from the depositary’s account with the custodian within the CCASS system to the investor’s Hong Kong stock account.

For investors holding ADSs directly, the following steps must be taken:

 

   

To withdraw common shares from our ADS program, an investor who holds ADSs may turn in such ADSs at the office of the depositary (and the applicable ADR(s) if the ADSs are held in certificated form), and send an instruction to cancel such ADSs to the depositary.

 

   

Upon payment or net of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, if applicable, and subject in all cases to the terms of the deposit agreement, the depositary will instruct the custodian to deliver common shares underlying the canceled ADSs to the CCASS account designated by an investor.

 

   

If an investor prefers to receive common shares outside CCASS, he or she must receive common shares in CCASS first and then arrange for withdrawal from CCASS. Investors can then obtain a transfer form signed by HKSCC Nominees Limited (as the transferor) and register common shares in their own names with the Hong Kong share registrar.

For common shares to be received in CCASS, under normal circumstances, the above steps generally require two business days. For common shares to be received outside CCASS in physical form, the above steps may take 14 business days, or more, to complete. The investor will be unable to trade the common shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange until the procedures are completed.

 

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Temporary delays may arise. For example, the transfer books of the depositary may from time to time be closed to ADS cancellations. In addition, completion of the above steps and procedures is subject to there being a sufficient number of common shares on the Hong Kong share register to facilitate a withdrawal from the ADS program directly into the CCASS system. We are not under any obligation to maintain or increase the number of common shares on the Hong Kong share register to facilitate such withdrawals.

Depositary Requirements

Before the depositary issues ADSs or permits withdrawal of common shares, the depositary may require:

 

   

production of satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and

 

   

compliance with procedures it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement, including, but not limited to, presentation of transfer documents.

The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer, or register issuances, transfers and cancelation of ADSs generally when the transfer books of the depositary or our Hong Kong share registrar are closed or at any time if the depositary or we determine it advisable to do so.

All costs attributable to the transfer of common shares to effect a withdrawal from or deposit of common shares into our ADS program will be borne by the investor requesting the transfer. In particular, holders of common shares and ADSs should note that the Hong Kong share registrar will charge HK$2.50 (or such higher fee as may from time to time be permitted under the Hong Kong Listing Rules) for each transfer of common shares from one registered owner to another, each share certificate canceled or issued by it and any applicable fee as stated in the share transfer forms used in Hong Kong. In addition, holders of common shares and ADSs must pay up to US$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs for each issuance of ADSs and each cancelation of ADSs, as the case may be, in connection with the deposit of common shares into, or withdrawal of common shares from, our ADS program.

PART II

 

ITEM 13.

DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES

None.

 

ITEM 14.

MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 15.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our management has concluded that, as of May 31, 2024, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

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Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established in the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of May 31, 2024.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may deteriorate.

Our independent registered public accounting firm has audited our internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2024 and has issued an attestation report set forth below.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of May 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended May 31, 2024, of the Company and our report dated September 25, 2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting, may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP
Beijing, the People’s Republic of China
September
25
, 2024
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this annual report on Form
20-F
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
 
ITEM 16.
[Reserved]
 
ITEM 16A.
AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT
Our board of directors has determined that Denny Ting Bun Lee, an independent director (under the standards set forth in Section 303A of the NYSE Listed Company Manual and Rule
10A-3
under the Exchange Act) and the chairman of our audit committee, is our audit committee financial expert.
 
ITEM 16B.
CODE OF ETHICS
Our board of directors has adopted a code of ethics that applies to our directors, officers, employees and agents, including certain provisions that specifically apply to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, vice presidents and any other persons who perform similar functions for us. We have posted a copy of our code of business conduct and ethics on our website at http://investor.neworiental.org.
 
ITEM 16C.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees by categories specified below in connection with certain professional services rendered by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP (PCAOB ID No 1113), our independent registered public accounting firm, for the periods indicated. We did not pay any other fees to our independent registered public accounting firm during the periods indicated below.
 
 
  
For the Years Ended May 31,
 
(in thousands of US$)
  
 2023 
 
  
 2024 
 
Audit fees
(1)
  
 
1,970
 
  
 
2,104
 
Audit related fees
(2)
  
 
598
 
  
 
718
 
Tax fees
(3)
  
 
147
 
  
 
175
 
All other fees
  
 
110
 
  
 
125
 
 
(1)
“Audit fees” means the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements and the review of our comparative interim financial information.
(2)
“Audit related fees” means the fees billed for the audit services provided for issuing comfort letter, rendering of listing advice and other audit related services to our company, including our consolidated subsidiaries and the audit services provided to potential investees.
(3)
“Tax fees” represents the aggregated fees billed for professional services rendered by our principal auditors for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. The policy of our audit committee is to
pre-approve
all audit and
non-audit
services provided by our principal auditors, including audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services as described above, other than those for de minimis services which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit.
 
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ITEM 16D.

EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 16E.

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

On July 26, 2022, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to US$400 million of our company’s ADSs or common shares during the period from July 28, 2022 through May 31, 2023. In June 2023 and May 2024, our board of directors further authorized to extend the share repurchase program by twelve months through May 31, 2024 and May 31, 2025, respectively. In August 2024, our board of directors approved an adjustment to the share repurchase program, increasing the aggregate value of shares that we are authorized to repurchase under the share repurchase program from US$400 million to US$700 million.

As of September 16, 2024, we repurchased an aggregate of 9,093,038 ADSs under this share repurchase program. The table below is a summary of the shares repurchased by us.

 

     Total Number
of ADSs
Purchased
     Average
Price
Paid Per
ADS
($)
     Total Number of
ADSs Purchased
as Part of the
Publicly
Announced Plan
     Approximate
Dollar Value of
ADSs that May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plan
($)
 

Period

           

June 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023

     —         —         5,946,314        508,371,742  

July 1, 2023 to July 31, 2023

     —         —         5,946,314        508,371,742  

August 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023

     11,000        55.0        5,957,314        507,766,438  

September 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023

     20,000        54.5        5,977,314        506,676,709  

October 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023

     —         —         5,977,314        506,676,709  

November 1, 2023 to November 30, 2023

     —         —         5,977,314        506,676,709  

December 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023

     2,500        69.7        5,979,814        506,502,335  

January 1, 2024 to January 31, 2024

     10,000        68.5        5,989,814        505,817,236  

February 1, 2024 to February 29, 2024

     —         —         5,989,814        505,817,236  

March 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024

     600        84.9        5,990,414        505,766,273  

April 1, 2024 to April 30, 2024

     128,395        81.2        6,118,809        495,336,034  

May 1, 2024 to May 31, 2024

     611,448        81.6        6,730,257        445,428,308  

June 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024

     243,160        75.8        6,973,417        427,006,012  

July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024

     309,421        74.6        7,282,838        403,927,110  

August 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024

     1,261,200        65.7        8,544,038        321,070,232  

September 1, 2024 to September 16, 2024

     549,000        60.6        9,093,038        287,821,067  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     3,146,724        70.1        9,093,038        287,821,067  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

ITEM 16F.

CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANTS

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 16G.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Section 303A.12(a) of the NYSE Listed Company Manual requires each listed company’s chief executive officer to certify to the NYSE each year that he or she is not aware of any violation by the company of NYSE corporate governance listing standards. We are a Cayman Islands company, and our chief executive officer is not required under applicable Cayman Islands law to make such a certification. Pursuant to the exception granted to foreign private issuers under Section 303A.00 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, we have followed our home country practice in this regard and have not in the past submitted the certification set forth in Section 303A.12(a) of the NYSE Listed Company Manual.

Section 303A.01 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual requires each listed company to have a majority of independent directors on the board of directors after the first anniversary of the company’s listing on the NYSE. We are not required under the laws of the Cayman Islands to have a majority of independent directors on our board of directors. Pursuant to the exception granted to foreign private issuers under Section 303A.00 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, we have elected to follow our home country practice with respect to our board of directors. Currently, we have six directors on our board, consisting of three independent directors and three directors who are or had been our executive officers or employed by us. Nevertheless, we have maintained fully independent audit, compensation and nominating and corporate governance committees on our board of directors since the first anniversary of our NYSE listing.

 

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Section 303A.08 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual requires a listed company to obtain its shareholders’ approval of all equity-compensation plans, and any material revisions to the terms of such plans. Under Cayman Islands law, we are not required to obtain shareholders’ approval for adoption of new equity-compensation plans or amendments to our existing equity incentive plan. Our board adopted our 2016 share incentive plan in January 2016. We have followed the home country practice and did not obtain shareholder approval for adopting the 2016 share incentive plan.
Other than the requirements discussed above, there are no significant differences between our corporate governance practices and those followed by domestic listed companies as required under the NYSE Listed Company Manual. A copy of our corporate governance guidelines is available on our website at http://investor.neworiental.org.
 
ITEM 16H.
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Not applicable.
 
ITEM 16I.
DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTION THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
 
ITEM 16J.
INSIDER TRADING POLICIES
Our board of directors has established insider trading policies and procedures to provide guidance on the purchases, sales, and other dispositions of our securities by our directors, officers, employees and other relevant persons, with the goal of promoting compliance with applicable insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and the listing standards of the NYSE and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The Second Amended and Restated Statement of Policies Governing Material,
Non-Public
Information and the Prevention of Insider Trading is filed as Exhibit 11.2 to this annual report on Form
20-F.
 
ITEM 16K.
CYBERSECURITY
Risk Management and Strategy
We have implemented robust processes for assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats and monitoring the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of material cybersecurity incident. We have also integrated cybersecurity risk management into our overall enterprise risk management system.
We have developed a comprehensive cybersecurity threat defense system to address both internal and external threats. This system encompasses various levels, including network, host and application security and incorporates systematic security capabilities for threat defense, monitoring, analysis, response, deception and countermeasures. We strive to manage cybersecurity risks and protect sensitive information through various means, such as technical safeguards, procedural requirements, an intensive program of monitoring on our corporate network, continuous testing of aspects of our security posture, a robust incident response program and regular cybersecurity awareness training for employees. Our IT department regularly monitors the performance of our apps, platform and infrastructure to enable us to respond quickly to potential problems, including potential cybersecurity threats.
We do not engage any third parties in connection with the processes for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. As of the date of this annual report, we have not experienced any material cybersecurity incidents or identified any material cybersecurity threats that have affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.
 
 
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Governance

Our board of directors is responsible for overseeing our cybersecurity risk management. Our board of directors shall review, approve and maintain oversight of the disclosure (i) on Form 6-K for material cybersecurity incidents (if any) and (ii) related to cybersecurity matters in the periodic reports (including annual report on Form 20-F) of our company.

At management level, our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and cybersecurity officer, or the Cybersecurity Risk Management Officers, are responsible for assessing, identifying and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats to our company and monitoring the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of material cybersecurity incident. Our Cybersecurity Risk Management Officers shall meet with the board of directors (i) in connection with each current report to furnish information concerning any material cybersecurity incident, report the status of any material cybersecurity incidents or material risks from cybersecurity threats to our company, if any, and the relevant disclosure issue, and (ii) in connection with each annual report, present the disclosure concerning cybersecurity matters in Form 20-F.

If a cybersecurity incident occurs, our Cybersecurity Risk Management Officers will promptly organize relevant personnel for internal assessment and if it is determined that the incident could potentially be a material cybersecurity event, our Cybersecurity Risk Management Officers will promptly report the incident and assessment results to our disclosure committee, our board of directors, and other members of senior management and external legal counsel, to the extent appropriate. Our Cybersecurity Risk Management Officers shall prepare disclosure material on the cybersecurity incident for review and approval by the disclosure committee and board of directors, and other members of senior management (if necessary), before it is disseminated to the public.

 

ITEM 17.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

We have elected to provide financial statements pursuant to Item 18.

 

ITEM 18.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The consolidated financial statements of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. are included at the end of this annual report.

 

ITEM 19.

EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

 1.1    Third Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Form 6-K (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Commission on November 28, 2023)
 2.1    Form of Registrant American Depositary Receipt (incorporated by reference to the prospectus filed with the Commission on March 10, 2021 pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) (File No. 333-253812) under the registration statement on Form F-6 filed with the Commission on March 3, 2021)
 2.2    Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Common Shares (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to the annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2021)
 2.3    Deposit Agreement, dated as of September 12, 2006, between the Registrant, the depositary and holders of the American Depositary Receipts (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s F-3 registration statement (File No. 333-249642) filed with the Commission on October 23, 2020)
 2.4    Supplemental Agreement to Deposit Agreement, dated as of June 5, 2007, between the Registrant, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(2) to the registration statement on Form F-6/A (File No. 333-136862) filed with the Commission on June 5, 2007)

 

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Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

 2.5    Form of Supplement and Amendment No. 2 to Deposit Agreement between the Registrant, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(3) to the registration statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-176069), filed with the Commission on August 5, 2011)
 2.6    Form of Supplement and Amendment No. 3 to Deposit Agreement between the Registrant, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(4) of post-effective amendment No. 1 to the registration statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-176069), filed with the Commission on April 25, 2012)
 2.7    Form of Amendment No. 4 to Deposit Agreement between the Registrant, the depositary and holders and beneficial owners of American Depositary Receipts issued thereunder (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (a)(v) of post-effective amendment No. 1 to the registration statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-253812), filed with the Commission on April 8, 2022)
 2.8    Trust Deed, dated as of July 2, 2020, between the Registrant and DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.7 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2020)
 2.9    Agency Agreement, dated as of July 2, 2020, by and among the Registrant, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited and Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.8 to the annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2020)
 2.10*    Description of Securities
 4.1    Form of Indemnification Agreement with the Registrant’s directors and officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Registrant’s F-1 registration statement (File No. 333-136825), as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 22, 2006)
 4.2    Form of Employment Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Registrant’s F-1 registration statement (File No. 333-136825), as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 22, 2006)
 4.3    English Translation of Form of New Enrollment System Development Service Agreement between Beijing Decision and New Oriental schools (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 of the Registrant’s F-1 registration statement (File No. 333-136825), as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 22, 2006)
 4.4    English Translation of Trademark License Agreement dated May 13, 2006 between the Registrant and New Oriental China (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.6 of the Registrant’s F-1 registration statement (File No. 333-136825), as amended, initially filed with the Commission on August 22, 2006)
 4.5    English Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement dated April 23, 2012 and its Supplemental Agreements dated September 19, 2014 and February 16, 2017 among New Oriental China, Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Hewstone Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2017)
 4.6    English Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement dated April 23, 2012 and its Supplemental Agreements dated September 19, 2014 and February 16, 2017 among New Oriental China, Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Decision Education & Consulting Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of Beijing Decision Software Technology Co., Ltd.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2017)

 

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Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

 4.7    English Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement dated April 23, 2012 and its Supplemental Agreements dated September 19, 2014 and February 16, 2017 among New Oriental China, Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Pioneer Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.9 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2017)
 4.8    English Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement dated April 23, 2012 and its Supplemental Agreements dated September 19, 2014 and February 16, 2017 among New Oriental China, Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Smart Wood Software Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.10 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2017)
 4.9    Proxy Agreement and Power of Attorney, dated as of December 3, 2012, by and among Beijing Pioneer Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and New Oriental China (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.34 of amendment No. 2 to the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F/A (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 22, 2013)
 4.10    Master Exclusive Service Agreement, dated as of September 19, 2014, its Amendment No. 1 dated as of January 28, 2016 and Amendment No. 2 dated as of February 16, 2017, and Amendment No. 3 dated as of September 1, 2021 by and between Beijing Pioneer and New Oriental China (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.11 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2021)
 4.11    English Translation of Call Option Agreement dated February 16, 2017 among New Oriental China, Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and Beijing Decision Education & Consulting Co., Ltd. (the predecessor of Beijing Decision Software Technology Co., Ltd.) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.15 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2017)
 4.12    2016 Share Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.15 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2016)
 4.13    Deed of Non-Competition Undertakings, dated as of August 28, 2018 issued by New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. in favor of Koolearn Technology Holding Limited (the predecessor of East Buy Holding Limited) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.14 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018)
 4.14    English Translation of Equity Pledge Agreement, dated as of May 10, 2018 among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd, and its shareholders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.15 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018)
 4.15    English Translation of Exclusive Option Agreement, dated as of May 10, 2018 among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its shareholders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.16 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018)
 4.16    English Translation of Powers of Attorney, dated as of May 10, 2018 issued by Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd and its shareholders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.17 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018).

 

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Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

 4.17    English Translation of Exclusive Management Consultancy and Cooperation Agreement, dated as of May 10, 2018 among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries and shareholders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.18 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018)
 4.18    English Translation of Letters of Undertaking, dated as of May 10, 2018, issued by (j) Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. and its shareholders and (ii) each of the general partners of limited partnerships that are shareholders of Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. to Koolearn Technology Holding Limited (the predecessor of East Buy Holding Limited) and Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.19 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 27, 2018)
 4.19    English Translation of Supplemental Agreement, dated as of October 10, 2019, among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries and shareholders, and Zhuhai Chongsheng Heli Network Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.20 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2020)
 4.20    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of October 10, 2019, issued by Beijing Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.21 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 16, 2020)
 4.21    English Translation of Second Supplemental Agreement, dated February 1, 2021, among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Zhuhai Chongsheng Heli Network Technology Co., Ltd., Xi’an Ruiying Huishi Network Technology Co., Ltd., Hainan Haiyue Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries and shareholders (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.22 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2023)
 4.22    English Translation of Third Supplemental Agreement, dated May 24, 2023, among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Zhuhai Chongsheng Heli Network Technology Co., Ltd., Xi’an Ruiying Huishi Network Technology Co., Ltd., Hainan Haiyue Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries and shareholders (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.23 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2023)
 4.23    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of January 12, 2022, issued by Beijing Xinyuanfang Human Resource Service Co., Ltd. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.24 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2023)
 4.24    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of January 12, 2022, issued by Dongfang Optimization (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.25 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2023)
 4.25    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of January 4, 2023, issued by Oriental Selection (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.26 to the annual report on Form 20-F filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2023)

 

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Exhibit
Number

  

Description of Document

 4.26*    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of March 1, 2024, issued by Oriental Selection (Zhuhai) Tourism and Culture Co., Ltd.
 4.27*    English Translation of Letter of Acceptance, dated as of March 7, 2024, issued by Oriental Selection (Jiaxing) Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd.
 4.28*    English Translation of Fourth Supplemental Agreement, dated March 7, 2024, among Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Zhuhai Chongsheng Heli Network Technology Co., Ltd., Xi’an Ruiying Huishi Network Technology Co., Ltd., Hainan Haiyue Dongfang Network Technology Co., Ltd., Wuhan Dongfang Youbo Network Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network Technology Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries and shareholders
 8.1*    Subsidiaries of the Registrant
11.1    Amended and Restated Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 11.1 of the Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-32993) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2015)
11.2*    Second Amended and Restated Statement of Policies Governing Material, Non-Public Information and the Prevention of Insider Trading of the Registrant
12.1*    Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
12.2*    Certification by Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
13.1**    Certification by Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
13.2**    Certification by Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
15.1*    Consent of Tian Yuan Law Firm
15.2*    Consent of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP
97.1*    Clawback Policy of the Registrant
101.INS*    Inline XBRL Instance Document — the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document
101.SCH*    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL*    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF*    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB*    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE*    Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104*    Cover Page Interactive Data File — the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Exhibit 101 Inline XBRL document set

 

*

Filed herewith.

**

Furnished herewith.

 

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SIGNATURES

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.

 

NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
By:  

/s/ Chenggang Zhou

Name:   Chenggang Zhou
Title:   Chief Executive Officer

Date: September 25, 2024

 

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2029-05-312024-05-31http://fasb.org/us-gaap/2024#UsefulLifeShorterOfTermOfLeaseOrAssetUtilityMember
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED MAY 31, 2022, 2023 AND 2024
 
CONTENTS
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F-4 - F-6
 
    
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     F-8  
    
F-9 - F-11
 
    
F-12 - F-14
 
    
F-15 - F-62
 
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of May 31, 2024 and 2023, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive (loss)/ income, changes in equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of May 31, 2024 and 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of May 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated September
25,
2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM - CONTINUED
 
Revenue recognition - Educational services and test preparation courses - refer to Note 2 and Note 21 of the Financial Statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The revenues of educational services and test preparation courses of the Company are primarily derived from tutoring fees that the Company charges students in advance for its educational services and test preparation courses for the year ended May 31, 2024, which is recognized proportionately over the service period. Revenues of US$2,716,174 thousand were recognized for the current year.
We focused on this area as significant efforts were spent on auditing the occurrence of revenue recognition due to the magnitude of revenue amount and the huge volume of revenue transactions recorded which are required to be processed through the Company’s information technology (“IT”) systems related to revenue orders or contracts initiation, cash collection, tutoring hours delivery and revenue recognition.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to addressing this critical audit matter comprised of the following control testing and substantive procedures, among others:
 
 
 
We understood and tested management’s process and controls in respect of revenue recognition of educational services and test preparation courses.
 
 
 
We discussed with management and evaluated their judgements made in determining the method and timing of revenue recognition and calculation.
 
 
 
We tested, on a sample basis, transactions by checking the cash receipt, reviewing the underlying orders or contracts, reviewing the tutoring hours delivered and agreeing them to the underlying data from the system used in the transaction processes, and then recalculating the revenue amount.
 
 
 
With the assistance of our IT specialists:
 
 
 
We tested the IT environment in which revenue orders or contracts are initiated, cash is collected, tutoring hours are delivered and revenue is recognized;
 
 
 
We tested the automatic controls over systematic recognition of revenue;
/s/ Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP
Beijing, the People’s Republic of China
September
25
, 2024
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2006.
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except share and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
   US$      US$  
ASSETS
     
Current assets
     
Cash and cash equivalents
     1,662,982      1,389,359  
Restricted cash, current
     110,892      177,411  
Term deposits, current
     855,784      1,320,167  
Short-term investments
     1,477,843      2,065,579  
Accounts receivable, net of allowance of US$1,599 and US$1,034 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively
     33,074      29,689  
Inventory, net
     52,689      92,806  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net of allowance of US$691 and US$605 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively
     211,240      309,464  
Amounts due from related parties, current
     9,383      4,403  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total current assets
     4,413,887      5,388,878  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Restricted cash,
non-current
     31,553      22,334  
Term deposits,
non-current
     462,734      169,203  
Property and equipment, net
     359,760      507,981  
Land use rights, net
     3,321      4,450  
Amounts due from related parties,
non-current
     1,735      7,273  
Long-term deposits
     26,492      38,161  
Intangible assets, net
     25,179      18,672  
Goodwill, net
     105,514      103,958  
Long-term investments, net (including
available-for-sale
investment of US$159,588 and US$135,777 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     399,585      355,812  
Deferred tax assets,
non-current,
net
     55,933      72,727  
Right-of-use
assets
     439,535      653,905  
Other
non-current
assets
     67,230      188,319  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total assets
     6,392,458      7,531,673  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - CONTINUED
(In thousands, except
share
and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
   US$      US$  
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
     
Current liabilities
     
Accounts payable (including accounts payable of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$69,102 and US$105,174 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     69,764        105,681  
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (including accrued expenses and other current liabilities of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$553,883 and US$738,409 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     569,437        774,805  
Income taxes payable (including income taxes payable of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$64,890 and US$
89,920
as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     118,049      139,822  
Amounts due to related parties (including amounts due to related parties of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$346 and US$551 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     346      551  
Deferred revenue (including deferred revenue of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$1,308,276 and US$1,775,102 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     1,337,630      1,780,063  
Operating lease liabilities, current (including operating lease liabilities, current of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$149,127 and US$196,936 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     155,752      199,933  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total current liabilities
     2,250,978      3,000,855  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Deferred tax liabilities,
non-current
(including deferred tax liabilities,
non-current
of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$23,602 and US$19,188 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     23,849      19,407  
Unsecured senior notes (including unsecured senior notes of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of nil and nil as of May 31, 2023 and May 31, 2024, respectively)
     14,653      14,403  
Operating lease liabilities,
non-current
(including operating lease liabilities,
non-current
of the consolidated variable interest entities without recourse to the Company of US$285,667 and US$443,117 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     288,190      447,994  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total liabilities
     2,577,670      3,482,659  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - CONTINUED
(In thousands, except share and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023     2024  
   US$     US$  
Commitments and contingencies (Note 20)
    
Equity
    
Common shares (US$0.001 par value; 3,000,000,000 shares authorized as of May 31, 2023 and 2024; 1,714,218,870 and 1,714,218,870 shares issued as of May 31, 2023 and 2024; 1,643,162,653 and 1,647,514,863 shares outstanding as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively)
     1,703       1,703  
Treasury stock
     (59     (55 )
Additional
paid-in
capital
     1,939,585       1,869,953  
Statutory reserves
     464,662       485,753  
Retained earnings
     1,225,861       1,514,361  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
     (27,404     (95,781
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. shareholders’ equity
     3,604,348       3,775,934  
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
Non-controlling
interests
     210,440       273,080  
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total equity
     3,814,788       4,049,014  
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total liabilities and equity
     6,392,458       7,531,673  
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
     US$     US$     US$  
Net revenues
      
Net service revenues
     3,050,022       2,544,729     3,500,998  
Net product revenues
     55,224       453,031     812,588  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total net revenues
     3,105,246       2,997,760     4,313,586  
Operating cost and expenses
      
Cost of revenues
     (1,754,291     (1,409,438     (2,050,960
Selling and marketing
     (466,895     (444,693     (660,586
General and administrative
     (1,866,573     (953,583     (1,251,615
Total operating cost and expenses
     (4,087,759     (2,807,714     (3,963,161
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Operating (loss)/income
     (982,513     190,046     350,425  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Other income/(expense)
      
Interest income
     123,542       114,453     153,589  
Interest expense
     (4,050     (707     (298
Realized gain from long-term investments
     22,004       767     185  
Impairment loss from long-term investments
     (129,350     (8,056     (30,007
(Loss)/gain from fair value change of investments
     (14,933     (860     19,025  
Loss on deconsolidation of subsidiaries
     (79,609     —      —   
Miscellaneous income, net
     32,411       12,888     922  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
(Loss)/income before income taxes and loss from equity method investments
     (1,032,498     308,531     493,841  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Provision for income taxes:
      
Current
     (44,378     (97,594     (130,927
Deferred
     (91,934     31,528     21,237  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Provision for income taxes
     (136,312     (66,066     (109,690
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Loss from equity method investments
     (51,466     (7,102     (58,933
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net (loss)/income
     (1,220,276     235,363     325,218  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Less: Net (loss)/income attributable to
non-controlling
interests
     (32,555     58,022     15,627  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net (loss)/income attributable to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.’s shareholders
     (1,187,721     177,341     309,591  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net (loss)/income per common share (Note 18)
      
- Basic
     (0.70     0.11     0.19  
- Diluted
     (0.70     0.10     0.18  
Weighted average shares used in calculating basic and diluted net (loss)/income per common share
      
- Basic
     1,696,419,232       1,678,264,547     1,653,597,432  
- Diluted
     1,696,419,232       1,685,631,987     1,669,499,952  
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS)/ INCOME
(In thousands, except share and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
     US$     US$     US$  
Net (loss)/income
     (1,220,276     235,363     325,218  
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax
      
Foreign currency translation adjustment
     (118,872     (155,517     (51,130
Unrealized loss on
available-for-sale
investments, net of tax effect of US$1,316, US$513 and US$6,191 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively
     (12,896     (2,279     (18,843
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax
     (131,768     (157,796     (69,973
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Comprehensive (loss)/income
     (1,352,044     77,567     255,245  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to
non-controlling
interests
     (31,539     56,644     14,031  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.’s shareholders
     (1,320,505     20,923     241,214  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
(All amounts in thousands, except for share data)

 
 
 
Common shares
 
 
Additional
paid-in

capital
 
 
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
(loss)/income
 
 
Statutory
reserves
 
 
Retained
earnings
 
 
Total New
Oriental
Education &
Technology
Group Inc.
shareholders’
equity
 
 
Non-
controlling
interests
 
 
Total
shareholders’
equity
 
 
 
Number
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
Balance as of May 31, 2021
    1,690,082,150       1,690       1,948,884       261,798       447,504       2,253,399       4,913,275       104,901       5,018,176  
Vested nonvested equity shares (“NES”)
    6,884,033       7       (7     —        —        —        —        —        —   
Share-based compensation expenses
    —        —        118,487       —        —        —        118,487       14,481       132,968  
Exercise of share options in East Buy
    —        —        —        —        —        —        —        175       175  
Transfer to statutory reserves
    —        —        —        —        316       (316     —        —        —   
Net loss
    —        —        —        —        —        (1,187,721     (1,187,721     (32,555     (1,220,276
Foreign currency translation adjustment
    —        —        —        (119,888     —        —        (119,888     1,016       (118,872
Unrealized loss on
available-for-sale
investments, net of tax effect of US$1,316
    —        —        —        (12,896     —        —        (12,896     —        (12,896
Loss on sales of restricted shares
    —        —        (5,751     —        —        —        (5,751     —        (5,751
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Balance as of May 31, 2022
    1,696,966,183       1,697       2,061,613       129,014       447,820       1,065,362       3,705,506       88,018       3,793,524  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - CONTINUED
(All amounts in thousands, except for share data)

 
 
 
Common shares
 
 
Additional
paid-in capital
 
 
Treasury
stock
 
 
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
(loss)/income
 
 
Statutory
reserves
 
 
Retained
earnings
 
 
Total New
Oriental
Education &
Technology
Group Inc.
shareholders’
equity
 
 
Non-
controlling
interests
 
 
Total
shareholders’
equity
 
 
 
Number
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
Balance as of May 31, 2022
    1,696,966,183       1,697       2,061,613             129,014       447,820       1,065,362       3,705,506       88,018       3,793,524  
Share repurchase
    (59,463,140     —        (191,569     (59     —        —        —        (191,628     —        (191,628
Vested NES
    5,659,610       6       (6     —        —        —        —        —        —        —   
Share-based compensation expenses
    —        —        69,547       —        —        —        —        69,547       20,241       89,788  
Transfer to statutory reserves
    —        —        —        —        —        16,842       (16,842     —        —        —   
Net income
    —        —        —        —        —        —        177,341       177,341       58,022       235,363  
Foreign currency translation adjustment
    —        —        —        —        (154,139     —        —        (154,139     (1,378     (155,517
Unrealized loss on
available-for-sale
investments, net of tax effect of US$513
    —        —        —        —        (2,279     —        —        (2,279     —        (2,279
Non-controlling
interests recognized through business acquisitions
    —        —        —        —        —        —        —        —        32,659       32,659  
Exercise of share options in East Buy Holding Limited (East Buy)
    —        —        —        —        —        —        —        —        12,878       12,878  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Balance as of May 31, 2023
    1,643,162,653       1,703       1,939,585       (59     (27,404     464,662       1,225,861       3,604,348       210,440       3,814,788  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
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NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - CONTINUED
(All amounts in thousands, except for share data)

 
 
 
Common shares
 
 
Additional
paid-in capital
 
 
Treasury
stock
 
 
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
(loss)/income
 
 
Statutory
reserves
 
 
Retained
earnings
 
 
Total New
Oriental
Education &
Technology
Group Inc.
shareholders’
equity
 
 
Non-
controlling
interests
 
 
Total
shareholders’
equity
 
 
 
Number
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
Balance as of May 31,
2023
    1,643,162,653       1,703       1,939,585       (59     (27,404     464,662       1,225,861       3,604,348       210,440       3,814,788  
Share repurchase
  (7,839,430
)
  —      (62,935     (8   —        —        —        (62,943   —      (62,943
Purchase of non-controlling interests (Note 2)
  —    —      (57,357   —    —    —    —      (57,357     (27,108     (84,465
Vested NES
    12,191,640             (12   12   —    —    —    —    —    — 
Share-based compensation expenses
  —    —      50,672     —    —    —    —      50,672       71,786       122,458  
Transfer to statutory reserves
  —    —    —    —    —    21,091       (21,091 )   —    —    — 
Net income
  —    —    —        —        —    —      309,591       309,591       15,627       325,218  
Foreign currency
translation adjustment
  —    —    —    —      (49,534   —    —      (49,534     (1,596     (51,130
Unrealized loss on
available-for-sale
investments, net of tax effect of US$6,191
  —    —    —    —      (18,843   —    —      (18,843   —      (18,843
Exercise of share options
in East Buy
  —    —    —    —    —    —    —    —      3,931       3,931  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Balance as of May 31,
2024
    1,647,514,863       1,703       1,869,953       (55 )     (95,781 )     485,753       1,514,361       3,775,934       273,080       4,049,014  
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
F-11

Table of Contents
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(All amounts in thousands)
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
     US$     US$     US$  
Cash flows from operating activities
      
Net (loss)/income
     (1,220,276     235,363     325,218  
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss)/income to net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities
      
Depreciation of property and equipment
     192,291       117,036     100,646  
Amortization of intangible assets
     1,933       5,583     6,093  
Amortization of land use rights
     205       84     81  
Loss on disposal of property and equipment
     —        2,167     —   
Loss on deconsolidation of subsidiaries
     79,609       —        —   
Impairment loss from long-term investments
     129,350       8,056     30,007  
Impairment loss from other long-lived assets
     435,662       —        —   
Realized gain from disposal of long-term investments
     (22,004     —        (185
Loss/(gain) from fair value change of investments
     14,933       860     (19,025
Share-based compensation expenses
     132,968       89,788     122,458  
Allowance for doubtful accounts
     (81     747     (612
Loss from equity method investments
     51,466       7,102     58,933  
Deferred income taxes
     89,565       (31,528     (21,231
Amortization of discounts and issuance costs of the unsecured senior notes
     465       221       —   
Gain from extinguishment of debt
     (12,579     (2,347     —   
Return on investment
from an equity method
investee
     —        —        1,386  
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
      
Accounts receivable
     (8,113     (3,870     3,339  
Inventory
     1,820       (21,899     (41,214
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
     42,144       (17,744     (108,630 )
Amounts due from related parties
     (22,918     14,243     (48
Long-term deposits
     23,007       5,006     (12,191
Right-of-use
assets
     1,268,055       60,474     (223,101
Accounts payable
     (15,122     44,048     37,793  
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
     (315,830     83,394     160,036  
Income taxes payable
     2,179       41,653     21,723  
Amounts due to related parties
     3,713       138     211  
Deferred revenue
     (925,048     469,339     468,197  
Operating lease liabilities
     (1,207,847     (136,906     212,759  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities
     (1,280,453     971,008     1,122,643  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
F-12

Table of Contents
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - CONTINUED
(All amounts in thousands)
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
     US$     US$     US$  
Cash flows from investing activities
      
Purchase of term deposits
     (360,633     (1,236,849     (981,153
Proceeds from maturity of term deposits
     307,722       1,031,420     801,626  
Payments for short-term investments
     (540,834     (2,074,896     (2,626,749
Proceeds from maturity of short-term investments
     2,040,999       2,397,622     2,013,408  
Purchase of property and equipment
     (150,738     (143,045     (249,393
Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment
     5,387       1,323     423  
Payments for long-term investments
     (82,082     (13,597     (77,892
Proceeds from disposal of long-term investments
     12,350       —      1,191  
Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired of nil, US$5,065 and nil for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively (Note 3)
     —        886     —   
Prepayment for land use rights
 (Note 19)
     —        —      (33,995
Proceeds from disposal of land use rights
     4,990       2,112     —   
Loans provided to related parties
     (41,226     (2,387     (1,388
Repayment of loans provided to related parties
     6,510       —      —   
Deconsolidation of subsidiaries
     (33,913     —      —   
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
     1,168,532       (37,411     (1,153,922
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
F-13

Table of Contents
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - CONTINUED
(All amounts in thousands)
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
     US$     US$     US$  
Cash flows from financing activities
      
Proceeds from issuances of common shares upon exercise of share options
     175       12,878     3,931  
Cash paid for shares repurchase
     —        (191,628     (62,943
Cash paid for employees’ individual income taxes on withheld shares from exercise of NES
     (7,956     (2,174     (16,721
Payments made after business acquisitions
     —        (17,179     —   
Repurchase of unsecured senior notes
     (221,997     (48,764     (240
Purchase of
non-controlling
interests
     —        —      (84,465 )
Other financing activities
     (1,080     —      —   
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net cash used in financing activities
     (230,858     (246,867     (160,438
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Effects of exchange rate changes
     (94,821     (75,830     (24,606
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
     (437,600     610,900     (216,323
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year
     1,632,127       1,194,527     1,805,427  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year
     1,194,527       1,805,427     1,589,104  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Supplement disclosure of cash flow information:
      
Income taxes paid
     53,049       55,195       109,154  
Interests paid
     5,048       798       355  
Non-cash
investing and financing activities
      
Payable for investments and acquisitions
     1,097       9,531       9,885  
Payable for purchase of property and equipment
     27,240       27,093       36,136  
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
 
F-14

Table of Contents
NEW ORIENTAL EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY GROUP INC.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED MAY 31, 2023 AND 2024
(All amounts in thousands, except for share and per share data, or otherwise noted)
 
1.
ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES
New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated in the Cayman Islands. The Company, its subsidiaries, the consolidated variable interest entities (the “VIEs”) and the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools are collectively referred to as the “Group”.
The Group provides educational services in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) primarily under the “New Oriental” brand. The Group offers a wide range of educational programs, services and products, consisting primarily of educational services and test preparation courses, overseas study consulting services, and educational material and distribution, as well as provision of private label products and livestreaming
e-commerce
and other services.
On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council of the PRC jointly issued the “Opinions on Further Alleviating the Burden of Homework and After-School Tutoring for Students in Compulsory Education (compulsory education includes primary school education of six years and middle school education of three years, together as the “Compulsory Stage Education”)” (the “Opinion”). The key provisions of the Opinion include, but are not limited to: (i) institutions providing after-school tutoring (the “AST”) services on academic subjects in relation to the Compulsory Stage Education (“Academic AST Institutions”) are required to be registered as
non-profit
organization, (ii) Academic AST Institutions providing online tutoring services are required to make an application to renew their operating permit in order to maintain the internet content provider license (the “ICP License”); (iii) foreign investors shall not control or hold interest in Academic AST Institutions by means of direct investment, merger and acquisition, franchise or contractual arrangements; and (iv) certain restrictions on timing and fee of academic AST services.
On September 7, 2021, to implement the Opinion, the Chinese Ministry of Education (the “MOE”) published on its website that the MOE, together with two other government authorities, issued a circular requiring all Academic AST Institutions to complete registration as
non-profit
by the end of 2021, and all Academic AST Institutions shall, before completing such registration, suspend enrollment of students and charging fees.
In compliance with the Opinion and applicable rules, regulations and measures, the Company decided in November 2021 to cease offering services relating to academic subjects to students from kindergarten through grade nine
(“K-9
Academic AST Services”) in the mainland of China by the end of December 2021. The revenues from offering
K-9
Academic AST Services accounted for a significant portion of the Company’s total revenues for the year ended May 31, 2022. The Company continued to provide academic services to non
K-9
students and
non-academic
services under the guidance from relevant government authorities. The Company also early terminated certain leased office spaces and learning centers and disposed relevant leasehold improvements and electronic equipment due to the downsized capacity relating to the cessation of
K-9
Academic AST Services in mainland China for the year ended May 31, 2022.
 
F-15

On April 7, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Amended Implementation Rules for the Private Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 2021, or the Amended Implementation Rules. Under the Amended Implementation Rules, the private schools providing compulsory education are prohibited from being controlled through contractual arrangement and conducting transactions with its related parties. As a result, the master exclusive service agreement was further amended and effective from September 1, 2021, to exclude Beijing Changping New Oriental Bilingual School (“Changping School”) and Beijing New Oriental Yangzhou Foreign Language School (“Yangzhou School”) from such agreement. On August 31, 2021, the Company ceased its ability to use its power under the contractual arrangements to direct the relevant activities that would most significantly affect the economic performance of the Company’s private schools due to implications of the Amended Implementation Rules. Accordingly, the Company deconsolidated Changping School and Yangzhou School, two private schools that provided compulsory education, in September 2021 in compliance with the Amended Implementation Rules. A deconsolidation loss of US$79,609, the carrying amount of the net assets of the schools, was recognized in “Loss on deconsolidation of subsidiaries” on its consolidated financial statements for the year ended May 31, 2022. The deconsolidation of Changping School and Yangzhou School did not meet the definition of a discontinued operation per ASC Subtopic
205-20,
Presentation of Financial Statements-Discontinued Operations
, as the deconsolidation did not represent a shift in strategy nor had a major impact to the Group’s operation and financial results.
 
F-16

As of May 31, 2024, details of the Company’s major subsidiaries, the consolidated VIEs and the VIEs’ major subsidiaries and schools were as follows:
 
Name
 
Date of
incorporation or
acquisition
 
Place of
incorporation
(or establishment)/
operation
 
Legal
ownership
  
Principal activity
Major subsidiaries of the Company:
        
Beijing Decision Software Technology
Company Limited (“Beijing Decision”)
  April 20, 2005   PRC   100%   
Educational technology and
management services
Beijing Hewstone Technology Company Limited
(“Beijing Hewstone”)
  April 20, 2005   PRC   100%   
Educational
software development
Elite Concept Holdings Limited (“Elite Concept”)
  December 3, 2007   Hong Kong   100%    Educational consulting
Winner Park Limited (“Winner Park”)
  December 9, 2008   Hong Kong   100%    Educational consulting
Smart Shine International Limited (“Smart Shine”)
  December 9, 2008   Hong Kong   100%    Educational consulting
Beijing Pioneer Technology Company Limited
(“Beijing Pioneer”)
  January 8, 2009   PRC   100%   
Educational
software development
Beijing Smart Wood Software Technology
Company Limited (“Beijing Smart Wood”)
  December 21, 2011   PRC   100%   
Educational consulting and
software development
East Buy (Formerly known as “Koolearn
Technology Holding Limited”)
  February 7, 2018   Cayman
Islands
  57.17%    Investment holding
New Oriental Xuncheng Technology (HK)
Limited (“Xuncheng Tech”)
  March 2, 2018   Hong Kong   57.17%    Investment holding
Beijing Dexin Dongfang Network Technology
Co., Ltd. (“Dexin Dongfang”)
  March 21, 2018   PRC   57.17%   
Software
and technology services
VIEs of the Company:
        
New Oriental Education & Technology Group
Co., Ltd (“New Oriental China”)
  August 2, 2001   PRC   N/A    Education consulting,
software development and
distributions and other
services
Beijing New Oriental Xuncheng Network
Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xuncheng”)
  March 11, 2005   PRC   N/A    Online education
Major subsidiaries and schools of the VIEs:
        
Beijing Haidian District Privately-Funded New
Oriental School (“Beijing Haidian School”)
  October 5, 1993   PRC   N/A   
Language training and test
preparation
Hangzhou New Oriental Advanced Study School
  July 21, 2005   PRC   N/A    Language training and test
preparation
Guangzhou Haizhu District Privately-Funded
New Oriental Training School
  November 5, 2000   PRC   N/A   
Language training and
test preparation
Nanjing Gulou New Oriental Advanced Study School
  November 28,
2002
  PRC   N/A   
Language training and
test preparation
Beijing New Oriental Dogwood Cultural
Communications Co., Ltd. (“Dogwood”)
  May 16, 2003   PRC   N/A   
Educational material and
content development
and distribution
Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas
Consultancy Co., Ltd.
  February 19, 2004   PRC   N/A   
Oversea study
consulting service
Dongfang Optimization (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (“Oriental Optimization”)
  October 27, 2021   PRC   N/A    Private label products and
livestreaming
e-commerce
Oriental Selection (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (“Oriental Selection”)
  December 7, 2021   PRC   N/A    Private label products and
livestreaming
e-commerce
Beijing New Oriental Culture and Tourism Co., Ltd.
  July 19, 2023   PRC   N/A    Tourism and camping education
 
F-17

The VIE arrangements
The PRC laws and regulations currently require any foreign entity that invests in the education business in China to be an educational institution with relevant experience in providing educational services outside of China. The Company’s offshore holding companies are not educational institutions and do not provide educational services outside of China. In addition, in the PRC, foreign ownership of high schools for students in grades ten to twelve is restricted and foreign ownership of primary and middle schools for students in grades one to nine is prohibited. Accordingly, the Company’s offshore holding companies are not allowed to directly own and operate schools in China. The Company conducts substantially all of its education business in China through contractual arrangements with the consolidated VIEs, New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools and Xuncheng and its subsidiaries. Since the education business operations of New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools and Xuncheng and its subsidiaries are closely interrelated and almost indistinguishable from one another, the risks and rewards associated with their operations are substantially the same. In addition, the Company consolidates New Oriental China, its subsidiaries and schools, Xuncheng and its subsidiaries as disclosed. Therefore, the Company aggregates the disclosures related to New Oriental China, its subsidiaries and schools, and Xuncheng and its subsidiaries as the VIEs in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The VIEs hold the requisite licenses and permits necessary to conduct the Company’s education business and
e-commerce
business. In addition, the VIEs hold leases and other assets necessary to operate the Company’s schools and learning centers, employ teachers and generate substantially all of the Company’s revenues of education businesses.
VIE Arrangements between New Oriental China and the Company’s PRC subsidiaries
The Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries in China (the “WFOEs”) entered into the following contractual arrangements with New Oriental China, New Oriental China’s subsidiaries and schools and New Oriental China’s shareholders that enable the Company to (1) have power to direct the activities that most significantly affects the economic performance of the VIEs, (2) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIEs that could be significant to the VIEs and (3) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in New Oriental China, when and to the extent permitted by the PRC law, or request the existing shareholder of New Oriental China to transfer all or part of the equity interest in New Oriental China to another PRC person or entity designated by the Company at any time in the Company’s discretion. Accordingly, the Company is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE and has consolidated the VIE’s financial results of operations, assets and liabilities in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In making the conclusion that the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE, the Company believes the Company’s rights under the terms of the exclusive option agreement provide it with the substantive
kick-out
rights. More specifically, the Company believes the terms of the exclusive option agreement are valid, binding and enforceable under the PRC laws and regulations currently in effect. The Company also believes that the minimum amount of consideration permitted by the applicable PRC law to exercise the option does not represent a financial barrier or disincentive for the Company to currently exercise its rights under the exclusive option agreement.
A simple majority vote of the Company’s board of directors is required to pass a resolution to exercise the Company’s rights under the exclusive option agreement, for which Mr. Michael Minhong Yu (“Mr. Yu”)’s consent is not required. The Company’s rights under the exclusive option agreement give the Company the power to control the shareholders of New Oriental China and thus the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the schools’ economic performance given that New Oriental China has the power to direct the activities of the schools via its sponsorship interest. In addition, the Company’s rights under the power of attorney also reinforce the Company’s abilities to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. The Company also believes that this ability to exercise control ensures that the VIE will continue to execute and renew service agreements and pay service fees to the Company. By charging service fees in whatever amounts the Company deems fit, and by ensuring that service agreements are executed and renewed indefinitely, the Company has the rights to receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the VIE.
 
F-18

Service agreements.
There are four types of service agreements: (i) trademark license agreements, (ii) new enrollment system development service agreements, (iii) other operating service agreements, and (iv) sale of educational software agreements.
 
  (i)
Trademark license agreements. Pursuant to the trademark license agreement dated May 13, 2006 between the Company as the licensor and New Oriental China as the licensee, the Company has licensed the trademarks to New Oriental China for its use in China. The Company has also allowed New Oriental China to enter into
sub-license
agreements with its subsidiaries and schools pursuant to which each of the subsidiaries and schools may use the trademarks in China by paying license fees. This license is valid from May 14, 2006 to December 31, 2050, subject to the renewal every ten years upon the expiration of the trademark registration.
 
  (ii)
New enrollment system development service agreements. Beijing Decision has entered into new enrollment system development service agreements with the schools of New Oriental China, under which Beijing Decision agreed to provide new enrollment system development and regular maintenance services to those schools of New Oriental China for a fee equal to the applicable fee rate multiplied by the number of new student enrollments. These agreements can be renewed by both parties to the agreements.
 
  (iii)
Other operating service agreements. Pursuant to operating service agreements between certain WFOEs and the subsidiaries or schools of New Oriental China, the WFOEs have agreed to provide certain operating services to the subsidiaries or schools of New Oriental China for fees that are calculated based on a percentage, ranging from 2.0% to 6.0%, of respective revenues of each of the subsidiaries and schools. A majority of these agreements provide unlimited
two-year
or five-year automatic renewal without consent of the WFOEs. The remaining agreements can be renewed by both parties to the agreements.
 
  (iv)
Sale of educational software agreements. The WFOEs entered into agreements whereby the WFOEs sell various self-developed educational software to the subsidiaries or schools of New Oriental China.
Master exclusive service agreement.
On September 19, 2014, Beijing Pioneer entered into a master exclusive service agreement with New Oriental China to enable the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries in China to receive substantially all of the economic benefits of New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools. Under the master exclusive service agreement, Beijing Pioneer has the exclusive rights to provide or designate any entities affiliated with it to provide New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools the technical and business support services, including new enrollment system development service, sale of educational software and other operating services. Each service provider specified in the service agreement (iv) has the rights to determine the fees associated with the services it provides based on the technical difficulty and complexity of the services and the actual labor costs it incurs for providing the services during the relevant period. The term of this agreement is ten years and will be automatically extended upon expiration. Beijing Pioneer may terminate the agreement at any time with a
30-day
prior written notice to New Oriental China, whereas none of New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools can terminate this agreement. The various existing service agreements mentioned in service agreements (i)~(iv) will remain effective after the inclusion of the master exclusive service agreement; however, if they have any conflict with the terms and conditions of the master exclusive service agreement, the master exclusive service agreement will prevail. The master exclusive service agreement was effective on September 19, 2014.
As discussed in the preceding paragraphs, the Group further amended its master exclusive service agreement on September 1, 2021 to exclude two compulsory-education schools from such agreement. As a result, the wholly-owned subsidiaries in China stopped providing any exclusive services to or receive any fees from those two schools.
 
F-19

Equity pledge agreements
. Pursuant to the equity pledge agreements dated May 25, 2006 among New Oriental China, all of the shareholders of New Oriental China, Beijing Hewstone and Beijing Decision, each shareholder of New Oriental China agreed to pledge his or its equity interest in New Oriental China to Beijing Hewstone and Beijing Decision to secure the performance of the VIEs’ obligations under the existing service agreements and any such agreements to be entered into in the future. The shareholders of New Oriental China agreed not to transfer, sell, pledge, dispose of or otherwise create any encumbrance on their equity interests in New Oriental China without the prior written consent of Beijing Hewstone and Beijing Decision.
In January 2012, ten former shareholders of New Oriental China completed the transfer, for no consideration, of all of their equity interests in New Oriental China to Beijing Century Friendship Education Investment Co., Ltd. (“Century Friendship”), a PRC domestic enterprise controlled by the Company’s founder and chairman, Mr. Yu. Prior to the transfer, Century Friendship had held 53% of the equity interests in New Oriental China while the ten former shareholders of New Oriental China held the remaining equity interests. In connection to the transfer, five new equity pledge agreements dated April 23, 2012 were entered into among New Oriental China, Century Friendship and five WFOEs, whereby Century Friendship has agreed to pledge all of its equity interests in New Oriental China to the WFOEs to secure the VIEs’ performance of their obligations under the trademark license agreements, new enrollment system development service agreements, other operating service agreements and sale of educational software agreements. Century Friendship has agreed not to transfer, sell, pledge, dispose of or otherwise create any encumbrance on its equity interests in New Oriental China without the prior written consents of the WFOEs. The terms of the April 2012 equity pledge agreements are substantially the same as the 2006 equity pledge agreements.
In February 2017, as part of efforts to streamline the corporate structure, the Group removed Shanghai Smart Words Software Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Smart Words”) as a party to the contractual arrangements with New Oriental China and its subsidiaries and schools and the shareholders. The rights and obligations of Shanghai Smart Words under these contractual arrangements have been assumed by Beijing Decision. The April 2012 equity pledge agreements have been amended to reflect the foregoing change while the terms of these agreements remain unchanged. The equity pledges of Century Friendship under the amended agreements have been registered with the Haidian District, Beijing branch of the State Administration of Market Regulation (the “SAMR”).
Exclusive option agreements
. Pursuant to the exclusive option agreements entered into on various dates, as amended on May 25, 2006, among the Company, New Oriental China and its shareholders, the shareholders of New Oriental China are obligated to sell to the Company, and the Company has an exclusive, irrevocable and unconditional rights to purchase, or cause the shareholders of New Oriental China to sell to the Company’s designated party, in the Company’s sole discretion, part or all of the shareholders’ equity interests in New Oriental China when and to the extent that applicable PRC law permits the Company to own part or all of such equity interests in New Oriental China. In addition, pursuant to the exclusive option agreements, the Company has an exclusive, irrevocable and unconditional right to request any existing shareholders of New Oriental China to transfer all or part of the equity interest in New Oriental China held by such shareholder to another PRC person or entity designated by the Company at any time in the discretion. The price to be paid by the Company or a PRC person or entity designated by the WFOEs will be the minimum amount of consideration permitted by applicable PRC law at the time when such share transfer occurs. As a result of the ten former shareholders of New Oriental China transferring all of their equity interests in New Oriental China to Century Friendship in January 2012, Century Friendship executed a new option agreement with Shanghai Smart Words and New Oriental China on April 23, 2012. The terms of this new option agreement are substantially the same as the 2006 exclusive option agreements.
 
F-20

On February 16, 2017, Beijing Decision entered into a new option agreement with Century Friendship and New Oriental China, replacing the previous option agreement dated April 23, 2012. Pursuant to the current option agreement, Century Friendship is obligated to sell to Beijing Decision, and Beijing Decision has an exclusive, irrevocable and unconditional rights to purchase from Century Friendship, in its sole discretion, part or of all of Century Friendship’s equity interests in New Oriental China when and to the extent that applicable PRC law permits it to own part or all of the equity interest in New Oriental China. In addition, Beijing Decision has an exclusive option to require Century Friendship to transfer all or part of Century Friendship’s equity interest in New Oriental China to another PRC person or entity designated by Beijing Decision at any time in its discretion. The purchase price to be paid by Beijing Decision will be the minimum amount of consideration permitted by the applicable PRC law at the time when such share transfer occurs.
Power of Attorney.
On December 3, 2012, Century Friendship, in the capacity of the sole shareholder of New Oriental China, executed a proxy agreement and power of attorney with Beijing Pioneer, which is one of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries in China, and New Oriental China, whereby Century Friendship irrevocably appoints and constitutes Beijing Pioneer as its
attorney-in-fact
to exercise on Century Friendship’s behalf any and all rights that Century Friendship has in respect of its equity interests in New Oriental China. This proxy agreement and power of attorney became effective on December 3, 2012 and replaces the powers of attorney executed by Century Friendship on April 23, 2012. The proxy agreement and power of attorney will remain effective as long as New Oriental China exists. Century Friendship does not have the rights to terminate the proxy agreement and power of attorney or revoke the appointment of the
attorney-in-fact
without the prior written consent of Beijing Pioneer.
VIE Arrangements between Dexin Dongfang and Xuncheng
On May 10, 2018, Dexin Dongfang, a wholly-owned subsidiary of East Buy, entered into certain contractual arrangements (the “Contractual Arrangements”) with Xuncheng and the shareholders of Xuncheng, which enable East Buy to obtain control over Xuncheng and its subsidiaries (together the “Xuncheng VIE entities”).
The Contractual Arrangements include an Exclusive Management Consultancy and Business Cooperation Agreement, an Exclusive Call Option Agreement, an Equity Pledge Agreement, a Powers of Attorney and Dispute resolution and Letters of undertaking. The terms of these contractual agreements between Dexin Dongfang and Xuncheng are substantially similar to those agreements of New Oriental China described in the preceding paragraphs.
Through these Contractual Agreements, Dexin Dongfang has the ability to (1) expose, or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over Xuncheng VIE entities; (2) exercise equity holders’ controlling voting rights of Xuncheng VIE entities; (3) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of Xuncheng VIE entities in consideration for the business support, technical and consulting services provided by Dexin Dongfang; (4) obtain an irrevocable and exclusive right to purchase all or part of equity interests in Xuncheng VIE entities from the respective equity holders at nil consideration or a minimum purchase price permitted under the PRC Laws; (5) obtain a pledge over the entire equity interest of Xuncheng from their equity holders as collateral security for all of Xuncheng VIE entities’ payments.
Risks in relation to the VIE structure
The Company believes that the contractual arrangements with the consolidated VIEs and their respective shareholders are in compliance with the PRC laws and regulations and are legally enforceable as of May 31, 2024. However, the uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce the contractual arrangements. If the legal structure and contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of the PRC laws and regulations, the PRC government could:
 
   
revoke the business and operating licenses of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs;
 
   
confiscate any of income of the Company that it deems to be obtained through illegal operations;
 
F-21

   
discontinue or restrict the operations of any related-party transactions between the Company’s PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs;
 
   
restrict right of the Company to collect revenues or limit the Company’s business expansion in China by way of entering into contractual arrangements;
 
   
impose fines or other requirements with which the Company’s PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs may not be able to comply;
 
   
require the Company or the Company’s PRC subsidiaries or the VIEs to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations;
 
   
restrict or prohibit the Company’s use of the proceeds of the further offering to finance the Group’s business and operations in China; or
 
   
take other regulatory or enforcement actions against the Group that could be harmful to its business.
The Company’s ability to conduct its education business may be negatively affected if the PRC government were to carry out of any the aforementioned actions. As a result, the Company may not be able to consolidate its VIEs in its consolidated financial statements as it may lose the ability to exert effective control over the VIEs and their respective shareholders and it may lose the ability to receive economic benefits from the VIEs. The Company, however, does not believe such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of the Company, its PRC subsidiaries or the VIEs.
Mr. Yu is the controlling shareholder of Century Friendship, which owns all of the equity interests in New Oriental China, which in turn owns all of the equity interests in Xuncheng, and Mr. Yu is also a beneficial owner of the Company. The interests of Mr. Yu as the beneficial owner of the VIEs may differ from the interests of the Company as a whole, since Mr. Yu is one of the beneficial shareholders of the Company, holding 12.1% of the total common shares outstanding as of May 31, 2024. The Company cannot assure that when conflicts of interest arise, Mr. Yu will act in the best interests of the Company or that conflicts of interests will be resolved in the Company’s favor. Currently, the Company does not have existing arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest Mr. Yu may encounter in his capacity as a beneficial owner and director of the VIEs, on the one hand, and as a beneficial owner and director of the Company, on the other hand. The Company believes Mr. Yu will not act contrary to any of the contractual arrangements and the exclusive option agreement provides the Company with a mechanism to remove Mr. Yu as a beneficial shareholder of the VIEs should he act to the detriment of the Company. The Company relies on Mr. Yu, as a director and the chairman of the Company, to fulfill his fiduciary duties and abide by laws of the PRC and Cayman Islands and act in the best interest of the Company. If the Company cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between the Company and Mr. Yu, the Company would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of its business, and there is substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
In addition, the current shareholders of New Oriental China and Xuncheng are also beneficial owners of the Company and therefore, have no current interest in seeking to act contrary to the contractual arrangements. However, to further protect the investors’ interest from any risk that the shareholders of New Oriental China may act contrary to the contractual arrangements, the Company, through Beijing Pioneer, entered into an irrevocable power of attorney with Century Friendship on December 3, 2012, which replaces the powers of attorney executed by Century Friendship on April 23, 2012. Through the power of attorney, Century Friendship entrusted Beijing Pioneer as its proxy to exercise its rights as the shareholder of New Oriental China with respect to an aggregate of 100% of the equity interests in New Oriental China.
 
F-22

The following financial statement balances and amounts of the VIEs were included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements after the elimination of intercompany balances and transactions among the offshore companies, WFOEs and the VIEs in the Group:
 
 
  
As of May 31
 
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Total current assets
     2,366,136        3,022,740  
Total
non-current
assets
     1,218,363        1,663,719  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total assets
     3,584,499        4,686,459  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total current liabilities
     2,145,624        2,906,092  
Total
non-current
liabilities
     309,269        462,305  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total liabilities
     2,454,893        3,368,397  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
  
For the years ended May 31,
 
 
  
2022
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Net revenues
     3,093,340        2,982,945        4,280,056  
Net (loss)/income
     (1,116,151      593,183        606,139  
The following are cashflows of the VIEs and VIEs’ subsidiaries for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024
, after the elimination of intercompany transactions
:
 

 
  
For the years ended May 31
 
 
  
2022
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities
     (1,227,712 )      965,336      1,310,909  
Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
     1,174,720        294,911      (1,234,725 )
 
Net cash used in financing activities
            (19,353      (16,721 )
The VIEs contributed an aggregate of 99.6%, 99.5% and 99.2% of the consolidated net revenues for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The Company’s operations not conducted through contractual arrangements with the VIEs primarily consist of the lease of its commercial property. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the VIEs accounted for an aggregate of 56.1% and 62.2%, respectively, of the consolidated total assets, and 95.2%, and 96.7%, respectively, of the consolidated total liabilities. The assets not associated with the VIEs primarily consist of cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses, short-term investments and long-term investments.
There are no consolidated VIEs’ assets that are collateralized for the VIEs’ obligations and can only be used to settle the VIEs’ obligations. There are no creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the VIEs that have recourse to the general credit of the Company or any of its consolidated subsidiaries. There are no terms in any arrangements, considering both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests that require the Company or its subsidiaries to provide financial support to the VIEs. However, if the VIEs ever need financial support, the Company or its subsidiaries may, at its option and subject to statutory limits and restrictions, provide financial support to its VIEs through loans to the shareholders of the VIEs or entrustment loans to the VIEs.
 
F-23

Relevant PRC laws and regulations restrict the VIEs from transferring a portion of its net assets, equivalent to the balance of its statutory reserve and its share capital, to the Company in the form of loans and advances or cash dividends. Please refer to Note 24 for disclosure of restricted net assets.
 
2.
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of presentation
The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”).
Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, the consolidated VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools. The Company and its WFOEs have entered into contractual arrangements with the VIEs and its shareholders, which enable the Company to (1) have power to direct activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIEs, and (2) receive the economic benefits of the VIEs that could be significant to the VIEs. Accordingly, the Company is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIEs and has consolidated the VIEs’ financial results of operations, assets and liabilities in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, which are accounted for under the voting interest model, and the consolidated VIEs, VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools consolidated under the variable interest entity consolidation model. All inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation. See “Note 1 Organization and Principal
Activities-The
VIE Arrangements”.
Use of estimates
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, related disclosures of contingent liabilities at the balance sheet date, and revenues and expenses in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Group’s consolidated financial statements include the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, economic lives and impairment of property and equipment, impairment of goodwill, intangible assets, long-lived assets and long-term investments, fair value assessment of long-term investments, refund liability, discount rate for leases and the consolidation of the VIEs. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
 
F-24

Business combinations
Business combinations are recorded using the acquisition method of accounting. The purchase price of the acquisition is allocated to the tangible assets, liabilities, identifiable intangible assets acquired and
non-controlling
interest, if any, based on their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The excess of the purchase price over those fair values is recorded as goodwill. Acquisition-related expenses are expensed as incurred.
Consideration transferred in a business combinations is measured at the fair value as of the date of acquisition. Where the consideration in an acquisition includes contingent consideration, and the payment of which depends on the achievement of certain specified conditions post- acquisition, the contingent consideration is recognized and measured at its fair value at the acquisition date and is recorded as a liability. It is subsequently carried at fair value with changes in fair value reflected in earnings.
In a business combination achieved in stages, the Group remeasures the previously held equity interest in the acquiree immediately before obtaining control at its acquisition-date fair value and the remeasurement gain or loss, if any, is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand and highly liquid investments which are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use, and which have original maturities of three months or less when purchased.
Restricted cash
Restricted cash represents Renminbi (“RMB”) deposit in bank accounts as deposits required by the PRC government authorities related to educational programs and services and establishment of new subsidiaries. Restricted cash is classified as either current or
non-current
based on when the funds will be released in accordance with the terms of the respective agreement.
Term deposits
Term deposits consist of deposits placed with financial institutions with original maturities of greater than three months. Term deposit is classified as either current if the maturities are within one year, or as
non-current
if the maturities are over one year.
Short-term investments
The Group’s short-term investments include wealth management products with variable interest rates where principal is unsecured and maturities range from one month to less than one year and trading securities. Starting from June 1, 2022, the Group elects the fair value option to record wealth management products in accordance with ASC 825 Financial Instruments. Changes in the fair value are reflected in the are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. The Group’s trading securities are comprised of money market funds that are acquired and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term. The fair value change gains or losses are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.
Allowance for doubtful accounts
Accounts receivable represents amounts due from corporate customers of the Group’s various subsidiaries and schools. The allowance for doubtful accounts is the Group’s best estimates of the amount of probable credit losses in the Group’s existing accounts receivable balance. The Group provides allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical credit loss experience and a review of the current status and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future events and economic conditions. Accounts receivable and other receivables are presented net of allowance for doubtful accounts.
 
F-25

Inventory, net
Inventory, consisting of publications and private label products, are stated at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Cost of inventory is determined using the weighted average cost method.
Property and equipment, net
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization are calculated on a straight line basis over the following estimated useful lives:
 
Buildings   
20-50
years
Transportation equipment    10 years
Furniture and education equipment    5 years
Computer equipment and software    3 years
Leasehold improvements   
Shorter of the lease term or estimated useful life
Property and equipment also consist of construction in progress as the Group constructs certain of its property and equipment. Construction in progress represents the costs incurred in connection with the construction of property and equipment. Costs classified as construction in progress include all costs of obtaining the asset and bringing it to the location and in the condition necessary for its intended use. Construction in progress is transferred to specific property and equipment and depreciation of these assets commences when the assets are ready for their intended u
se.
Land use rights, net
Land use rights with useful lives are recorded at cost less accumulated amortization and amortized on a straight-line basis over the remaining term of the land certificates, from
 38.5 years to 50 years.
Intangible assets, net
Intangible assets with an indefinite life are not amortized and are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that they might be impaired.
Intangible assets with finite lives are initially recorded at cost and amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated economic useful lives of the respective assets. Acquired intangible assets from business combination are recognized and measured at fair value at the time of acquisition. Those assets represent assets with finite lives and are further amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated economic useful lives of the respective assets.
The estimated useful lives of intangible assets are as follows:
 
Trademark   
5-10
years
License    20 years
Student base    1.75 years
Favorable lease    8.67 years
Courseware   
3-5
years
Copyright    5 years
Distribution channel    5 years
 
F-26

Impairment of long-lived assets
The Group reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may no longer be recoverable. When these events occur, the Group measures impairment by comparing the carrying value of the long-lived assets to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flow is less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Group would recognize an impairment loss calculated as an amount by which the carrying value of the cost exceed its fair value.
Goodwill, net
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in business combinations. The Group’s goodwill as of May 31, 2023 and 2024 relates to its acquisitions of certain companies and schools.
Goodwill is not amortized but tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis (May 31 for the Group) and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the stock prices, business climate, legal and regulatory factors, operating performance indicators, competition, or sale or disposition of a significant portion of a reporting unit.
The Group first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is “more likely than not” that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If as a result of the qualitative assessment, it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test is mandatory. Otherwise, no further testing is required. The quantitative impairment test consists of a comparison of the fair value of each reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of each reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss equal to the difference between the fair value of the reporting unit and its carrying amount will be recorded.
Long-term investments, net
The Group’s long-term investments include equity securities without readily determinable fair values, equity securities with readily determinable fair values, equity method investments and
available-for-sale
investments.
 
  (a)
Equity securities
 
   
Equity securities with readily determinable fair values
Equity securities with readily determinable fair values are measured at fair value and any changes in fair value are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
 
   
Equity securities without readily determinable fair values
The Group elects measurement alternative to the fair value measurement for the equity securities without readily determinable fair values, under which these investments are measured at cost, less impairment, plus or minus observable price changes of an identical or similar investment of the same issuer with the fair value change recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.
The Group reviews its equity securities without readily determinable fair value for impairment at each reporting period. If a qualitative assessment indicates that the investment is impaired, the Group estimates the investment’s fair value in accordance with the principles of ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”). If the fair value is less than the investment’s carrying value, the Group recognizes an impairment loss equal to the difference between the carrying value and the fair value in the consolidated statements of operatio
ns.
 
F-27

  (b)
Equity method investments
Investee companies over which the Group has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not have a controlling interest through investment in common shares or
in-substance
common shares, are accounted for using the equity method. Significant influence is generally considered to exist when the Group has an ownership interest in the voting stock of the investee between 20% and 50%. Other factors, such as representation on the investee’s board of directors, voting rights and the impact of commercial arrangements, are also considered in determining whether the equity method of accounting is appropriate. For certain investments in limited partnerships, where the Group holds less than a 20% equity or voting interest, the Group may also have significant influence.
Under the equity method, the Group initially records its investment at cost and subsequently recognizes the Group’s proportionate share of each equity investee’s net income or loss after the date of investment into the consolidated statements of operations and accordingly adjusts the carrying amount of the investment.
The Group reviews its equity method investments for impairment whenever an event or circumstance indicates that an other-than-temporary impairment has occurred. The Group considers available quantitative and qualitative evidence in evaluating potential impairment of its equity method investments. An impairment charge is recorded when the carrying amount of the investment exceeds its fair value and this condition is determined to be other-than-temporary.
 
  (c)
Available-for-sale
investments
For investments in investee’s shares which are determined to be debt securities, the Group accounts for them as
available-for-sale
investments when they are not classified as either trading or
held-to-maturity
investments.
Available-for-sale
investments are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses, net of taxes recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income or loss. Realized gains or losses on the sales of these securities are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
The Group evaluates each individual investment periodically for impairment. For investments where the Group does not intend to sell, the Group evaluates whether a decline in fair value is due to deterioration in credit risk. Credit-related impairment losses, not to exceed the amount that fair value is less than the amortized cost basis, are recognized through an allowance for credit losses on the consolidated balance sheet with corresponding adjustment in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income or loss. Subsequent increases in fair value due to credit improvement are recognized through reversal of the credit losses and corresponding reduction in the allowance for credit losses. Any decline in fair value that is
non-credit
related is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income as a component of shareholders’ equity.
Unsecured senior notes
Unsecured senior notes are recognized initially at fair value, net of debt discounts or premiums and debt issuance costs. Debt discounts or premiums and debt issuance costs are recorded as a reduction of the principal amount and the related accretion is recorded as interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations over the maturities of the notes using the effective interest method.
Non-controlling
interests
The Group’s consolidated financial statements include entities in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. Earnings or losses attributable to
non-controlling
interest shareholders of its subsidiaries and VIEs are classified separately as
“non-controlling
interests” in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
For the year ended May 31, 2024, the Company
cumulatively
purchased 32,425,000 ordinary shares of East Buy with
an
amount of US$84,465 in aggregate, at an average purchase price of HK$20.38 per share (equivalent to US$2.61), representing approximately 3.1% of total shares of East Buy. As East Buy is a subsidiary of the Company, the purchase changed the Company’s ownership interest while retained its controlling financial interest in East Buy. The Company accounted for the purchase activity as equity transactions of investments, therefore, no gain or loss were recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Any difference between the fair value of the consideration paid and the amount by which the noncontrolling interest is adjusted were recognized in equity attributable to the Company and recorded in additional paid-in capital.
 
F-28

Value added tax (“VAT”)
Pursuant to the PRC tax laws, in case of any product sales, generally the VAT rate is 3% of the gross sales for small scale VAT payer and 13% of the gross sales for general VAT payer. Most of the subsidiaries of the Company are considered as general VAT payers for the sales of products, guidance materials and the intercompany sales of self-developed software. For general VAT payer, VAT on sales is calculated at 13% on revenues from product sales and paid after deducting input VAT on purchases. The net VAT balance between input VAT and output VAT is recorded as accrued expenses in the Group’s consolidated financial statements.
The new enrollment system development services and other operating services are subject to VAT at the rate of 6% of revenues. The
non-academic
educational programs and services in short-term training schools may choose the applicable simple VAT collection method and apply for a 3% VAT rate. The intercompany sales of self-developed software are subject to VAT at the rate of 13% and the part in excess of the rate of 3% the Group can apply for refund upon collection by relevant tax authorities. The intercompany services related to self-developed software are subject to VAT at the rate of 6%. The sales of books are subject to VAT at the rate of 9
%
.
In accordance with Cai Shui [2020] No. 8, due to the Novel coronavirus
(“COVID-19”)
pandemic, the VAT on certain services was temporarily exempted from January 2020 to March 2022. As a result, the Group’s educational services were not subject to any VAT from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022. The VAT exemption was accounted for in a similar manner as government subsidies.
Revenue recognition
Revenues are recognized when control of promised goods or services is transferred to the Group’s customers in an amount of consideration to which the Group expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Group follows the five steps approach for revenue recognition under Topic 606: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Group satisfies a performance obligation.
As the Group’s private label products sales increased significantly, the Group changed its presentation of revenues in the consolidated statement of operations to separately disclose service revenues and product revenues, and retrospectively applied the presentation change for all periods presented.
The primary sources of the Group’s revenues are as follows:
 
  (a)
Net service revenues
The Group provides educational services and test preparation courses, online education and other services. Each contract of educational programs and services is accounted for as a single performance obligation which is satisfied proportionately over the service period. Tuition fee is generally collected in advance and is initially recorded as deferred revenue. Refunds are provided to students if they decide within the trial period that they no longer want to take the course. After the trial period, if a student withdraws from a class, usually only those unearned portion of the fee is available to be returned. Historically, the Group has not had material refunds.
The Group provides consulting services to students regarding overseas studies. Revenues are recognized when promised services are delivered to the Group’s customers in an amount of consideration to which the Group expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services. Each contract includes certain milestones and each of the milestones is considered a single performance obligation which is satisfied at the point of time when each of the milestone is reached. The Group estimates the variable consideration to be earned and recognizes revenues related to each milestone when the related milestone is achieved.
 
F-29

When the Group, as a promoter, provides promotion services about the specified goods for the merchants in the form of livestream on the
e-commerce
platforms, the Group serves as an agent. The Group earns commissions on the sales of the specified goods transacted through the
e-commence
platform at the agreed commission rates. Commission revenue of livestreaming
e-commerce
is recognized at a point in time upon the customers purchase merchants’ products through the
e-commence
platforms.
For the year ended May 31, 2024, US$2,716,174, US$190,860, US$439,744 and US$154,220 of service revenues were derived from educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming
e-commerce,
overseas study consulting services
,
and other segments, respectively. For the year ended May 31, 2023, US$
1,914,865, US$178,165, US$354,764 and US$96,935
of service revenues were derived from educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming
e-commerce,
overseas study consulting services and other segments, respectively. For the year ended May 31, 2022, US$
2,669,020, US$473, US$325,901 and US$54,628
of service revenues were derived from educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming
e-commerce,
overseas study consulting services and other segments, respectively.
 
  (b)
Net product revenues
The Group recognizes revenues from the sales of private label products and sales of books or other educational materials developed or licensed by the Group either through its own distribution channels or through third party distributors. Revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods is transferred to the customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Group expects to be entitled to in exchange for the goods.
For the year ended May 31, 2024, US$709,754 and US$102,834 of product revenues were derived from private label products and livestreaming
e-
commerce, and other segments, respectively. For the year ended May 31, 2023, US$
379,343 and US$73,688 of product revenues were derived from private label products and livestreaming
e-
commerce and other services, and other segments, respectively. For the year ended May 31, 2022, US$2,530 and US$52,694 of product revenues were derived from private label products and livestreaming
e-commerce
and other services, and other segments, respectively.
As
of May 31, 2023 and 2024,
the Group did not have any contract assets
. The Group’s contract liabilities mainly consist of prepayments from customers (deferred revenue), with a balance of US$1,337,630 and US$1,780,063 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively. Substantially all contract liabilities at the beginning of the year ended May 31, 2023 were recognized as revenues during the year ended May 31, 2024 and substantially all contract liabilities as of May 31, 2024 are expected to be realized in the following year. The difference between the opening and closing balances of the Group’s contract liabilities primarily results from the timing difference between the Group’s satisfaction of performance obligation and the customer’s payment.
Refund liability mainly related to the estimated refunds that are expected to be provided to students if they decide they no longer want to take the courses. Refund liability estimates are based on historical refund ratio on a portfolio basis using the expected value method. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, refund liability amounted to US$138,549 and US$167,369, respectively, and are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities.
 
F-30

Operating leases
The Group determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at lease inception. Operating leases are required to be recorded in the balance sheets as
right-of-use
assets and operating lease liabilities, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments. The Group has elected the package of practical expedients, which allows the Group not to reassess (1) whether any expired or existing contracts as of the adoption date are or contain a lease, (2) lease classification for any expired or existing leases as of the adoption date and (3) initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases as of the adoption date. The Group accounts for the lease and
non-lease
components separately. Lastly, the Company also has elected to utilize the short-term lease recognition exemption and, for those leases that qualified, the Group did not recognize operating lease
right-of-use
assets or operating lease liabilities.
As the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, the Group estimates its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The incremental borrowing rate is estimated using a portfolio approach to approximate the interest rate on a collateralized basis with similar terms and payments in a similar economic environment. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Group will exercise that option. Lease expenses are recorded on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
Advertising costs
The Group expenses advertising costs as they are incurred. Total advertising expenses were US$43,520, US$49,365 and US$86,493 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, and have been included as part of selling and marketing expenses.
Government subsidies
The government subsidies provided by the local government mainly included funding to support the growth of the Group. The Group recognizes government subsidies as miscellaneous income when they are received because they are not subject to any past or future conditions, there are no performance conditions or conditions of use, and they are not subject to future return. Government subsidies received and recognized as miscellaneous income totaled US$9,170, US$16,010 and US$15,000 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Foreign currency translation
The Company’s functional and reporting currency is the United States dollars (“US dollars”). The financial records of the Company’s subsidiaries, the VIEs, the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools located in the PRC are maintained in Renminbi (“RMB”), which is the functional currency of these entities. The financial records of the Company’s subsidiaries located in Hong Kong are maintained in US dollars, which is the functional currency of these entities. The financial records of the Company’s subsidiaries located overseas are maintained in their local currencies.
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the applicable functional currencies are translated into the functional currencies at the prevailing rates of exchange at the balance sheet date. Nonmonetary assets and liabilities are remeasured into the applicable functional currencies at historical exchange rates. Transactions in currencies other than the applicable functional currencies during the year are converted into the functional currencies at the applicable rates of exchange prevailing at the transaction dates. Transaction gains and losses are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations.
 
F-31

For translating to the functional currency of the Company, assets and liabilities are translated into the reporting currency at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Equity accounts are translated at historical exchange rates. Revenues, expenses, gain and loss are translated using the average rate of exchange in effect during the reporting period. Translation adjustments are reported and shown as a separate component of other comprehensive income in the consolidated statements of changes in equity and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income/ (loss).
Foreign
currency
risk
RMB is not a freely convertible currency. The State Administration for Foreign Exchange, under the authority of the People’s Bank of China, controls the conversion of RMB into other currencies. The value of RMB is subject to changes in central government policies and to international economic and political developments affecting supply and demand in the China Foreign Exchange Trading System market. The Group’s cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and term deposits denominated in RMB amounted to US$2,012,511 and US$2,093,141 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Fair value
Fair value is the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities required or permitted to be recorded at fair value, the Group considers the principal or most advantageous market in which it would transact and it considers assumptions that market participants would use when valuing the asset or liability. Authoritative literature provides a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. The level in the hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement as follows:
Level 1
Level 1 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2
Level 2 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets); or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, observable market data.
Level 3
Level 3 applies to assets or liabilities for which there are unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.
 
F-32

Fair value of financial instruments
The Group’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, term deposit, short-term investments, accounts receivable, amounts due from/to related parties,
available-for-sale
investments, equity security with/without readily determinable fair values, accounts payable and unsecured senior notes. The Group carries its
available-for-sale
investments, equity securities with readily determinable fair values, wealth management products and trading securities at fair value and carries its equity securities without readily determinable fair values at cost, less impairment, plus or minus observable price changes in a similar transaction. The carrying amounts of other financial instruments except for unsecured senior notes approximate their fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. The estimated fair value of the Group’s unsecured senior notes as of May 31, 2024 approximated US$14,403, and represented a level 2 measurement.
Net (loss)/income per share
Basic net income or loss per share is computed by dividing net income or loss attributable to the holders of common shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted net income or loss per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common shares were exercised into common shares. Common share equivalents are excluded from the computation of the diluted net income or loss per share in years when their effect would be anti-dilutive. The Group has share options and NES which could potentially dilute basic earnings per share in the future. To calculate the number of shares for diluted net income or loss per share, the effect of the share options and NES is computed using the treasury stock method.
Income taxes
The Group accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability approach. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, net of operating loss carry forwards and credits, by applying enacted tax rates that will be in effect for the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations in the period of change. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when it is considered more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The Group accounts for uncertain tax positions by reporting a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Tax benefits are recognized from uncertain tax positions when the Group believes that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the tax authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The Group recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expenses.
Comprehensive (loss)/income
Comprehensive income/ (loss) includes net income/ (loss), unrealized gain/ (loss) on
available-for-sale
investments and foreign currency translation adjustment. Comprehensive income/ (loss) is reported in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income/ (loss).
Share-based compensation
Share-based payments to employees and directors are measured based on the grant-date fair value of the equity instrument issued and recognized as compensation expenses net of forfeitures as they occur using graded vesting method over the requisite service period, with a corresponding addition to the additional
paid-in
capital. The Group uses the binomial option pricing model to measure the fair value of options granted, and the quoted market price of the common shares, to measure the fair value of options and NES granted to employees at each measurement date. The binomial option pricing model is adopted because the Group believes that considering the possibility of exercise an option over the life of the option, as affected by the reality of changing stock prices and
non-constant
risk free rates, would better reflect the measurement objective of relevant accounting literature. The amount of compensation expenses recognized at any date is at least equal to the portion of the fair value of the awards that are vested as of that date. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur.
 
F-33

Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially expose the Group to significant concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, restricted cash, short-term investments and accounts receivable. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, substantially all of the Group’s cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments were deposited with financial institutions with high-credit ratings and quality. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from customers in the PRC. The Group performs periodic credit evaluations and provides an allowance for doubtful accounts to reduce the accounts receivable balance to its net realizable value. The Group did not have any customers constituting 10% or more of the consolidated net revenues and accounts receivable in the fiscal years 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Recent accounting pronouncements adopted
In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU
2021-08,
Business Combinations (Topic 805), Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers, which the amendments in this update require that an entity (acquirer) recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606. The amendments in this update address how to determine whether a contract liability is recognized by the acquirer in a business combination. The ASU is effective for the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including early adoption in an interim period, for periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued. The Company adopted this new standard beginning June 1, 2023 and concluded the adoption does not have any material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2023-07,
“Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” (“ASU 2023-07”). ASU 2023-07 intends to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, enhance interim disclosure requirements and provide new segment disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment. ASU
2023-07
is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. ASU 2023-07 is to be adopted retrospectively to all prior periods presented. The Group is currently evaluating the impact from the adoption of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 “Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” (“ASU 2023-09”). ASU 2023-09 intends to improve the transparency of income tax disclosures. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 and is to be adopted on a prospective basis with the option to apply retrospectively. The Group is currently evaluating the impact from the adoption of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements.
 
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3.
BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS
No business acquisition occurred in the fiscal year 2022 and 2024.
Business acquisition in the fiscal year 2023:
Tibet Tianli Education Technology Co., Ltd. (“Tibet Tianli”)
In December 2018, the Group invested US$4,344 in Tibet Tianli, a company engaged in developing educational products, for a 5.0% equity interests. In April 2020 and December 2020, the Group further subscribed 5.0% and 11.0% equity interests with consideration of US$6,516 and US$14,334, respectively. Before the acquisition, the Group held 17.4% of total equity interests in Tibet Tianli which accounted for as equity securities without readily determinable fair value as Tibet Tianli is as private company without readily determinable fair value. In September 2022, the Group subscribed 12.4% equity interests with a consideration of US$13,031, meanwhile acquired another 30.0% equity interests in Tibet Tianli from other four shareholders (“Sellers”) with a total consideration of US$19,547, in which US$9,773 had been paid during the year ended May 31, 2023.
The acquisition of 42.4% equity interest resulted in a step acquisition whereby the Group remeasured the fair value of its previously held equity interest in Tibet Tianli. The fair value of the equity interest previously held by the Group was measured at fair value using a discounted cash flow method and taking into account certain factors including the projection of discounted future cash flow and an appropriate discount rate.
According to the acquisition agreement of Tibet Tianli, under profit commitment arrangement for the time period September 2022 to August 2025, the Sellers are to return part of the consideration or transfer additional Tibet Tianli’s shares or the Company is to deliver cash to the founders of Tibet Tianli, if certain contingency is met. The Company records the contingent considerations at fair value on the acquisition date. The fair value is remeasured at each reporting date and changes in fair value are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations.
After this transaction, the Group holds 59.8% equity interests of Tibet Tianli. The acquisition was recorded using the acquisition method of accounting, accordingly, the acquired assets and liabilities were recorded at their fair value on the date of acquisition. The purchase price allocation was determined by the Group with the assistance of an independent appraiser. The purchase price was allocated on the date of acquisition as follows:
 
     US$      Amortization
period
 
Cash and cash equivalents
     4,568     
Other current assets
     33,906     
Property and equipment
     218       
1-5 years
 
Intangible assets
     
Trademark
     8,108        5 years  
Copyright
     2,317        5 years  
Distribution channel
     17,230        5 years  
Goodwill
     26,216     
Other
non-current
assets
     317     
Other current liabilities
     (13,411   
Deferred tax liabilities
     (2,489   
Fair value of the 17.4% equity interests previously held
     (13,395   
Non-controlling
interests
     (31,007   
  
 
 
    
Total
     32,578     
  
 
 
    
 
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Other acquisition
During the year ended May 31, 2023, the Group also made other business acquisition.
The cash consideration of the other business acquisition amounted to US$9,556, which had been fully paid during the year ended May 31, 2023. The cash and cash equivalents, intangible assets, goodwill and
non-controlling
interests acquired from this business acquisition amounted to US$497, US$1,129, US$12,776 and US$1,652, respectively. The purchase price allocation were determined by the Group with the assistance of an independent appraiser.
Pro forma financial information is not presented for the business acquisition in the fiscal year 2023 as it is immaterial to the reported results.
 
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4.
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
Short-term investments consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Wealth management products measured at fair value
     1,404,830        1,988,907  
Trading securities
     73,013        76,672  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     1,477,843        2,065,579  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Short-term investments mainly consist of wealth management products with variable interest rates where principal is unsecured and maturities range from one month to less than one year and trading securities. Starting from June 1, 2022, the Group elects the fair value option to record wealth management products in accordance with ASC 825 Financial Instruments. Changes in the fair value are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations.
 
5.
PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS, NET
Prepaid expenses and other current assets, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Receivable from third party payment platform
     64,962        103,704  
Advances to suppliers
     63,473        77,184  
Interest receivables
     8,154        31,501  
VAT recoverable
     21,887        25,155  
Prepaid advertising fees
     10,336        20,960  
Rental deposits
     18,399        18,445  
Staff advances (a)
     5,042        10,030  
Prepaid rents (b)
     8,004        7,960  
Deposits of advertising and decoration
     555        2,650  
Others
     11,119        12,480  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     211,931        310,069  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Less: allowance for prepaid expenses and other current assets
     (691      (605
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     211,240        309,464  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
(a)
Staff advances were provided to staff for travelling and business related use and are expensed as incurred.
(b)
Prepaid rents represent the prepayment of rent related to leases less than 12 months.
 
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6.
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property and equipment, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Buildings
     156,017        270,968  
Transportation equipment
     6,366        6,064  
Furniture and education equipment
     118,936        142,622  
Computer equipment and software
     129,119        167,515  
Leasehold improvements
     293,236        347,415  
Construction in progress
     48,216        24,285  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     751,890        958,869  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Less: accumulated depreciation
     (401,687      (467,678
Less: accumulated impairment loss
     (14       
Exchange differences
     9,571        16,790  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     359,760        507,981  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Depreciation expenses for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$192,291, US$117,036 and US$100,646, respectively.
 
7.
LAND USE RIGHTS, NET
Land use rights, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Land use rights
     3,831        5,031  
Less: accumulated amortization
     (558      (639
Exchange differences
     48        58  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Land use rights, net
     3,321        4,450  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Amortization expenses for land use rights for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$205, US$84 and US$81, respectively. The Group expects to recognize US$81 in amortization expense for each of the next five years and US$2,777
 
thereafter.
 
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8.
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
Intangible assets, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Intangible assets with indefinite lives:
     
Trademark
     230        226  
Intangible assets with finite lives:
     
Trademark
     16,221        16,005  
Courseware
     1,214        1,192  
Student base
     12,059        11,935  
Favorable lease
     660        648  
License
     415        415  
Copyright
     2,250        2,210  
Distribution channel
     16,737        16,434  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     49,786        49,065  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Less: accumulated amortization
     (25,555      (31,648
Exchange differences
     948        1,255  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     25,179      18,672  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Amortization expenses for the intangible assets for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, were US$1,933, US$5,583 and US$6,093, respectively. As of May 31, 2024, the Group expects to recognize amortization expenses of US$5,725, US$5,696, US$5,614, US$1,360, and US$22, for the next five years, respectively, and US$29 thereafter.
 
9.
GOODWILL, NET
Goodwill, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Beginning balance
     106,588      141,299  
Acquisition
     38,992       
Exchange differences
     (4,281      (1,556
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Ending balance
     141,299      139,743  
Accumulated impairment
     (35,785      (35,785
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Goodwill, net
     105,514      103,958  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
The Group performed its annual goodwill impairment testing at the end of each reporting period or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired. In its goodwill impairment assessment, the Group concluded that the fair value of reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts and recorded no impairment losses for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The Group determined the fair value of the reporting units by using the income approach with significant unobservable inputs.
 
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10.
LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS, NET
Long-term investments, net, consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Equity securities with readily determinable fair value:
     
Mobvoi Inc. (“Mobvoi”) (a)
     —         15,840  
Sunlands Online Education Group (“Sunlands”) (b)
     3,588        8,091  
Other investments
     2,703        1,096  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Subtotal
     6,291        25,027  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Equity securities without readily determinable fair value:
     
G-Net
Cloud Service Co., Ltd.
(“G-Net”)
(c)
     14,065        —   
EEO Education Technology Co., Ltd. (“EEO”) (d)
     9,312        9,312  
Other investments (e)
     14,758        14,347  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Subtotal
     38,135        23,659  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Equity method investments:
     
VM EDU Fund I, L.P.(f)
     66,331        51,383  
New Oriental Education and Culture Industry Fund (Zhangjiagang) Partnership (Limited Partnership) (“Education Industry Fund”) (g)
     76,369        44,272  
Thaiwoo Enterprise Management Co., Ltd (“Thaiwoo Management”) (h)
     —         41,761  
Other investments (i)
     52,871        33,933  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Subtotal
     195,571        171,349  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Available-for-sale
investments:
     
Shanghai Golden Education & Training Co., Ltd. (“Golden Finance”) (j)
     76,115        52,130  
Happy_seed (Cayman) Ltd. (“Happy Seed”) (k)
     20,183        20,183  
Tianjin Uhozz Internet Technology Co., Ltd. (“Uhozz”) (l)
     17,890        17,890  
Other
available-for-sale
investments (m)
     45,400        45,574  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Subtotal
     159,588        135,777  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
     399,585      355,812  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
(a)
In September 2020, the Group invested 2.3
% equity interests in Mobvoi, a company engaged in providing AI-generated content solutions, AI enterprise solutions, smart devices and accessories with generative AI and voice interaction technologies. The Group accounted for the investment as equity securities without readily determinable fair value as Mobvoi is a private company without readily determinable fair value. On April 24, 2024, Mobvoi completed Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, and the Group started to account for the investment as equity securities with readily determinable fair value. For the year ended May 31, 2024, the fair value change related to the investment in Mobvoi Inc. was US$
12,760.
 
(b)
For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, with the
fluctuation of 
stock price of Sunlands, losses of US$
10,467, US$1,883
and gain of US$
4,503 were recorded in
(Loss)/gain
from fair value change of investments on the Group’s consolidated statements of operations, respectively.
 
(c)
In August 2020, the Group acquired 3% equity interests in
G-Net,
a company engaged in the business of audio and web conferencing services. The Group accounted for the investment as equity securities without readily determinable fair value as
G-Net
is a private company without readily determinable fair value. For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, nil, nil and US$13,956 impairment loss was recorded from this investment.
 
(d)
In April 2017, the Group acquired 10% equity interests in EEO, a company engaged in the business of developing
on-line
classroom product. The Group accounted for the investment as equity securities without readily determinable fair value as EEO is a private company without readily determinable fair value. For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, no impairment loss was recorded from this investment.
 
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(e)
The Group holds several insignificant investments in third-party private companies and has no ability to exercise significant influence over the investees. Those investments were accounted for using the measurement alternative when there is no readily determinable fair value for the investments. The Group recorded US$24,354, nil and US$4,358 impairment loss on these investments for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
 
(f)
In June 2019, VM EDU Fund I, LP., a market-driven investment entity, was established. The Group participates in VM EDU Fund I, LP. as a limited partner and invested US$
51,383
in VM EDU Fund I, LP. as of May 31, 2024. The Group accounts for the investment under the equity method in accordance with ASC 323, because the Group is a limited partner and owns
49.7% interest in VM EDU Fund I, LP.
 
(g)
In July 2018, Education Industry Fund was established. There are two general partners in the fund, which include an entity invested by Mr. Yu and an unrelated third party. The Group participates in Education Industry Fund as a limited partner and invested US$
44,272
in Education Industry Fund as of May 31, 2024. The Group accounts for the investment under the equity method in accordance with ASC 323, because the Group is a limited partner and owns
36.3% interest in Education Industry Fund.
 
(h)
In January 2024, the Group invested in Thaiwoo Management, a company engaged in the business of real estate and ski resort operation, with a consideration of US$55,574. The Group accounts for the investment under the equity method in accordance with ASC 323 because the Group has significant influence and owns 35.0% interest in Thaiwoo Management.
 
(i)
The Group holds from 6.9% to 40.0% equity interests in other
7
third-party companies through investments in their common shares or
in-substance
common shares as of May 31, 2024. The Group accounts for these investments under the equity method because the Group has the ability to exercise significant influence but does not have control over the investees. For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Group recorded impairment loss of US$48,417, US$3,892 and nil, respectively.
 
(j)
In April 2015, the Group invested 9.8% equity interests in Golden Finance, a company engaged in training program business associated with finance and business management. In November 2015, the Group further subscribed 9.8% equity interests. In May 2019, the Group disposed of 7.2% equity interests for a total consideration of US$33,156. The Group accounts for the investment as
available-for-sale
investments since the investee’s preferred shares held are redeemable and determined to be debt securities and measured at fair value.
 
(k)
In August 2019, the Group invested 6.4% equity interests in Happy Seed, a company engaged in cultivating logical thinking skill. In September 2020, the Group further subscribed additional 1.6% equity interests. The Group accounts for the investment as
available-for-sale
investments since the investee’s preferred shares held are redeemable and determined to be debt securities and measured at fair value.
 
(l)
In May 2015, the Group invested in Uhozz, a company providing oversea rental agency services, for a 10.0% equity interests with redemption and liquidation preferences. In March 2018, the Group further subscribed to 15.2
% series B preferred shares. The Group accounted for the investment as available-for-sale investments since the investee’s preferred shares held are redeemable and determined to be debt securities and measured at fair value. 
 
(m)
Other
available-for-sale
investments represent several insignificant individual investments classified as
available-for-sale
investments as of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Realized gains of US$18,068, nil and nil were recorded in realized gain from long-term investments for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The Group recorded US$46,442, US$2,901 and US$11,693 impairment loss on these investments for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The Group recognized impairment losses from long-term investments amounting to US$129,350, US$8,056 and US$30,007 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, as the Group believes the carrying value of these investments were no longer recoverable.
 
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11.
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT
Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
The Group measures
available-for-sale
investments, equity securities with readily determinable fair value, wealth management products and trading securities at fair value on a recurring basis. The
available-for-sale
investments recorded in long-term investments include redeemable preferred shares. The equity securities with readily determinable fair value include common shares of listed companies.
As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, information about inputs for the fair value measurements of the Group’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis in periods subsequent to their initial recognition is as follows:
 
     As of May 31, 2023  
Description    Quoted Prices
in
Active Market
for
Identical
Assets
Level 1
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
Level 2
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Level 3
     Total  
     US$      US$      US$      US$  
Short-term investments:
           
Wealth management products measured at fair value (a)
     —       1,404,830        —         1,404,830  
Trading securities (a)
     73,013      —         —         73,013  
Long-term investments:
           
Equity securities with readily determinable fair values (b)
     6,291      —         —         6,291  
Available-for-sale
investments (c)
     —       17,890        141,698        159,588  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total
     79,304      1,422,720        141,698        1,643,722  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
     As of May 31, 2024  
Description    Quoted Prices
in
Active Market
for
Identical
Assets
Level 1
     Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
Level 2
     Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
Level 3
     Total  
     US$      US$      US$      US$  
Short-term investments:
           
Wealth management products measured at fair value (a)
     —         1,988,907        —         1,988,907  
Trading securities (a)
     76,672        —         —         76,672  
Long-term investments:
           
Equity securities with readily determinable fair values (b)
     25,027        —         —         25,027  
Available-for-sale
investments (c)
     —         10,000        125,777        135,777  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total
     101,699        1,998,907        125,777        2,226,383  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
F-42

(a)
The short-term investments of wealth management products use alternative pricing sources, accordingly classified Level 2 measurement. The short-term investments of trading securities are valued at their daily closing price as reported by the financial institutions and are classified Level 1 measurement.
 
(b)
The Company measured the fair value of its investments in common shares using the market approach based on the quoted stock price of its investees in the active market and has classified it as Level 1 measurement.
 
(c)
As of May 31, 2024, the fair value of
available-for-sale
investments amounted to US$135,777, with original cost of US$89,167 and unrealized gain of US$46,610. As of May 31, 2023, the fair value of
available-for-sale
investments amounted to US$159,588, with original cost of US$80,000 and unrealized gain of US$79,588.
For redeemable preferred shares that do not have a quoted market rate, when recent transactions are available, the Company measured their fair value based on recent transactions. Recent transactions include the purchase price agreed by an independent third party for a similar investment and have been classified as Level 2 measurement. When no recent transactions are available, the Company has classified those as Level 3 measurement and a market approach or income approach will be used by the Company to measure fair value. The market approach takes into consideration a number of factors including market multiple and discount rates from traded companies in the industry and requires the Company to make certain assumptions and estimates regarding industry factors. The income approach takes into consideration a number of factors including management projection of discounted future cash flow of the investee as well as an appropriate discount rate. The assumptions are inherently uncertain and subjective. Specifically, some of the significant unobservable inputs included the investee’s historical earning, discount of lack of marketability, investee’s time to initial public offering as well as related volatility. Changes in any unobservable inputs may have a significant impact on fair values. As of May 31, 2024, the fair values of available-for-sale investments classified as Level 3 were measured using the market or income approaches with significant unobservable inputs were based on the following assumptions: (1) expected volatility ranging from
34.4%
 to
94.9%
, (2) discount rates ranging from
14.0%
 to
24.0%
, and (3) expected life ranging from
2.6
 to
4.0
 years.
 
F-43

The Group did not have any transfers neither between Level 1 and Level 2 nor between Level 1 and Level 3 fair value measurements during the periods presented. The following table provides additional information about the reconciliation of the fair value measurements of assets using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3).
 
     Level 3
investments
 
     US$  
Balance as of June 1, 2022
     162,974  
Transfer from Level 2
     10,028  
Transfer to Level 2
     (17,510
Unrealized loss
     (3,172
Impairment
     (2,901
Foreign exchange difference
     (7,721
  
 
 
 
Balance as of May 31, 2023
     141,698  
 
  
 
 
 
Initial recognition
     9,504  
Transfer from Level 2
     17,890  
Unrealized loss
     (25,034 )
Impairment
     (11,693 )
Disposals
     (4,640
Foreign exchange difference
     (1,948 )
  
 
 
 
Balance as of May 31, 2024
     125,777  
  
 
 
 
Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis
Goodwill and acquired intangible assets are measured at fair value on a
non-recurring
basis when an impairment is recognized.
The Group measures goodwill at fair value annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. The fair value of goodwill is determined using discounted cash flows, and an impairment loss is recognized for any excess in the carrying value of goodwill over the implied fair value of goodwill. The Group measures acquired intangible assets using the income approach, when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may no longer be recoverable.
For equity securities without readily determinable fair values, the fair value was determined using directly or indirectly observable inputs in the market place (Level 2 inputs). Whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may no longer be recoverable, the fair value of aforementioned long-term investments was determined using models with significant unobservable inputs (Level 3 inputs), primarily the management projection of discounted future cash flow and the discount rate.
 
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Table of Contents
12.
ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accrued expenses and other current
liabilities
consisted of the following:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
   US$      US$  
Accrued payroll
     277,020        387,927  
Refund liability (a)
     138,549        167,369  
Payable for purchase of property and equipment
     27,093        36,136  
Amounts reimbursable to employees (b)
     15,437        29,965  
Accrued advertising fees
     14,426        23,035  
Advance payment from students (c)
     19,323        20,298  
VAT payable
     12,300        17,920  
Payment to merchant (d)
            16,772  
Welfare payable
     9,294        11,682  
Payable for investments and acquisitions
     9,531        9,885  
Royalty fees payable (e)
     7,568        8,640  
Refundable deposits (f)
     5,825        8,004  
Rent payable
     6,124        6,283  
Other taxes payable
     5,095        3,371  
Accrued professional service fees
     2,824        1,709  
Others (g)
     19,028        25,809  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total
     569,437        774,805  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
(a)
The refund liability is recognized for variable amount of the considerations received from the customers and recorded as refund liability as described in Note 2.
(b)
Amounts reimbursable to employees include travelling and business related expenses.
(c)
Advance payment from students represent (1) the miscellaneous expenses other than tuition fee prepaid by students which will be paid out on their behalf; and (2) advance payment prepaid by students for class enrollment.
(d)
Payment to merchant represents cash received from consumers and deposited in a special bank account reserved for payments to merchants.
(e)
Royalty fees payable relate to payments to content providers for
on-line
learning programs and those to counterparties for copyrights and resource sharing.
(f)
Refundable deposits represent student deposits for dormitory or other fees that will be refunded upon graduation and student security deposits refunded upon completion of the study tour.
(g)
Others primarily include transportation expenses, utility fees, property management fees
and
other miscellaneous expenses payable.
 
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Table of Contents
13.
LEASE
The Group has operating leases for learning centers, service centers and office spaces. Certain leases include renewal options and/or termination options, which are factored into the Group’s determination of lease payments when appropriate.
Operating lease costs for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$368,058, US$163,195 and US$209,327, respectively, which excluded cost of short-term leases. Short-term lease costs for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$2,344, US$39,057 and US$53,907, respectively.
As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the weighted average remaining lease term was 3.6 years and 3.9 years, respectively, and the weighted average discount rate was 4.4% and 4.7% for the Group’s operating leases, respectively.
Supplemental cash flow information related to the operating leases is as follows:
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2023      2024  
     US$      US$  
Cash payments for the operating leases
     180,157        214,089  
Right-of-use
assets obtained in exchange for the new operating lease liabilities
     231,887        442,212  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
A summary of maturity analysis of the annual undiscounted cash flows for the operating lease liabilities as of May 31, 2024 is as follows:
 
 
  
As of
May 31, 2024
 
 
  
US$
 
Fiscal year ending
  
May 31, 2025
     227,888
May 31, 2026
     184,310
May 31, 2027
     130,508
May 31, 2028
     90,996
May 31, 2029
     48,238
Thereafter
     25,388
  
 
 
 
Total future lease payments
     707,328
Less: Imputed interest
     (59,401 )
 
  
 
 
 
Present value of operating lease liabilities
     647,927  
  
 
 
 
As of May 31, 2024, the Group has lease contracts that have been entered into but not yet commenced amounting to US$22,321, and these contracts will commence in the fiscal year 2025.
For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, US$19,580, nil and nil impairment loss was recorded in general and administrative expenses mainly related to
right-of-use
assets of selected learning centers.
 
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Table of Contents
14.
UNSECURED SENIOR NOTES
In July 2020, the Company issued unsecured senior notes for a principal amount of US$300,000 which are listed in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. The notes bear fixed interest rate at 2.125% with interest payable semiannually in arrears on January 2 and July 2 of each calendar year, commencing on January 2, 2021.
The unsecured senior notes were issued at a discount amount of US$299,181. Debt issuance costs of US$2,098 were directly deducted from the principal amount of the unsecured senior notes. The effective interest rates for the unsecured senior notes include the interest charged on the notes as well as amortization of the debt discounts and debt issuance costs.
The unsecured senior notes contain covenants including, among others, negative pledge, consolidation, merger and sale all or substantially all of the Company’s assets. The notes will rank senior in rights of payment to all of the Company’s existing and future obligations expressly subordinated in rights of payment to the notes and rank at least equal in rights of payment with all of the Company’s existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated obligations (subject to any priority rights pursuant to applicable law).
For the year ended May 31, 2023, the Company repurchased unsecured senior notes with a total principal amount of US$50,962 at a repurchase price of US$48,764. The repurchased unsecured senior notes were derecognized from the Group’s consolidated balance sheets, and the relevant repurchase gains amounting to US$2,347 were recognized in the Group’s consolidated statements of operations for the year ended May 31, 2023.
For the year ended May 31, 2024, the Company repurchased unsecured senior notes with a total principal amount of US$250 at a repurchase price of US$240. The repurchased unsecured senior notes were derecognized from the Group’s consolidated balance sheets, and the relevant repurchase gains amounting to US$13 were recognized in the Group’s consolidated statements of operations for the year ended May 31, 2024.
 
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Table of Contents
15.
COMMON SHARES AND TREASURY STOCK
As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the Company had 3,000,000,000 common shares authorized with par value of US$
0.001
.
The movements of the outstanding common shares and treasury stock are as follows:

 
 
  
Number of
outstanding
common shares
 
  
Number of
common
shares as
treasury stock
 
Shares outstanding as of May 31, 2022
     1,696,966,183         
Issuance of common share for NES
     5,659,610         
Shares repurchase (a)
     (59,463,140      59,463,140  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Shares outstanding as of May 31, 2023
     1,643,162,653        59,463,140  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Issuance of common share for NES
     12,191,640      (12,191,640
Shares repurchase (a)
     (7,839,430 )      7,839,430  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Shares outstanding as of May 31, 2024
     1,647,514,863        55,110,930  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
  (a)
As amended, on August 6, 2024, the Company’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to US$
700 
million of the Company’s common shares through May 31, 2025. During the year ended May 31, 2024, the Company repurchased
783,943
ADS on the open market for total consideration of US$
62,943.
The Group accounts for repurchased common shares under the par value method and includes such treasury stock as a component of the shareholders’ equity. 
 
16.
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
2016 Share Incentive Plan
The Company adopted 2016 Share Incentive Plan (“2016 Share Incentive Plan”) in January 2016 to provide incentives to employees and directors after the expiration of the previous 2006 Share Incentive Plan. Under the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, the Company is authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 common shares pursuant to awards (including options) granted to its employees, directors and consultants. The 2016 Share Incentive Plan is effective upon its adoption by the board of directors and continue in effect for a term of ten years unless terminated sooner. Since the adoption of the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, the Company has granted a total of 75,337,338 NES, among which nil, 20,759,130 and 3,656,040 were granted for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. 1,536,112, 1,324,092 and 266,411 shares were forfeited for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The Company’s board of directors may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the 2016 Share Incentive Plan. The following amendments to the 2016 Share Incentive Plan require approval from the shareholders (i) increase of the number of shares available under the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, (ii) extension of the term of the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, (iii) extension of the exercise period of an option beyond ten years, and (iv) any other amendments about which shareholders’ approval are necessary and desirable under applicable laws or stock exchange rules. The 2016 Share Incentive Plan is effective upon its adoption by the board and continue in effect for a term of ten years unless sooner terminated.
As of May 31, 2019, all options were fully vested and exercised.
 
F-48

NES
For the year ended May 31, 2024,
12,191,640
treasury stock had been issued to employees and directors upon the vesting of their NES.
The NES activities under the 2016 Share Incentive Plan for the year ended May 31, 2024 are summarized as follows:
 
     Number of
NES
    
Weighted-average

grant date fair
value (US$)
NES outstanding as of May 31, 2023
     30,271,273      5.52
Granted
     3,656,040      5.99
Vested
     (12,191,640    6.54
Forfeited
     (266,411    5.75
  
 
 
    
NES outstanding as of May 31, 2024
     21,469,262      5.01
  
 
 
    
The total fair value of NES vested for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$50,821, US$65,142 and US$79,775, respectively. The weighted average grant date fair value of NES granted for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were nil, US$2.60 and US$5.99, respectively. As of May 31, 2024, the total unrecognized compensation expenses for NES of US$20,120 are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.85 years.
The total compensation expenses of NES are recognized using graded vesting method over the respective vesting periods. The Group recorded the related compensation expenses of US$118,487, US$69,547 and US$50,672 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
East Buy
Pre-IPO
Share Option Scheme
On July 13, 2018, the board of directors of East Buy approved an employee’s share option plan (the
“Pre-IPO
Share Option Scheme”). The overall limit on the number of shares which may be issued upon exercise of all outstanding options granted and yet to be exercised under the
Pre-IPO
Share Option Scheme at any time must not exceed 47,836,985 (representing approximately 5.23% of the total number of shares in issue immediately before the date of the commencement of dealings in the shares on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (without taking into account any shares that may be issued upon the
l
isting and any over-allotment option).
On March 7, 2019, pursuant to the list of grantees and respective numbers of options approved by the board of directors of East Buy, East Buy granted a total of 47,836,985 options to 144 grantees, including the directors, senior management of East Buy, contractors and other employees of East Buy. The grant date weight average fair value of each option is US$0.53 and the estimated fair value of the share options granted was US$21,613 on March 7, 2019. The exercise period is 6 years from the listing date of East Buy and the exercise price is US$1.13.
 
F-49

The movements of share options under the
Pre-IPO
Share Option Scheme are summarized as follows:
 
 
  
Number of share
option
 
  
Weighted average
exercise price per
option
(US$)
 
Outstanding as of May 31, 2023
     27,084,385        1.13  
Exercised
     (1,143,500      1.13  
Outstanding as of May 31, 2024
     25,940,885        1.13  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Options vested and expected to vest as of May 31, 2024
     25,940,885        1.13  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Exercisable as of May 31, 2024
     25,940,885        1.13  
  
 
 
    
East Buy recorded the related
compensation expenses of
 
US$1,298,
nil and nil
for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, in relation to the share options issued under the Pre-IPO Share Option Scheme.
 
The total intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were US$36, US$38,465 and US$2,514, respectively. 
East Buy
Post-IPO
Share Option Scheme
On January 30, 2019, the board of directors of East Buy approved an employee’s share option plan (the
“Post-IPO
Share Option Scheme”).
On November 15, 2021, the Company’s board of directors granted a total of 24,986,000 options to employees of East Buy. The grant date weighted average fair value of each option was US$0.32 and the estimated fair value of the share options granted was US$7,995. The exercise period is 10 years from the date of grant day and the exercise price is US$0.67.
The movements of share options under the
Post-IPO
Share Option Scheme are summarized as follows:

 
 
  
Number of share
options
 
  
Weighted average
exercise price per
option
(US$)
 
Outstanding as of May 31, 2023
     40,462,810        0.67  
  
 
 
    
Forfeited
     (516,189      0.67  
Exercised
     (3,942,676 )      0.67  
Cancelled
     (1,519,999 )      0.67  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Outstanding as of May 31, 2024
     34,483,946        0.67  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Options vested and expected to vest as of May 31, 2024
     34,483,946        0.67  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Exercisable as of May 31, 2024
     21,413,897        0.67  
  
 
 
    
 
F-50

     November 15,
2021
 
Weighted average share price
   US$ 0.67  
Exercise price
   US$ 0.67  
Expected volatility
     61
Expected life
     10 years  
Risk-free rate
     1.63
Expected dividend yield
     0.00
East Buy has used the closing price of the shares as stated in the daily quotation sheet issued by the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on the grant date as the fair value of underlying common shares of East Buy. Based on the fair value of the underlying common shares of East Buy, East Buy has used binomial option-pricing model to determine the fair value of the share option as of the grant date with the assistance of an independent valuation specialist. Option valuation model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including the option’s expected life and the price volatility of the underlying shares, and changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate of share options.
East Buy recognized the total compensation expenses of
US$13,183,
 
US$10,897 and US$4,287
for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, in relation to the Post-IPO Share Option Scheme.
 
As of May 31, 2024, the total unrecognized compensation expenses for share option of US$937 are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.4 years.
 
The total intrinsic value of options exercised for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were nil, US$25,063 and US$10,767, respectively. 
East Buy 2023 Scheme
On February 20, 2023, the board of directors of East Buy approved a new
post-IPO
share scheme (“East Buy 2023 Scheme”).
On April 11, 2023, pursuant to the list of grantees and respective numbers of
share awards
approved by the board of directors of East Buy, East Buy granted a total of 30,459,000 share awards to grantees, including the directors, senior management and other employees of East Buy.
The grant date fair value is determined by the market price of such share awards. 
Each grant has a total vesting period of 3 years from the date of grant, and between 20% to 50% of the total NES will vest annually within the vesting period upon certain performance conditions are met.
On November 28, 2023, pursuant to the list of grantees and respective numbers of
share awards
approved by the board of directors of East Buy
, East Buy granted a total of 30,000 NES to a
non-executive
director. The above grant has a total vesting period of 3 years from the date of grant, and the total NES will vest evenly and annually within the vesting period upon certain performance conditions
being
met.
The movements of share awards under the East Buy 2023 Scheme for the years ended May 31, 2023 and 2024 are summarized as follows:
 
 
  
Number of shares
 
  
Weighted-average

grant date fair
value
 
 
  
 
 
  
US$
 
NES outstanding
as of May 31, 2023
     30,314,000        3.69  
  
 
 
    
Granted
     30,000        3.88  
Vested
     (12,298,670 )      3.69  
Forfeited
     (399,000 )      3.69  
  
 
 
    
NES outstanding
as of May 31, 2024
     17,646,330        3.69  
  
 
 
    
East Buy recognized the total compensation expenses of US$9,344 and US$67,499 for the years ended May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively, in relation to the East Buy 2023 Scheme.
As
 of May 
31
,
2024
, the total unrecognized compensation expenses for NES of
 
US$
33,790
are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 
1.4
years, respectively.
At the end of each reporting period, the Group revises its estimates of the number of share awards that are expected to vest based on all relevant performance vesting conditions, with the impact of the revision to original estimates, if any, in profit or loss, along with a corresponding adjustment to equity. 
 
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Table of Contents
17.
INCOME TAXES
Cayman Islands
 & the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”)
The Company and East Buy are
tax-exempted
companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Under the current law of the Cayman Islands, the Company and East Buy are not subject to income, corporate or capital gains tax, and the Cayman Islands currently have no form of estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax. In addition, payments of dividends and capital in respect of their shares are not subject to taxation and no withholding will be required in the Cayman Islands on the payment of any dividend or capital to any holder of their shares, nor will gains derived from the disposal of their shares be subject to the Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.
The Company’s subsidiary, Abundant State Limited, is incorporated in BVI and is not subject to income tax.
United States (“US”)
Walkite International Academy (U.S.A.) Co., Ltd. and Blingabc Limited (US) are incorporated in the US and are subject to federal income tax and state income tax at
21% and 8.8%, respectively.
United Kingdom (“UK”)
Walkite International Academy Co., Ltd. and New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting (U.K.) Ltd
.
are incorporated in the UK and are subject to income tax rate at 19%.
Australia
New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Australia Pty Ltd. is incorporated in Australia and is subject to income tax rate at 30%.
Canada
Walkite International Academy (Canada) Co., Ltd
.
and New Oriental Vision Overseas Consulting Canada Inc. are incorporated in Canada and are subject to income tax rate at 15% in federal and 11.5% in provincial.
Japan
New Oriental Vision Overseas (JPN) Co., Ltd
.
were established in Japan and subject to the Japan profit tax rate at 23.2%.
Hong Kong
Smart Shine, Winner Park, Elite Concept, One World Limited, Garden House Limited, Xuncheng Tech, Asia Pacific Montessori Education Co., Ltd. (“Asia Pacific”), New Oriental Wuyou Online (HK) Education & Technology Co., Limited (“Wuyou Online”), Dongfang Youbo (HK) Education Limited (“Dongfang Youbo (HK
)”), Hong Kong
New Oriental Vision Overseas Co., Ltd
., and Blingabc Limited (HK)
are incorporated in Hong Kong. Under the current Hong Kong Inland Revenue Ordinance, from the year of assessment 2018/2019 onwards, the subsidiaries in Hong Kong are subject to profits tax at the rate of
8.25% on assessable profits up to HK$2 million; and 16.5% on any part of assessable profits over HK$2 million. No provision
in above subsidiaries for Hong Kong profit tax has been made in the consolidated financial statements as they do not have any assessable income for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, except for provision of US$1,122 by Elite Concept for the year ended May 31, 2024.
 
Smart Shine received dividends of nil, nil and US$84,545 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. Withholding taxes of nil, nil and US$4,227 in connection with the dividends were fully paid for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. 
 
F-5
2

PRC
The Company’s PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools are subject to 25% standard enterprise income tax (“EIT”) except for those accepted as qualified for small-scale enterprises, or granted preferential tax treatment.
Significant components of provision for income taxes for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 were as follows:
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022      2023      2024  
   US$      US$      US$  
Current:
        
PRC
     44,378        97,594      130,927  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Deferred:
        
PRC
     91,934        (31,528      (21,237
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total provision for income taxes
     136,312        66,066      109,690  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Enterprises that qualify as a high and new technology enterprise (“HNTE”) are subject to a tax rate of 15%. Beijing Hewstone, Beijing Decision, Beijing Pioneer, Beijing Smart Wood, Xuncheng, Dexin Dongfang, Beijing Be-linked Online Education Company Limited, Beijing SFK Education Consulting Co., Ltd., Beijing Bright Future Education&Technology Company Limited and Dongfang Huijiao (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. continued to qualify as HNTE and were subject to a tax rate of 15% for the year ended May 31, 2024. Considering Xuncheng and Dexin Dongfang didn’t meet some criteria for HNTE in the year ended 31 May 2024, the statutory tax rate of Xuncheng and Dexin Dongfang for the year ended 31 May 2024 is 25%.
Hainan Dongfang Zhixin Technology Company Limited, Zhuhai Zekai Software Technology Company Limited, Zhuhai Chongshengheli Network Technology Co., Ltd
.
 
and
Tibet Tianli enjoyed the EIT tax rate of 15% because of the preferential corporate income tax policies for local tax concessions.
Enterprises that qualify as the newly established software enterprise (“NESE”) are exempt from the EIT for two years beginning the enterprise’s first profitable year followed by a tax rate of 12.5% for the succeeding three years. Beijing Zhiyuan Hangcheng Software Technology Company Limited (“Beijing Zhiyuan”) and Beijing Chuangying Oriental Technology Co., Ltd (“Beijing Chuangying”) are qualified as NESE and enjoy the EIT tax benefit from January 2019 to December 2023. After expiration, Beijing Zhiyuan and Beijing Chuangying qualified as “HNTE” and subject to a tax rate of 15%. Beijing Yuda Oriental Software Technology Company Limited is qualified as NESE and enjoy the EIT tax benefit from January 2023 to December 2027.
Since its establishment through May 31, 2024, Beijing Haidian School was not required by the governing tax bureau to pay any EIT. If Beijing Haidian School is required to pay EIT in the future, this could have material impact to the Group’s consolidated financial statements. However, the Group believes that it is not more likely than not that any change to the tax treatment of Beijing Haidian School shall be prospectively applied.
 
F-5
3

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of the Group’s deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:
 
     As of May 31,  
     2023      2024  
   US$      US$  
Deferred tax assets
     
Allowance for doubtful accounts
     37,424        26,435  
Accrued expenses
     56,716        79,053  
Net operating loss carry-forward
     324,355        257,637  
Tax impact from the long-term investments disposed to a related party
     1,521         
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total deferred tax assets
     420,016        363,125  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Less: valuation allowance
     (364,083      (290,398 )
 
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total deferred tax assets, net
     55,933        72,727  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Deferred tax liabilities
     
Acquired assets
     4,523        3,462  
Tax impact from the unrealized gain on long-term investments
     19,326        15,945  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total deferred tax liabilities
     23,849        19,407  
  
 
 
    
 
 
 
The Group does not file combined or consolidated tax returns, therefore, losses from individual subsidiaries or the VIEs may not be used to offset other subsidiaries’ earnings within the Group.
The Group determined the valuation allowance on an entity by entity basis. The valuation allowance, which is primarily related to entities with net operating loss carry-forwards for which the Company does not believe it will ultimately be realized, was US$397,616, US$364,083 and US$290,398 as of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
As of May 31, 2024, the Group had net operating loss carried-forwards of US$1,010,205 from the Company’s PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools which will expire during the period from
2024
to
2029
except for those arose from HNTEs, which will expire during the period from 2024 to 2034.
A reconciliation of the provision for income taxes computed by applying the EIT rates of 25% for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 to (loss)/income before provision for income tax and the actual provision for income tax is as follows:
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022     2023     2024  
   US$     US$     US$  
(Loss)/income before income taxes
     (1,032,498     308,531       493,841  
PRC statutory income tax rate
     25     25     25
Income tax at statutory income tax rate
     (258,125     77,133       123,460  
Effect of
non-deductible
expenses and loss and super deduction expenses
     106,903       40,577       68,741  
Effect of income tax exemptions and preferential tax rates
     (19,570     (12,927     (24,810 )
Effect of income tax rate difference in other jurisdictions
     (424     (5,184     (9,086 )
Changes in valuation allowance
     307,528       (33,533     (48,615 )
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Provision for income taxes
     136,312       66,066       109,690  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
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4

If the WFOE and certain subsidiaries and schools of the VIEs did not enjoy income tax exemptions and preferential tax rates, tax expense would have increased by US$5,453, US$25,420 and US$11,149 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The increase in basic net loss per common share would have been US$0.00 for the year ended May 31, 2022, the decrease in basic net income per common share would have been US$0.01 for the year ended May 31, 2023, and the decrease in basic net income per common share would have been US$0.01 for the year ended May 31, 2024. The increase in diluted net loss per common share would have been US$0.00 for the year ended May 31, 2022, the decrease in diluted net income per common share would have been US$0.02 for the year ended May 31, 2023. and the decrease in diluted net income per common share would have been US$0.01 for the year ended May 31, 2024.
Under the New Income Tax Law effective from January 1, 2008, the rules for determining whether an entity is resident in the PRC for tax purposes have changed and the determination of residence depends among other things on the “place of actual management”. If the Group, or its
non-PRC
subsidiaries, were to be determined as a PRC resident for tax purposes, they would be subject to a 25% income tax rate on their worldwide income including the income arising in jurisdictions outside the PRC. The Group does not believe that its legal entities organized outside of the PRC are considered the PRC residents.
If the Company were to be a
non-resident
for the PRC tax purposes, dividends paid to it out of profits earned after January 1, 2008 would be subject to a withholding tax. In the case of dividends paid by the PRC schools and subsidiaries to their foreign investors, the withholding tax would be 10%, unless any such foreign investor’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. Elite Concept
and Smart Shine enjoyed
a preferential tax rate of 5% under the tax treaty treatment.
Aggregate undistributed earnings of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools that are available for distribution were US$1,880,057, US$2,078,517 and US$2,374,564 
as of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. Upon distribution of such earnings, the Company will be subject to the PRC EIT, the amount of which is impractical to estimate. The Company did not record any withholding tax on any of the aforementioned undistributed earnings because the relevant PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs, the VIEs’ subsidiaries and schools do not intend to declare dividends exceeding earnings from current year and the Company intends to permanently reinvest
the remaining undistributed earnings excluding declared dividends
within the PRC. Additionally, no deferred tax liabilities were recorded for taxable temporary differences attributable to the undistributed earnings because the Company believes the undistributed earnings can be distributed in a manner that would not be subject to income tax. 
The Group did not identify any significant unrecognized tax benefits for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The Group did not incur any significant interest and penalties related to potential underpaid income tax expenses and also does not anticipate any significant increases or decreases in unrecognized tax benefits in the next twelve months. The Group has no material unrecognized tax benefits which would favorably affect the effective income tax rate in future periods.
According to the PRC Tax Administration and Collection Law, the tax authority may require the taxpayer or the withholding agent to make delinquent tax payment within three years if the underpayment of taxes is resulted from the tax authority’s act or error. No late payment surcharge will be assessed under such circumstances. The statute of limitation will be three years if the underpayment of taxes is due to the computational errors made by the taxpayer or the withholding agent. Late payment surcharge will be assessed in such case. The statute of limitation will be extended to five years under special circumstances which are not clearly defined (but an underpayment of tax liability exceeding US$16 (RMB100) is specifically listed as a “special circumstance”). The statute of limitation for transfer pricing related issue is ten years. There is no statute of limitation in the case of tax evasion. Therefore, the Group’s PRC domiciled entities are subject to examination by the PRC tax authorities based on the above.
 
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18.
NET INCOME/(LOSS) PER SHARE
The computation of basic and diluted net income/(loss) per common share for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024 is as follows:
 
     For the years ended May 31,  
     2022      2023      2024  
Numerator:
        
Net income/(loss) attributable to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.’s shareholders - basic (US$ in thousands)
     (1,187,721      177,341      309,591  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income/(loss) attributable to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc.’s shareholders - diluted (US$ in thousands)
     (1,187,721      173,732      308,443  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Denominator
        
Weighted average common shares outstanding-basic
     1,696,419,232        1,678,264,547        1,653,597,432  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plus: incremental weighted average common shares from assumed vesting of NES using the treasury stock method
     —       7,367,440      15,902,520  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted average common shares outstanding-diluted
     1,696,419,232        1,685,631,987      1,669,499,952  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income/(loss) per common share
        
- Basic (US$)
     (0.70      0.11      0.19  
- Diluted
(a)
(US$)
     (0.70      0.10      0.18  
 
(a)
For the year ended May 31, 2024, the Company does not have any securities that would have an anti-dilutive effect included in the computation of diluted net income/(loss) per common share.
 
19.
RELATED-PARTIES TRANSACTIONS
The Group had the following significant balances and transactions with major related parties:
 
  (a)
Amount due from/to related parties:
 
              Amounts due from
related
parties, current
As of May 31,
     Amounts due to related
parties, current
As of May 31,
 
     Notes  
Relationship
   2023      2024      2023      2024  
              US$      US$      US$      US$  
Metropolis Holding China Limited (“Metropolis”)
   (1)   Company controlled by Mr. Yu      2,435        1,399        236        313  
Beijing Edutainment World Education Technology Co., Ltd. (“Edutainment World”)
   (2)   Long-term investee      4,086        2,944        18      238
Others
          2,862        60        92        —   
       
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total
          9,383        4,403        346        551  
       
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
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6

                Amounts due from related
parties,
non-current

As of May 31,
 
     Notes    
Relationship
   2023      2024  
              US$      US$  
Metropolis
     (1)     Company controlled by Mr. Yu      1,398        3,130  
Others
          337        4,143  
       
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total
          1,735        7,273  
       
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
  (b)
Transactions:
 
                                                                               
              
 
Rental expenses
For the years ended May 31,
 
              
2022
    
2023
    
2024
 
            
US$
    
US$
    
US$
 
Metropolis
  
(1)
  
Company controlled by
Mr. Yu
  
 
11,590
 
  
 
8,387
 
  
 
10,896
 
        
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
               
               
               
               
               
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Revenues
For the years ended May 31,
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
2022
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
 
  
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Edutainment World
  
(2)
  
Long
-term investee
  
 
— 
 
  
 
2,098
 
  
 
251
 
Others
  
  
  
 
    41
 
  
 
— 
 
  
 
— 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total
  
  
  
 
41
 
  
 
2,098
 
  
 
   251
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
               
               
               
               
               
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Loans provided to related parties
For the years ended May 31,
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
2022
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
 
  
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Dianshi Jingwei
  
(3)
  
Equity method investee
  
 
3,096
 
  
 
— 
 
  
 
— 
 
Beijing MaxEn International Education Consulting Company Limited (“Beijing MaxEn”)
  
(4)
  
Equity method investee
  
 
38,130
 
  
 
— 
 
  
 
— 
 
Others
  
  
  
 
— 
 
  
 
2,387
 
  
 
1,388
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total
  
  
  
 
41,226
 
  
 
2,387
 
  
 
1,388
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
               
               
               
               
               
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
Cost
For the years ended May 31,
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
2022
 
  
2023
 
  
2024
 
  
 
  
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
  
US$
 
Dianshi Jingwei
  
(3)
  
Equity method investee
  
 
52,380
 
  
 
— 
  
 
— 
Beijing Dongfang Heli Investment and Development Ltd (“Dongfang Heli”)
  
  
Equity method investee
  
 
1,415
 
  
 
513
 
  
 
— 
Edutainment World
  
(2)
  
Long-term investee
  
 
186
 
  
 
1,253
 
  
 
    48
 
Others
  
  
  
 
714
 
  
 
— 
 
  
 
— 
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Total
  
  
  
 
54,695
 
  
 
1,766
 
  
 
48
 
  
  
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Note: In June 2023 and February 2024, the Company acquired 9.09% and 90.91% of the sponsorship interest in Beijing Changping District Miaofeng Academy Training School (“Beijing Miaofeng”), held by Mr. Yu, for a consideration of US$
13.8
and US$
138.1
,
 
respectively. In connection with the acquisition, the Company provided a loan with a principal amount of US$
36.2
million to Beijing Miaofeng primarily for obtaining a land use right that is in the process of registration application by Beijing Miaofeng for the Company’s future operational use. The Company has become the sole sponsor of Beijing Miaofeng since February 2024 and therefore Beijing Miaofeng has since ceased to be a related party. 
 
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7

  (1)
As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the current amounts due from Metropolis, which is an entity acquired by a company wholly-owned by Mr. Yu, the chairman of the Company, were US$2,435 and US$1,399, respectively and the
non-current
amounts due from Metropolis were US$1,398 and US$3,130, respectively. Those represented prepaid rent related to a short-term lease and deposit for the building. As of May 31, 2023 and 2024, the
right-of-use
assets related to the leases rented from Metropolis were US$15,920 and US$11,696, respectively, and the relevant lease liabilities were US$15,723 and US$11,637, respectively.
 
  (2)
Although the Group can exercise significant influence over Edutainment World, the preferred shares with substantive liquidation rights
 
are
 
not deemed in substance common shares
.
 Accordingly
,
 
the
Group’s 
investment
in
 preferred shares was accounted for as investment without readily determinable fair values in accordance with ASC 321.
For the year ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Group provided services to Edutainment World, from which the unpaid balance was
 
US$4,086 and US$2,944 as of May 31, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
 
  (3)
In April 2016, the Group sold 51% of its equity interest in Dianshi Jingwei which became an equity method investee of the Group. In October 2021, the Group entered into a purchase agreement with Dianshi Jingwei for the purchase of learning devices of which $52,380 was further recorded as cost. In November 2022, the Company transferred all its equity interest in Dianshi Jingwei to the founder of Dianshi Jingwei and ceased the business cooperation aforementioned.
 
  (4)
For the year ended May 31, 2022, the Group provided the loans in aggregate of US$38,130 to Beijing MaxEn, an equity method investee of the Group. As of May 31, 2022, the outstanding balance of the loans was fully impaired.
 
20.
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Capital commitments
As of May 31, 2024, the future minimum capital commitments were as follows:
 
     US$  
Capital commitment for the purchase of property and equipment
     2,488
Capital commitment for leasehold improvements
     22,713
  
 
 
 
Total
     25,201
  
 
 
 
Contingent liabilities
The Group has been named in a number of lawsuits arising in its ordinary course of business. Although the outcome of those lawsuits are uncertain, the Group does not believe the possibility of a material loss is probable. The Group is unable to estimate a range of loss, if any, that could result if there would be an adverse decision, as such, the Group has not accrued any liabilities.
 
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21.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Group’s chief operating decision maker has been identified as the Chief Executive Officer who reviews financial information of operating segments based on US GAAP amounts when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Group. For the years ended May 31, 2022 and 2023, the Group identified
 
four
operating segments, including (i) educational services and test preparation courses, (ii) private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and other services, which was formerly named as “online education and other services”, (iii) overseas study consulting services, and (iv) educational materials and distribution. For the year ended May 31, 2024, the Group identified four operating segments, including (i) educational services and test preparation courses, (ii) private label products and livestreaming e-commerce, which was formerly named as “private label products and livestreaming e-commerce and other services”. The change is due to the transferring of online education from this segment to educational services and test preparation courses. (iii) overseas study consulting services, and (iv) educational materials and distribution. The Group identified educational services and test preparation courses, private label products and livestreaming e-commerce, and overseas study consulting services as three reportable segments. Educational materials and distribution individually did not exceed
the
10%
quantitative threshold and as a result, was included in others below. Prior period’s segment information has been restated to conform with the presentation for the year ended May 31, 2024.
The Group primarily operates in the PRC and substantially all of the Group’s long-lived assets are located in the PRC.
The Group’s chief operating decision maker evaluates performance based on each reporting segment’s operating income. Net revenues, operating cost and expenses, operating income, and total assets by segment are as follows:
For the year ended May
 31, 2022

 
  
Educational
services and
test preparation
courses
 
 
Private label
products and
livestreaming
e-commerce
 
 
Overseas study
consulting
services
 
 
Others
 
 
Consolidated
 
 
  
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
Net revenues
     2,669,020       3,003       325,901       107,322       3,105,246  
Operating cost and expenses:
          
Cost of revenues
     (1,508,412 )     (2,476 )     (165,673     (77,730     (1,754,291
Selling and marketing
     (346,508 )     (6,264 )     (72,847     (30,494     (456,113
General and administrative
     (1,362,285 )     (18,818 )     (61,258     (63,859     (1,506,220
Unallocated corporate expenses
     —        —        —        —        (371,135
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total operating cost and expenses
     (3,217,205 )     (27,558 )     (299,778     (172,083     (4,087,759
Operating (loss)/income
     (548,185 )     (24,555 )     26,123       (64,761     (982,513
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Segment assets
     2,262,594       277,848       177,821       4,381       2,722,644  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Unallocated corporate assets
     —        —        —        —        3,312,022  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total assets
     2,262,594       277,848       177,821       4,381       6,034,666  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
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59

For the year ended May
 31, 2023
 
     Educational
services and
test preparation
courses
    Private label
products and
livestreaming
e-commerce
    Overseas study
consulting
services
    Others     Consolidated  
     US$     US$     US$     US$     US$  
Net revenues
     1,914,865     557,508       354,764       170,623       2,997,760  
Operating cost and expenses:
          
Cost of revenues
     (793,423 )     (345,211 )     (179,284     (91,520     (1,409,438
Selling and marketing
     (261,606 )     (45,611 )     (80,528     (45,657     (433,402
General and administrative
     (519,765 )     (34,238 )     (61,861     (65,725     (681,589
Unallocated corporate expenses
     —      —        —        —        (283,285
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total operating cost and expenses
     (1,574,794 )     (425,060 )     (321,673     (202,902     (2,807,714
Operating income/(loss)
     340,071     132,448       33,091       (32,279     190,046  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Segment assets
     1,728,371     282,558       109,422       149,017       2,269,368  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Unallocated corporate assets
     —      —        —        —        4,123,090  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
Total assets
     1,728,371     282,558       109,422       149,017       6,392,458  
  
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
For the year ended May
 31, 2024
 
 
  
Educational
services and
test preparation
courses
 
 
Private label
products and
livestreaming
e-commerce
 
 
Overseas study
consulting
services
 
 
Others
 
 
Consolidated
 
 
  
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
 
US$
 
Net revenues
     2,716,174        900,614        439,744        257,054        4,313,586  
Operating cost and expenses:
                                        
Cost of revenues
     (1,027,889 )      (677,270 )      (214,602 )      (131,199 )      (2,050,960 )
Selling and marketing
     (348,121 )      (124,975 )      (92,865 )      (77,785 )      (643,746 )
General and administrative
     (755,074 )      (77,626 )      (57,204 )      (75,657 )      (965,561 )
Unallocated corporate expenses
     —         —         —         —         (302,894 )
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total operating cost and expenses
     (2,131,084 )      (879,871 )      (364,671 )      (284,641 )      (3,963,161 )
Operating income/(loss)
     585,090        20,743        75,073        (27,587 )      350,425  
Segment assets
     2,217,342        831,620        119,725        486,305        3,654,992  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Unallocated corporate assets
     —         —         —         —         3,876,681  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
Total assets
     2,217,342        831,620        119,725        486,305        7,531,673  
  
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
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22.
MAINLAND CHINA CONTRIBUTION PLAN
The Group’s full time employees in the PRC participate in a government-mandated multiemployer defined contribution plan pursuant to which certain pension benefits, medical care, unemployment insurance, employee housing fund and other welfare benefits are provided to employees. The PRC labor regulations require the Group to accrue for these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees’ salaries. The total contributions for such employee benefits were US$272,433, US$196,042 and US$234,474 for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
 
23.
STATUTORY RESERVES
Prior to payment of dividends, pursuant to the laws applicable to the PRC’s Foreign Investment Enterprises, the Company’s subsidiaries and the VIEs in the PRC must make appropriations from
after-tax
profit to
non-distributable
reserve funds as determined by the board of directors of each company. These reserves include (i) general reserve and (ii) the development fund.
Subject to certain cumulative limits, the general reserve requires annual appropriations of 10% of
after-tax
profits as determined under the PRC laws and regulations at each
year-end
until the balance reaches 50% of the PRC entity registered capital; the other reserve appropriations are at the Company’s discretion. These reserves can only be used for specific purposes of enterprise expansion and are not distributable as cash dividends. For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, US$2,828, US$3,620 and US$4,162 were accrued for the general reserve, respectively.
The PRC laws and regulations require private schools that require reasonable returns to make annual appropriations of 25% of
after-tax
income prior to payments of dividend to its development fund, which is to be used for the construction or maintenance of the school or procurement or upgrading of educational equipment, while in the case of a private school that does not require reasonable return, this amount should be equivalent to no less than
25
%
of the annual increase of net assets of the school as determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the PRC. In the case of a for-profit private school, this amount shall be no less than 10% of the audited annual net income of the school, while in the case of a non-profit private school, this amount shall be equal to no less than 10% of the audited annual increase in the unrestricted net assets of the school, if any. For the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Company reversed
US$2,512, made US$13,222 and made US$16,929 to the development fund, respectively.
These reserves are included as statutory reserves in the consolidated statements of changes in equity. The Group allocated US$316, US$16,842 and US$21,091 to statutory reserves for the years ended May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
 
24.
RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
Relevant PRC laws and regulations restrict the WFOEs and the VIEs from transferring a portion of their net assets, equivalent to the balance of their statutory reserves and their share capital, to the Company in the form of loans, advances or cash dividends, except in the event of liquidation. The balance of restricted net assets was US$918,190, US$935,032 and US$956,123 of which, US$519,388, US$535,700 and US$557,771 were attributed to the
paid-in
capital, additional
paid-in
capital and statutory reserves of the VIEs and US$398,802, US$399,332 and US$398,352 were attributed to the
paid-in
capital, additional
paid-in
capital and statutory reserves of the WFOEs, as of May 31, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The WFOEs’ accumulated profits may be distributed as dividends to the Company without the consent of a third party. The VIEs’ revenues and accumulated profits may be transferred to the Company through contractual arrangements without the consent of a third party. Under the applicable PRC law, loans from the PRC companies to their offshore affiliated entities require governmental approval, and advances by the PRC companies to their offshore affiliated entities must be supported by bona fide busin
ess tra
nsacti
ons.
 
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25.
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On July 25, 2024, Mr. Yuhui Dong (“Mr. Dong”), an employee of the Company and senior management
o
f
the
Time With Yuhui, a wholly-
owned
subsidiary of East Buy, resigned from his current roles within the Group. Apart from the payment to Mr. Dong of the promised benefits and compensations, the board of directors of East Buy have also approved to distribute all remaining undistributed profits from Time with Yuhui as of June 30, 2024, which was approximately US$17,910, to Mr. Dong.
Meanwhile, on July 25, 2024, Xuncheng, Mr. Dong and Time With Yuhui entered into a disposal agreement, pursuant to which Xuncheng agreed to sell, and Mr. Dong agreed to acquire, 100% equity interest in Time With Yuhui at a consideration of US$10,576.
 
The Company is in the process of assessing the accounting impact of such matter. 
As disclosed in Note 15, on August 6, 2024, the Company’s board of directors has approved an adjustment to the share repurchase program, pursuant to which the aggregate value of shares that the Company is authorized to repurchase under the share repurchase program is increased from US$400 million to US$700 million. The upsized share repurchase program is effective through May 31, 2025.
On August 19, 2024, the Company announced that its board of directors has approved a special cash dividend of US$0.06 per common share, or US$0.6 per ADS, to holders of common shares and ADSs of record as of the close of business on September 9, 2024. The aggregate amount of the cash dividend to be paid will be approximately US$100 million.
 
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