Form 20-F Tarena International, For: Dec 31

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April 30, 2018 6:55 AM EDT

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report ___________

For the transition period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number: 001-36363

Tarena International, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Suite 10017, Building E, Zhongkun Plaza, A18 Bei San Huan West Road, Haidian District

Beijing 100098, People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

1/F, Block A, Training Building, 65 Kejiyuan Road, Baiyang Jie Dao, Economic Development District,

Hangzhou 310000, People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Yuduo Yang, Chief Financial Officer

E-mail: [email protected]

Suite 10017, Building E, Zhongkun Plaza, A18 Bei San Huan West Road, Haidian District

Beijing 100098, People’s Republic of China

Telephone: +86 10-6213 5687

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Name of each exchange on which registered
American Depositary Shares, each		The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
representing one Class A ordinary share,		(The NASDAQ Global Select Market)
par value US$0.001 per share
Class A ordinary shares,		The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
par value US$0.001 per share		(The NASDAQ Global Select Market)*

Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on The NASDAQ Global Select Market of American depositary shares, each representing one Class A ordinary share.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report. As of December 31, 2017, there were 56,215,589 ordinary shares outstanding, par value $0.001 per share, being the sum of 49,009,530 Class A ordinary shares and 7,206,059 Class B ordinary shares.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
¨ Yes x No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ¨ Yes x No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. x Yes ¨ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
x Yes ¨ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ¨	Accelerated filer x

Non-accelerated filer ¨	Emerging growth company x

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. x

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has been to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP x

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by
the International Accounting Standards Board ¨

Other ¨

If “other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. ¨ Item 17 ¨ Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ¨ Yes x No

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
¨ Yes ¨ No

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION		1
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION		1
PART I.		2
ITEM 1.	IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS	2
ITEM 2.	OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE	2
ITEM 3.	KEY INFORMATION	2
ITEM 4.	INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY	45
ITEM 4.A.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	78
ITEM 5.	OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS	78
ITEM 6.	DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES	95
ITEM 7.	MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	106
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL INFORMATION	109
ITEM 9.	THE OFFER AND LISTING	110
ITEM 10.	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	111
ITEM 11.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	122
ITEM 12.	DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES	123
PART II.		124
ITEM 13.	DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES	124
ITEM 14.	MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS	124
ITEM 15.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	125
ITEM 16.A.	AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT	126
ITEM 16.B.	CODE OF ETHICS	126
ITEM 16.C.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	126
ITEM 16.D.	EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES	127
ITEM 16.E.	PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS	127
ITEM 16.F.	CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT	127
ITEM 16.G.	CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	127
ITEM 16.H.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE	128
PART III.		128
ITEM 17.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	128
ITEM 18.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	128
ITEM 19.	EXHIBITS	128

INTRODUCTION

In this annual report, except where the context otherwise requires and for purposes of this annual report only:

“we,” “us,” “our company,” “our” and “Tarena” refer to Tarena International, Inc., a Cayman Islands company, and its subsidiaries, and, in the context of describing our operations, risk factors and financial results, also include our variable interest entity;

“China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this annual report only, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau;

“shares” or “ordinary shares” refers to our ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share, which include both Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares;

“ADSs” refers to our American depositary shares, each of which represents one Class A ordinary share; the ADSs are evidenced by American depositary receipts, or “ADRs”;

“K-12” refers to the year before the first grade through the last year of high school;

“IT” refers to information technology;

“STEAM education” refers to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education.

“variable interest entity,” or “VIE,” refers to Beijing Tarena Jinqiao Technology Co., Ltd., which is a domestic PRC company in which we do not have any equity interests but whose financial results have been consolidated into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP because we have effective financial control over, and Tarena International, Inc. is the primary beneficiary of such company. As the context may require, “variable interest entities” or “VIEs” may also include Shanghai Tarena Software Technology Co., Ltd., which used to be a variable interest entity consolidated by our Group but was wound up in December 2016; and

all references to “RMB” or “Renminbi” refer to the legal currency of China; all references to “US$,” “dollars” and “U.S. dollars” refer to the legal currency of the United States.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

our goals and growth strategies;

our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our courses;

our ability to retain and increase our student enrollments;

our ability to maintain and increase the utilization rate of our learning centers;

our ability to offer new courses in existing and new subject areas;

our ability to replicate the success and growth of our adult education services to the kid education market;

our ability to maintain and increase the tuition fees of our courses;

our ability to deepen and expand our corporate employer relationships;

our ability to maintain our relationships with universities and colleges;

our future business development, results of operations and financial condition;

the expected growth of, and trends in, the markets for our services in China;

relevant government policies and regulations relating to our corporate structure, business and industry; and

assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

You should read thoroughly this annual report and the documents that we refer to in this annual report with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. Other sections of this annual report include additional factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

PART I.

ITEM 1.

IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not Applicable.

ITEM 2.

OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not Applicable.

ITEM 3.

KEY INFORMATION

Selected Financial Data

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following selected consolidated statements of comprehensive income data (other than ADS data) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. The following selected consolidated statements of comprehensive income data (other than ADS data) for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2014 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements which are not included in this annual report. Our historical results for any period are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future period. The selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” below. Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP.

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2013			2014			2015			2016			2017
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB
	(in thousands, except for share, per share and per ADS data)
Selected Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income Data:
Net revenues		575,170			836,941			1,178,008			1,579,604			1,973,806
Cost of revenues⁽¹⁾		(180,097	)		(240,084	)		(333,559	)		(449,104	)		(599,199	)
Gross profit		395,073			596,857			844,449			1,130,500			1,374,607
Selling and marketing expenses⁽¹⁾		(187,430	)		(261,489	)		(384,954	)		(527,553	)		(713,120	)
General and administrative expenses⁽¹⁾		(100,518	)		(183,998	)		(251,298	)		(307,519	)		(392,296	)
Research and development expenses⁽¹⁾		(23,588	)		(33,454	)		(50,515	)		(65,594	)		(100,032	)
Operating income		83,537			117,916			157,682			229,834			169,159
Interest income		9,549			26,802			42,732			23,974			21,000
Loss on foreign currency forward contract		—			—			—			(12,898	)		—
Foreign currency exchange gains (losses)		—			7,539			(29,499	)		3,760			(6,284	)
Income before income taxes		101,105			166,645			182,727			260,630			210,577
Net income		87,033			151,850			178,760			241,854			184,807
Net income (loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders		(183,590	)		148,320			178,760			241,854			184,807
Cash dividend declared per share⁽²⁾		—			—			—			0.98			1.10
Weighted average number of class A and class B ordinary shares outstanding⁽³⁾:
Basic		10,930,412			41,223,389			53,767,810			55,540,670			56,849,332
Diluted		10,930,412			47,770,132			58,750,856			59,005,261			59,598,711
Earnings (losses) per Class A ordinary share, and per Class B ordinary share⁽⁴⁾
Basic		(16.80	)		3.11			3.32			4.35			3.25
Diluted		(16.80	)		2.69			3.04			4.10			3.10
Earnings (losses) per ADS⁽⁵⁾
Basic		(16.80	)		3.11			3.32			4.35			3.25
Diluted		(16.80	)		2.69			3.04			4.10			3.10

Notes:

(1)

Share-based compensation expenses were allocated in cost of revenues and operating expenses as follows:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2013		2014		2015		2016		2017
	RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenues		106		349		664		4,124		1,285
Sales and marketing expenses		280		1,036		1,959		5,496		4,863
General and administrative expenses		4,054		22,302		28,274		51,154		60,491
Research and development expenses		297		1,289		2,022		7,050		10,776

(2)

On March 7, 2016, our board of directors approved for us to declare a cash dividend of US$0.15 per ordinary share to shareholders as of the close of trading on April 6, 2016. On February 28, 2017, our board of directors approved for us to declare a cash dividend of US$0.16 per ordinary share to shareholders as of the close of trading on March 27, 2017.

(3)

The weighted average number of ordinary shares represents the sum of the weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares. See Note 14 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report for additional information regarding the computation of the per share amounts and the weighted average numbers of Class A and Class B ordinary shares.

(4)

As holders of Class A and Class B ordinary shares have the same dividend right and the same participation right in our undistributed earnings, the basic and diluted earnings per Class A ordinary share and Class B ordinary share are the same for all the periods presented.

(5)

Each ADS represents one Class A ordinary share.

	As of December 31,
	2013			2014		2015		2016		2017
	RMB			RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB
	(in thousands, except number of outstanding shares data)
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		159,368			261,035		513,938		810,672		686,691
Time deposits, including non-current portion		74,148			759,662		564,105		475,391		433,041
Restricted time deposits		—			—		150,000		—		—
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, including non-current portion		93,997			150,971		154,770		98,550		231,282
Property and equipment, net		78,074			81,835		127,864		437,337		519,691
Long-term investments		—			—		24,000		41,760		101,920
Total assets		449,177			1,333,661		1,653,891		2,085,012		2,282,645
Deferred revenue		94,426			117,954		164,524		266,061		302,163
Total liabilities		155,949			214,575		315,277		486,792		628,460
Total mezzanine equity		700,963			—		—		—		—
Total shareholders’ equity (deficit)		(407,735	)		1,119,086		1,338,614		1,598,220		1,654,185
Class A and Class B ordinary shares		107			355		374		388		401
Number of outstanding Class A and Class B ordinary shares		12,226,558			52,445,782		54,563,321		56,055,497		56,215,589

Exchange Rate Information

We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On April 20, 2018, the noon buying rate was RMB6.2945 to US$1.00.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated.

	Exchange Rate
Period	Period End		Average^(l)		Low		High
	(RMB per US$1.00)
2013		6.0537		6.1412		6.0537		6.2438
2014		6.2046		6.1704		6.0402		6.2591
2015		6.4778		6.2869		6.1870		6.4896
2016		6.9430		6.6549		6.4480		6.9580
2017		6.5063		6.7350		6.4774		6.9575
October		6.6328		6.6254		6.5712		6.5633
November		6.6090		6.6200		6.5967		6.6385
December		6.5063		6.5932		6.6210		6.5063
2018
January		6.2841		6.4233		6.2841		6.5263
February		6.3280		6.3183		6.2649		6.3471
March		6.2726		6.3174		6.2685		6.3565
April (through April 20, 2018)		6.2945		6.2859		6.2655		6.3045

Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release

Note:

(1)

Annual averages are calculated using the average of month-end rates of the relevant year. Monthly averages are calculated using the average of the daily rates during the relevant period.

Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not Applicable.

Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not Applicable.

Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Our Business

If we are not able to continue to attract students to enroll in our courses, our business and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.

The success of our business depends primarily on the number of students enrolled in our courses. Therefore, our ability to continue to attract students to enroll in our courses is critical to the continued success and growth of our business. This in turn will depend on several factors, including our ability to develop new courses and enhance existing courses to respond to changes in market trends and student demands, expand our learning center network and geographic footprint, manage our growth while maintaining consistent and high education quality, broaden our relationships with corporate employers and market our courses effectively to a broader base of prospective students, including young kids. Furthermore, our ability to attract students also depends on our ability to provide educational content that is perceived as more effective than the standard curricula of universities in China in terms of practical job-oriented training and as complementary to standard curricula of primary and secondary schools in China. If we are unable to continue to attract students to enroll in our courses, our net revenues may decline, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to continue to recruit, train and retain qualified instructors and teaching assistants, who are critical to the success of our business and effective delivery of our education services to students.

Our instructors and teaching assistants are critical to maintaining the quality of our educational services and our reputation. We seek to hire highly qualified instructors with rich industry experience and strong teaching skills. As our kid education program continues to develop, we will need to recruit more teaching assistants. We recruit dedicated teaching assistants primarily from outstanding graduates of our courses. There is a limited pool of instructors and teaching assistants with these attributes and we must provide competitive compensation packages to attract and retain them. We must also provide ongoing training to our instructors and teaching assistants to ensure that they stay abreast of changes in curriculum, student demands, industry standards and other trends necessary to teach and tutor effectively. We have not experienced major difficulties in recruiting, training or retaining qualified instructors and teaching assistants in the past. However, we may not always be able to recruit, train and retain enough qualified instructors and teaching assistants in the future to keep pace with our growth and maintain consistent education quality. A shortage of qualified teaching staff, a decrease in the quality of our teaching staff’s classroom performance, whether actual or perceived, or a significant increase in compensation to retain qualified instructors and teaching assistants would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are not able to continually tailor our curriculum to market demand and enhance our courses to adequately and promptly respond to developments in the professional job market, our courses may become less attractive to students.

New trends in the global economy and rapid developments in the professional services industries may change the type of skills required for professionals in the marketplace. This requires us to continually develop, update and enhance our course materials to adapt to the needs of the professional job market in China. We may be unable to update our courses in a timely and cost-effective manner, or at all, to keep pace with changes in market requirements. Any inability to track and respond to these changes in a cost-effective and timely manner or to tailor our courses to the professional services markets in China would render our courses less attractive to students, which may materially and adversely affect our reputation and ability to continue to attract students and cause us to lose market share.

If we fail to develop and introduce new courses in anticipation of market demand in a timely and cost-effective manner, our competitive position and ability to generate revenues may be materially and adversely affected.

Since inception, our primary focus has been on providing IT professional education services. We have since expanded our course offerings to include non-IT training courses, including digital art, online sales and marketing and accounting. We have also launched IT and non-IT training courses customized for young kids since December 2015, which primarily include computer programming, robotics programming, digital arts (including 3D printing) and coding mathematics. We intend to continue developing new courses in anticipation of market demand. The introduction of new courses is subject to risks and uncertainties. Unexpected technical, operational, logistical, regulatory or other problems could delay or prevent the introduction of one or more new courses. Moreover, we cannot assure you that any of these new courses will match the quality or popularity of those developed by our competitors, achieve widespread market acceptance or generate the desired level of income for our students.

Offering new courses requires us to make investments in content development, recruit and train additional qualified instructors and teaching assistants, increase marketing efforts and re-allocate resources away from other uses. We may have limited experience with the content of new courses and may need to modify our systems and strategies to incorporate new courses into our existing course offerings. In offering courses in new subject areas, we may face new risks and challenges that we are not familiar with. Furthermore, we may experience difficulties in recruiting or otherwise identifying qualified instructors to develop the content for these new courses. If we are unable to offer new courses in a timely and cost-effective manner, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We rely on Java and digital art courses for a majority of our total net revenues, and a decrease in the popularity and usage of Java or Adobe design technology would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

A majority of our total net revenues are generated from the Java and digital art courses. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, our Java course contributed 28.5%, 35.1% and 33.7% of our total student enrollments, and our digital art course contributed 30.8%, 27.6% and 36.0% of our total student enrollments, respectively. The historical rapid growth of our business has been driven by the popularity and usage of Java technology and Adobe design, and we expect net revenues from these courses to continue to represent a substantial portion of our total net revenues in the near future. We believe our reliance on Java and digital art courses is mainly attributable to the wide adoption and popularity of Java technology and Adobe design. However, whether Java as a programming language or Adobe design technology as a digital art tool can maintain their popularity is beyond our control. Any factor that materially and adversely affects student enrollment in our Java or digital art courses, such as a decrease in the popularity and usage of Java technology or Adobe design would have a material adverse effect on business and our results of operations.

Our business depends on the market recognition of our brand, and if we are unable to maintain or enhance our brand recognition, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We believe that the market recognition of our “Tarena” (达内) brand has significantly contributed to the success of our business and believe that maintaining and enhancing the reputation of this brand is critical to sustaining our competitive advantage. Our ability to maintain and enhance our brand recognition and reputation depends primarily on the perceived effectiveness and quality of our courses as well as the success of our marketing and promotion efforts. As we continue to grow and expand into new course areas, we may not be able to maintain the quality and consistency of our educational services as we did in the past. We have devoted significant resources to promoting our courses and brand in recent years, including Internet-based marketing and advertising, traditional media advertising and sponsoring industry trade seminars and software design competitions. However, our marketing and promotion efforts may not be successful or may inadvertently negatively impact our brand recognition and reputation. For example, if any governmental authority or competitor publicly alleges that any of our advertisements are misleading, our brand reputation may be adversely impacted. If we are unable to maintain and further enhance our brand recognition and reputation and increase awareness of our courses, or if we incur excessive marketing and promotion expenses, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If we are unable to sustain our brand image, we may not be able to maintain premium tuition fees over our competitors, which may further exacerbate the extent of any adverse effect on our results of operations. Furthermore, any negative publicity relating to our company or our courses and services, regardless of its veracity, could harm our brand image and in turn materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

We may not be able to maintain our high job placement rate for students, which could harm our ability to attract student enrollments.

We gather data on post-course job placement rates by conducting surveys of our graduates. Based on the survey responses, we calculate the six-month post-course job placement rates for a month by dividing (i) the number of job-seeking students enrolled in such month who (A) successfully graduated from our programs with graduation certificates awarded and (B) indicated that they had received employment offers within six months of graduation, by (ii) the total number of job-seeking students enrolled in such month who later successfully graduated from our programs with graduation certificates awarded. We calculate the average six-month post-course job placement rate for a year by averaging the six-month post-course job placement rates of each month of such year. Our average six-month post-course job placement rate for each of 2015 and 2016 was over 90%. When calculating such job placement rates for 2015 and 2016, a majority of the employment reported by relevant students was full-time employment, and a majority of the employment reported by relevant students was in the fields of their studies with us. All of the students enrolled in 2015 and 2016 who later successfully graduated from our programs with graduation certificates awarded and who were job-seeking, have filled out our surveys. Among the students enrolled in 2015 and 2016, 86% and 88% of such students, respectively, graduated from our programs with graduation certificates awarded. Among the students enrolled in 2015 and 2016 who later successfully graduated from our programs with graduation certificates awarded, 77% and 77% of such students, respectively, were deemed to be job-seeking students.

Our student job placement rate depends on a wide range of external and internal factors. External factors include the macroeconomic conditions, the performance of the professional services sector in China and the recruiting demand of corporate employers. Internal factors include our education quality, the efforts of our career services personnel, our ability to provide adequate staffing to achieve desired results and our relationships with corporate employers. A number of such external and internal factors are outside of our control. Our historical job placement rates have been high. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current level of job placement rate for our students in the future. Any decrease in our job placement rate could harm our ability to recruit students, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our newly launched kid education programs may not be successful due to our limited experience in providing education services to minors.

In December 2015, we launched our kid education programs under the brand name TongchengTongmei featuring IT training courses and non-IT training courses for kid students. In March 2016, we rolled out another kid education program to offer kids robotics programming courses. In 2017, we continued to roll out a new kid education course in coding mathematics to further diversify our course offerings in kid education. Our kid education programs target students aged between six and eighteen, and are the most important part of our efforts to enter into the K-12 STEAM education market. As we have been primarily engaging in adult vocational training programs since our inception, we have very limited experience in providing education programs to minors, who have distinct learning preference and mentality as compared to adult students and require tailored courses and dedicated class management. Although the courses offered through our kid education programs are designed based on minors’ learning patterns and interests, we cannot guarantee you that our kid education programs will be able to continue to attract students or be proved to achieve satisfactory education results. If students lose interests in our kid education programs or find the courses offered in our kid education programs ineffective, our business, results of operations and financial conditions may be adversely affected.

Our enrollment rate could be impacted by the operations of academic K-12 education and tutoring service providers, given our target students have limited time and energy and they need to choose among different courses and programs. The K-12 education and tutoring market is highly competitive and the concept of STEAM education is relatively new in China. Students and their parents may prefer academic education and tutoring programs over our STEAM programs. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in competing for students, and if we fail, our financial status and results of operation will be adversely impacted.

If the level of performance by the students of our kid education program deteriorates or satisfaction with our services declines, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation could be adversely affected.

The success of our business depends on our ability to deliver a satisfactory learning experience and improved educational results. Although the courses provided under our kid education programs do not directly link to the academic performance of our students, their effectiveness could be evaluated by our students and their parents in an intuitive way by referring to the improvements in programming skills or performances in robotics competitions. The performance of our students in the IT training courses, non-IT training course, and kid robotics programming course will impact the acceptance of, and the student and parent satisfaction with, our courses.

Accidents or injuries suffered by our students, their parents or other people caused by us, or perceived to be caused by us may adversely affect our reputation, subject us to liability and cause us to incur substantial costs.

We have a large number of students and their parents on our premises to attend classes and/or use our facilities, and they may suffer accidents or injuries or other harm on our premises, including those caused by or otherwise arise from the actions of our employees. Although we have enhanced preventive measures to avoid such incidents, we cannot assure you that there will be no any incident in the future.

We do not carry liability insurance for most of our students at our learning centers. In the event of accidents or injuries or other harm caused or perceived to be caused by us, our facilities and/or services may be perceived to be unsafe, which may discourage prospective students from attending our classes and participate in our activities. We could also face claims alleging that we should be liable for the accidents or injuries, or we were negligent, provided inadequate supervision to our employees and therefore should be held jointly liable for harm caused by them. A material liability claim against us or any of our teachers or other employees could adversely affect our reputation, enrollment and revenues. Even if unsuccessful, such a claim could create unfavorable publicity, cause us to incur substantial expenses and divert the time and attention of our management.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by a downturn in the global or Chinese economy.

Because our student enrollment may depend on our students’ and potential students’ levels of disposable income, perceived job prospects and willingness to spend, as well as the level of hiring demand of professional services positions, our business and prospects may be affected by economic conditions in China or globally. In addition, for our kid education programs, our student enrollment may depend on the disposable income and willingness to spend of the parents. The global macroeconomic environment is facing challenges, including the escalation of the European sovereign debt crisis since 2011, the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the economic slowdown in the Eurozone in 2014 and the expected exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union. It is unclear whether the Chinese economy will resume its high growth rate. The Chinese economy has slowed down in recent years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2017, China’s gross domestic product grew at a rate of 6.9%. There have been concerns over unrest in the Middle East and Africa, which have resulted in volatility in oil and other markets, and over the prolonged crisis in Ukraine which contributed to the collapse in the value of the Russian ruble, and the resulting Russian financial crisis. There have also been concerns about the territorial disputes involving China in Asia and the economic effects. Economic conditions in China, including the performance of the IT and other professional services industries, are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. A decline in the economic prospects of IT and other professionals could alter current or prospective students’ spending priorities and the recruiting demand from professional service industries. We cannot assure you that professional education spending in general or with respect to our course offerings in particular will increase, or not decrease, from current levels, or if the macroeconomic environment deteriorates, parents will continue to spend on STEAM education for their children. Therefore, a slowdown in China’s economy or the global economy may lead to a reduction in demand for education services, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to successfully execute our growth strategies, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

Our growth strategies include growing our student enrollments for existing courses, expanding our course offerings, further enhancing the quality of our education services and expanding our corporate employer network. We may not succeed in executing our growth strategies due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, the following:

we may fail to market our courses in new markets or promote new courses in existing markets effectively;

we may not be able to replicate our successful business model in other geographic markets or in new course subject areas;

we may fail to identify new cities with sufficient growth potential to expand our network;

we may not be able to replicate the success and growth of our adult education services to the kid education market;

we may not be able to recruit and retain learning center managers, teaching assistants and other key personnel;

our analysis for selecting suitable new locations may not be accurate and the demand for our services at such new locations may not materialize or increase as rapidly as we expect;

we may fail to obtain the requisite licenses and permits necessary to open learning centers at our desired locations from local authorities;

we may not be able to continue to update our existing courses or offer new courses to adapt to changing market demand and technological advances; and

we may fail to achieve the benefits we expect from our expansion.

If we fail to execute our growth strategies successfully, we may not be able to maintain our growth rate and our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected as a result.

We may not be able to manage our business expansion effectively, which could harm our financial condition and results of operations.

We have expanded rapidly and we plan to continue to expand our operations in different geographic areas as we address the growth of our customer base and market opportunities. We increased the number of our learning centers for professional education services from 145 as of December 31, 2016 to 184 as of December 31, 2017. We also increased the number of our learning centers exclusively for kid education programs from 6 as of December 31, 2016 to 30 as of December 31, 2017. This expansion has resulted, and will continue to result, in substantial demands on our management, personnel and operational, technological and other resources. To manage the expected growth of our operations, we will be required to expand our existing operational, administrative and technological systems and our financial systems, procedures and controls and to expand training and management of our growing employee base. In addition, the geographic dispersion of our operations requires significant management resources. We cannot assure you that our current and planned personnel, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our future operations, or that we will be able to effectively and efficiently manage the growth of our operations or recruit and retain qualified personnel to support our expansion. Any failure to effectively and efficiently manage our expansion may materially and adversely affect our ability to capitalize on new business opportunities, which in turn may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The growth of our business is in part dependent on our continuing access to a broad network of corporate employers.

We derive both direct benefits, such as increased enrollment driven by employer-specific customized courses, and indirect benefits, such as higher student job placement rate and strengthening of the Tarena brand, from our access to a large number of corporate employers. We believe our access to a large number of corporate employers in a wide range of industries is one of our core competitive strengths. If our access to these corporate employers were to become constrained or limited, or the benefits we derive from this access were to be diminished, whether by our own actions or actions of our competitors, our growth prospects and our business would be harmed.

Our success depends on the continuing efforts of our senior management team and other key personnel and our business may be adversely affected if we lose their services.

Our future success depends heavily upon the continuing services of our senior management team. If any member of our senior management team leaves us and we fail to effectively manage a transition to new personnel, or if we fail to attract and retain experienced and passionate instructors, regional managers and other key personnel on acceptable terms, our business, financial conditions and results of operations could be adversely affected. We will need to continue to hire additional personnel, especially qualified instructors and regional managers, as our business grows. A shortage in the supply of personnel with requisite skills or our failure to attract and retain high-quality executives or key personnel could impede our ability to increase revenues from our existing courses, to launch new course offerings and to expand our operations and would have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Mr. Shaoyun Han, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, has played an important role in the growth and development of our business since its inception. To date, we have relied heavily on Mr. Han’s expertise in, and familiarity with, our business operations, his leadership, and his reputation in the professional education services industry. If Mr. Han is unable or unwilling to continue in his present positions, we may not be able to easily replace him and may incur additional expenses to identify and train his successor. We do not maintain key man insurance on Mr. Han.

The operations of certain of our learning centers are, or may be deemed by relevant PRC government authorities to be, beyond their authorized business scope or without proper license or registration. If the relevant PRC government authorities take actions against such learning centers, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The principal regulations governing private education in China consist of the Education Law, the Private Education Law with its Amendment, and the Private Education Law Implementation Rules. See “Regulations—Regulations on Private Education—The Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementation Rules.”

Under these PRC laws and regulations and related administrative requirements, private schools are classified as either non-profit private schools or for-profit private schools, and all kinds of private schools are required to obtain a school permit before their registration as legal entities with competent authorities. For-profit private training institutions shall be regulated and governed with reference to the abovementioned rules. To provide professional education services as a for-profit private school, a company may, in the capacity of a school sponsor, establish a private school which obtains a school permit from competent human resources and social security authorities. After obtaining a school permit, the registration of a private school will be completed once the competent industry and commerce administration authorities include the relevant professional education services in the authorized scope of business as specified in the business licenses of the private school. Under the Amendment to the Private Education Law and the Private Education Law Implementation Rules, a material change in a for-profit private school shall be approved by the competent education authorities or the authorities in charge of human resources and social security before it can be registered with the competent local branch of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or SAIC, the predecessor of the State Administration for Market Regulation newly established in April 2018.

However, since the Amendment to the Private Education Law just became effective on September 1, 2017 and the relevant detailed rules by national and most of the local government authorities have not been issued, there remains uncertainties about the registration process for the newly established private schools (including the private training institutions, similarly hereinafter) or the re-registration process for pre-existing private schools. In practice, the professional education services may be provided by a private school which holds a school permit issued by the human resources and social security authorities, and such a school can then establish and operate learning centers within the approved regions to provide professional education services, provided that learning centers located outside the region of the registered address of the private schools shall be registered with original approving authorities. Alternatively, professional education services may also be provided by a company obtaining approval from the competent industry and commerce administration authorities to include the relevant professional education services in the authorized scope of business as specified in its business licenses, which approach has been adopted before the promulgation of the Amendment to the Private Education Law. A company with “professional education services” or an equivalent statement included in its approved scope of business can operate learning centers by itself or through its registered branches. In addition, many local government authorities have different views on the relevant rules and regulations and have adopted different practices in granting school permits to private schools or issuing business licenses to companies that provide professional education services. Although some cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, allow companies to include “professional education services” in their business scope, the industry and commerce administration authorities in certain other areas have adopted regional policies of not allowing “professional education services” or similar statement to be included in the business scope of any company.

We use both ways discussed above to establish learning centers. As of December 31, 2017, we had a total of 214 learning centers, of which 65 were managed by schools and 149 were managed by our subsidiaries. Among the learning centers operated by our subsidiaries, 49 have neither professional education services nor education information related consultation as an authorized scope of business in the licenses of our subsidiaries or their registered branches operating these learning centers as of December 31, 2017, and these learning centers in the aggregate accounted for 17.6% of our student enrollments in 2017. We were not able to include professional education services in these companies’ authorized business scope mainly because the industry and commerce administration authorities in these areas have a general local policy prohibiting the inclusion of “professional education services” in the business scope of any company. In addition, 13 learning centers operated by our subsidiaries only have “education information related consultation” rather than “professional education services” in their respective authorized scopes of business, and these learning centers in the aggregate accounted for 4.3% of our student enrollments in 2017. The difference between “educational services” and “education information related consultation” is not very clear under applicable PRC laws and regulations, and it is possible that the relevant PRC government authorities may determine that operating learning centers in the way as currently conducted by our relevant subsidiaries is beyond the scope of “education information related consultation.” For these learning centers, we have been communicating, and will continue to communicate, with the competent industry and commerce administration authorities to expand the authorized business scope of the relevant subsidiaries to include “professional education services” or similar statement. For regions where it becomes apparent that we will not be able to expand the authorized business scope of the relevant subsidiaries, we will also explore the possibility of obtaining approval from the competent authorities to set up private schools to take over the operations of the relevant subsidiaries. If the relevant PRC government authorities discover or determine that our subsidiaries operate beyond their authorized business scope, they may order the relevant subsidiaries to complete the registration for change of business scope within a given period, failing which each company is subject to a one-time fine of RMB10,000 to RMB100,000, or may be ordered to cease its operation. We have been fined once for RMB50,000 for conducting business outside the authorized business scope since 2011.

For our learning centers operated by schools, we are also required to obtain and maintain various licenses and permits and make filings for each learning center with the competent human resources and social security authorities and civil affairs authorities. As of December 31, 2017, 30 of our learning centers are operated by schools outside their registered address without being registered with the original approving authorities, which may subject us to fines of RMB10,000 to RMB50,000, confiscation of the gains derived from the noncompliant operations or the suspension of the noncompliant learning centers. These 30 learning centers in the aggregate accounted for 18.3% of our total student enrollments in 2017. As of the date of this annual report, all of our 25 schools have the school permit, among which two schools need to apply for updating their principal’s information. Besides, as of December 31, 2017, we have set up five (5) schools registered as schools requiring “reasonable returns” provided in the Private Education Law. We are informed by the local human resources and social security authorities in some cities in China that they have stopped issuing new school permits temporarily before any detailed implementing rules being issued.

During such transitional period between the promulgation of the Amendment to the Private Education Law and the issuance of the relevant detailed rules by national and most of the local government authorities, the above uncertainties and local policies and practices have created certain obstacles for us to comply with all applicable rules and regulations for all of our local operations. Although we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties in relation to any non-compliance with licensing requirements in the past with respect to our learning centers operated by schools, if we fail to cure any non-compliance in a timely manner, we may be subject to fines, confiscation of the gains derived from our noncompliant operations or the suspension of our noncompliant learning centers, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operation.

On February 13, 2018, the MOE and other relevant authorities promulgated the Notice on Effectively Reducing Extracurricular Burdens of Primary and Middle School Students and Conducting Special Administrative Actions for Off-campus Training Institutions, or the Notice, which proposes several rectification requirements on "test-oriented" non-academic cultural and educational training institutions and requires relevant government authorities to pay close attention to the "strong test-oriented" training, such as "advance teaching", especially mathematics and Chinese courses provided by the off-campus training institutions. According to the Notice, such off-campus training institutions shall obtain school permits and make filings regarding the classes, content, enrollment target and lecture time for disciplinary training with the local branches of the MOE. The coding mathematics course provided by TongchengTongmei shares similar content with elementary school mathematics courses, which may be regarded as the "strong test-oriented", and the informatics olympiad training organized under IT-training courses by TongchengTongmei may be regarded as the primary school competition-related courses, each of which may need to be rectified pursuant to the Notice. However, according to our oral consultation with the relevant local branches of the MOE, there has been no specific standards or implementation rules for the Notice and it is uncertain whether our coding mathematics course provided by TongchengTongmei or the informatics olympiad organized by TongchengTongmei are in compliance with the Notice. If our business is regarded as violating the Notice and we fail to cure any non-compliance in a timely manner, we may be subject to fines, confiscation of the gains derived from our noncompliant operations or the suspension of our noncompliant business, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operation.

We may lose market share and our profitability may be materially and adversely affected, if we fail to compete effectively with our present and future competitors or to adjust effectively to changing market conditions and trends.

The professional education services market in China is fragmented, rapidly evolving and highly competitive. We face competition in our offered courses and in many of the geographic markets in which we operate. As the IT professional education market in China matures, there is increased demand for highly specialized IT labor, and we may face competition from IT professional education providers that offer specialized training programs targeting certain niche job markets in the IT industry. In the future, we may also face competition from new entrants into the Chinese IT professional education market. As we expand beyond IT education into other fields of professional education, we also face competition for student enrollment from existing online and offline providers of professional education services, as well as smaller regional professional education services providers in China. Furthermore, we also face competition from other K-12 education service providers.

Some of our competitors may be able to devote more resources than we can to the development, promotion and provision of their education services and respond more quickly than we can to changes in student needs, market trends or new technologies. In addition, some of our competitors may be able to respond faster to changes in student preferences in some of our geographic markets and engage in price-cutting strategies. For our kid education programs, some of our competitors may have more experiences in designing courses based on minor’s preferences, mentality and learning curve. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors. If we are unable to maintain our competitive position or otherwise respond to competitive pressure effectively, we may be forced to reduce our tuition fees and lose our market share, which will adversely impact our profitability.

Our business and financial results may be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to maintain our cooperative relationships with financing service providers for student loans.

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, a substantial portion of our students relied on loans provided or arranged by a number of financing service providers to pay our tuition fees. We have entered into cooperative agreements with Baidu Small Loan Co., Ltd. (or Baidu Small Loan) and Bank of China Consumer Finance Co., Ltd. (or BOC CFC), pursuant to which they provide loans to our students for the payment of our tuition fees. We have also entered into agreements with CreditEase Business Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (or CreditEase), RenRenDai and ShiTuDai, whereby they assisted our students in obtaining loans to pay for our tuition fees. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, approximately 50.4%, 55.1% and 52.4% of our students received loans provided or arranged by financing service providers to pay for our tuition fees.

Our financing service partners have full discretion in deciding whether or not to extend or arrange for loans to a particular student. Furthermore, macroeconomic conditions in China may force the financing service providers to decrease or eliminate the amount of credit available for our students, making it difficult for our prospective students to afford our education. In addition, if the default rates on the loans provided or arranged by these and other financing service providers were to increase, they may raise the interest rates on the student loans, making such financing options less attractive to our students. Although peer-to-peer lending is generally protected as private loans between individuals under PRC law and has flourished in recent years in China, there are uncertainties as to the licensing requirements and the nature of business provided by those intermediaries, such as CreditEase, RenRenDai and ShiTuDai, in facilitating the peer-to-peer lending. According to the Guide to the Record-filing of Online Lending Information Intermediaries, issued in November 2016, or the Record-filing Guidelines, and the Notice on Rectification and Inspection Acceptance of Risk of Peer-to-peer Lending, issued on December 2017, or Circular 57, certain local governmental authorities shall establish an inspection team to conduct risk rectification inspections on peer-to-peer lending information intermediaries within their jurisdictions. If a peer-to-peer lending information intermediary institution passes the inspection, the local governmental authorities shall complete its record-filling under the Record-filing Guidelines. Circular 57 also requires local governmental authorities to complete such record-filings of peer-to-peer lending information intermediaries within its jurisdiction by the end of April 2018, except that the deadline for certain complicated cases may be postponed to May 2018 or June 2018, as appropriate. According to the Notice of Further Regulating Campus Loans issued on June 29, 2017, the Notice of the Office of the Leading Group for the Special Campaign against Internet Financial Risks and the Office of the Leading Group for the Special Campaign against Peer-to-peer Lending Risks on the Regulation and Rectification of the “Cash Loan” Business issued on December 1, 2017, the “campus loans” services shall be prohibited and the peer-to-peer lending institutions shall not provide loan to any student in school or any borrower without source of repayment or repayment capacity. If those peer-to-peer lending institutions could not complete the record-filings or the current services provided by peer-to-peer lending institutions to our student are prohibited, or more new PRC laws and/or regulations are passed in the future prohibiting peer-to-peer lending facilitated by, or imposing significant licensing requirements on, intermediaries such as CreditEase, RenRenDai and ShiTuDai, we cannot assure you that CreditEase, RenRenDai or ShiTuDai will be able to obtain relevant licenses and continue facilitating peer-to-peer lending in the future. If CreditEase, RenRenDai or ShiTuDai ceases to facilitate peer-to-peer lending to our students in the future, if our cooperative relationships with the financing service providers are damaged or lost, or if the financing service providers significantly increase their interest rates, our business and financial results would be adversely affected.

If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, we may lose our competitive advantage and our brand and operations may suffer.

We consider our copyrights, trademarks, trade names and domain names invaluable to our ability to continue to develop and enhance our brand recognition. Unauthorized use of our copyrights, trademarks, trade names and domain names may damage our reputation and brand. Our major brand names and logos are registered trademarks in China. Our proprietary curricula and course materials, together with our Tarena Teaching System, or TTS, are protected by copyrights. However, preventing copyright, trademark and trade name infringement or misuse could be difficult, costly and time-consuming, particularly in China. The measures we take to protect our copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights are currently based upon a combination of trademark and copyright laws in China and may not be adequate to prevent unauthorized uses. Furthermore, application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial uncertainties to us. There had been several incidents in the past where third parties used our “Tarena” (达内) brand without our authorization, and we had to resort to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights. These proceedings were all resolved in our favor and our brand and business were not materially harmed. However, if we are unable to adequately protect our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights in the future, we may lose our competitive advantage, our brand name may be harmed and our business may suffer materially. Furthermore, our management’s attention may be diverted by violations of our intellectual property rights, and we may be required to enter into costly litigation to protect our proprietary rights against any infringement or violation.

We may be subject to intellectual property rights claims or other claims which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our financial and management resources away from our business.

We cannot assure you that our course materials, other educational contents or other intellectual properties developed or used by us do not or will not infringe upon patents, valid copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We have, and may from time to time be subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property of others. In addition, some of our employees were previously employed at other companies, including our current and potential competitors. To the extent these employees are involved in content development at our company similar to content development in which they have been involved at their former employers, we may become subject to claims that such employees or we may have used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers of our employees. In addition, our competitors may file lawsuits against us. If any such claim arises in the future, litigation or other dispute resolution proceedings may be necessary to retain our ability to offer our current and future course materials or other content, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our financial and management resources. Furthermore, if we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be enjoined from using such intellectual property rights, incur additional costs to license or develop alternative intellectual property rights and be forced to pay fines and damages, any of which may materially and adversely affect our business.

We recruit a significant portion of our students directly from our network of cooperative universities and colleges. If we lose these relationships, or the benefits we derive from these relationships diminish, our growth and our business may be harmed.

We have established various kinds of cooperative relationships with over 750 universities and colleges in China. We enroll a significant percentage of our students directly from these universities and colleges through jointly offered majors, on-campus learning sites and university recruiting promotional events. We recruited approximately 15.7% of our students in 2017 from these universities and colleges. If our relationships with any of these universities and colleges were to be damaged or lost, or the benefits we derive from these relationships were to be diminished, whether by our own actions, actions of one or more governmental entities or actions of our competitors, our growth and our business may be harmed.

Failure to control rental costs, obtain leases at desired locations at reasonable prices or protect our leasehold interests could materially and adversely affect our business.

A majority of our offices and learning centers are located on leased premises. At the end of each lease term we must negotiate an extension of the lease. If we are not able to negotiate an extension on terms acceptable to us, we will be forced to move to a different location, or the rent may increase significantly. This could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our profitability. All of our leases are subject to renewal at market prices, which could result in a substantial rent increase each renewal period. We compete with many other businesses for sites in certain highly desirable locations. As a result, we may not be able to obtain new leases at desirable locations or renew our existing leases on acceptable terms or at all, which could adversely affect our business. As of December 31, 2017, we had received from our lessors copies of title certificates or proof of authorization to lease the properties to us for all leased properties. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain copies of title certificates or proof of authorization to lease any properties that we may lease in the future or the title to these properties we currently lease or any properties that we may lease in the future will not be otherwise challenged. Furthermore, several of our leased properties are owned by universities or built on allocated land in China. Such properties may not be legally leased to us under PRC law. Our leasehold interest in these properties may be challenged by relevant PRC governmental authorities to be invalid, and we may be forced to move out of such premises.

In addition, we have not registered most of our lease agreements with relevant PRC governmental authorities as required by PRC law, and although failure to do so does not in itself invalidate the leases, we may not be able to defend these leases against bona fide third parties. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any actions, claims or investigations being contemplated by governmental authorities against us or our lessors with respect to the defects in our leased real properties or any challenges by third parties to our use of these properties. However, if any of our leases are terminated as a result of challenges by third parties or governmental authorities for lack of title certificates or proof of authorization to lease, we may not be able to protect our leasehold interest and may be forced to relocate the affected learning centers and incur additional expenses relating to such relocation. If we fail to find suitable replacement sites in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our accounts receivable have been relatively high. Inability to collect our accounts receivable on a timely basis, if at all, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Understanding the difficulty for recent college graduates to afford the tuition fees of our courses, we offered qualified students the post-graduation tuition payment option beginning in 2006, which led to our relatively high accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, our outstanding accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, were RMB155 million, RMB99 million and RMB231 million, respectively. Although we conduct financial evaluations of our students applying to use our post-graduation tuition payment option, we do not require collateral or other security from our students. Adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment and the earnings capacity of our students may negatively impact our ability to collect our accounts receivable. Furthermore, as time passes, it might be more difficult for us to collect historical accounts receivables. Our bad debt allowance charged to expense decreased from RMB33.6 million in 2016 to RMB31.5 million in 2017. However, there is no guarantee that our bad debt allowance expense will keep decreasing in the following years. Our inability to collect our accounts receivable on a timely basis, if at all, could cause our bad debt allowance to increase or remain relatively high in the future, and materially and adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.

Capacity constraints of our learning centers could cause us to lose students to our competitors.

Our learning centers are limited in size and number of classrooms. We may not be able to admit all students who would like to enroll in our courses due to the capacity constraints of our learning centers. If we fail to expand our physical capacity as quickly as the demand for our classroom-based services grows, we could lose potential students to our competitors, which could adversely affect our results of operations and business prospects. As we further expand our kid education programs, we may face more intense capacity challenges.

We may not be able to recoup the capital expenditures or investments we make to expand and upgrade our teaching, administrative, research and other capabilities.

We purchased two office buildings in Beijing for an aggregate price of RMB231.9 million in 2016. The office buildings are mainly for teaching purpose, and to a lesser extent for an administrative function. We also purchased a building in Qingdao and another one in Haikou for an aggregate price of RMB49.6 million in 2016. The purpose of these two buildings is for teaching purposes as learning centers to accommodate the growing demand in local market and enjoy local favorable policies. We may continue to invest in our teaching, administrative, research and other capabilities as our business further develops. Although we will evaluate the feasibility of each property purchase for the good of business operation, we are likely to incur costs associated with these investments earlier than some of the anticipated benefits and the return on these investments may be lower, or may develop more slowly, than we expect. We may not be able to recover our capital expenditures or investments, in part or in full, or the recovery of these capital expenditures or investments may take longer than expected. As a result, the carrying value of the related assets may be subject to an impairment charge, which could adversely affect our profitability.

Our strategy of investments and acquiring complementary businesses and assets may fail.

As part of our business strategy, we have pursued, and intend to continue to pursue, selective strategic investments and acquisitions of businesses and assets that complement our existing business. Investments and acquisitions involve uncertainties and risks, including:

potential ongoing financial obligations and unforeseen or hidden liabilities, including liability for infringement of third-party copyrights or other intellectual property;

failure to achieve the intended objectives, benefits or revenue-enhancing opportunities;

costs and difficulties of integrating acquired businesses and managing a larger business;

potentially significant goodwill impairment charges;

high acquisition and financing costs;

possible loss of key employees of a target business;

potential claims or litigation regarding our board’s exercise of its duty of care and other duties required under applicable law in connection with any of our significant acquisitions or investments approved by the board;

diversion of resources and management attention; and

in the case of acquisitions of businesses or assets outside of China, the need to integrate operations across different business cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political, and regulatory risks associated with specific countries.

Any failure to address these risks successfully may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Investments and acquisitions may require a significant amount of capital investment, which would decrease the amount of cash available for working capital or capital expenditures. In addition, if we use our equity securities to pay for investments and acquisitions, we may dilute the value of our ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares. If we borrow funds to finance investments and acquisitions, such debt instruments may contain restrictive covenants that could, among other things, restrict us from distributing dividends. Moreover, acquisitions may also generate significant amortization expenses related to intangible assets. We may also incur impairment charges to earnings for investments and acquired businesses and assets which are determined to be impaired, and recognize the proportional share of the net losses of the investees to the extent of the amount of the investments for the equity method investments.

The geographic concentration of our learning centers may unfavorably impact our operations.

We derive a substantial portion of our net revenues from our entities in Hangzhou and Beijing. Revenue derived from the entities in Hangzhou accounted for 33.0%, 31.9% and 30.0% of our net revenues in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Revenue derived from the entities in Beijing accounted for 12.3%,12.4% and 13.0% of our net revenues in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. As a result of this geographic concentration, our results of operations are significantly affected by economic conditions in Hangzhou and Beijing. Furthermore, any natural disaster or health epidemics affecting the Hangzhou and Beijing regions could significantly impact our operations. Although we have been and will be exploring opportunities of setting up additional learning centers in second tier or third-tier cities, we expect that we will continue to derive a substantial portion of our net revenues from Hangzhou and Beijing in the near future. Deterioration in economic conditions and the professional services industries in these markets could decrease the demand for our courses, which in turn could negatively impact our operations and business prospects.

Our historical financial and operating results, growth rates and profitability may not be indicative of future performance.

Although we commenced operations in 2002, our significant business growth and expansion began in 2009. Our business and our prospects must be evaluated in light of the risks and uncertainties encountered by companies at a comparable stage of development. In addition, the professional education services market in China is still at an early stage of development, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects. Furthermore, our results of operations may vary from period to period in response to a variety of other factors, including general economic conditions and regulations, government actions pertaining to the professional education services sector in China, changes in spending on professional education services, our ability to control cost of revenues and operating expenses, and non-recurring charges incurred in connection with acquisitions or other extraordinary transactions or under unexpected circumstances. Due to the above factors, some of which are beyond our control, our historical financial and operating results, growth rates and profitability may not be indicative of our future performance and you should not rely on our past results or our historic growth rates as indicators of our future performance.

Our ability to broadcast our lectures live and to offer online learning modules on TTS depends upon the performance and reliability of our systems and the Internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.

We deliver live broadcasts of our lectures via a dedicated network provided by China Telecom and China Unicom to terminals located in selected learning centers with high student enrollment and via public Internet infrastructure to other learning centers. Any unscheduled service interruption of the Internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China could cause us to be unable to deliver these live broadcasts, forcing us to resort to using pre-recorded lectures in the event of such service interruptions. Our inability to broadcast live lectures during service interruptions may damage the quality of our education and student experience, which may hurt our reputation and negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, our gross profit and net income could be adversely affected if the prices that we pay for telecommunications and Internet services rise significantly.

Our ability to offer online learning modules also depends on the performance and reliability of the Internet infrastructure in China. Disruptions to the Internet infrastructure of China may deny our students access to the learning functionalities on our TTS or TMOOC.cn, which may hinder students from effectively learning our education contents. Furthermore, increases in the traffic on TTS or TMOOC.cn could also strain the capacity of our existing computer systems, which could lead to slower response times or system failures. This would cause a disruption or suspension in our course offerings, which would hurt our brand and reputation and negatively affect our revenue growth. We may need to incur additional costs to improve our systems in order to accommodate increased demand if we anticipate that our systems cannot handle higher traffic volume in the future.

Accidents or injuries suffered by our students or other people on our premises may adversely affect our reputation, subject us to liability and cause us to incur substantial costs.

We do not carry liability insurance for most of our students at our learning centers. In the event of accidents, injuries or other harm to students or other people on our premises, including those caused by or otherwise arising from the actions of our employees on our premises, our facilities may be perceived to be unsafe, which may discourage prospective students from attending our classes. We could also face claims alleging that we were negligent or provided inadequate supervision to our employees and therefore should be held jointly liable for harm caused by them or are otherwise liable for injuries suffered by our students or other people on our premises. A liability claim, even if unsuccessful, against us or any of our employees could adversely affect our reputation, enrollment and revenues, causing us to incur substantial expenses and divert the time and attention of our management.

If we fail to implement an effective system of internal controls, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations or prevent fraud or fail to meet our reporting obligations, and investor confidence and the market price of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. Among other things, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, adopted rules requiring every public company, including us, to include a management report on the company’s internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company,” as such term is defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (as amended by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015), or the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm may be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

As a result of management’s assessment, our management identified a material weakness as of December 31, 2017, which was the insufficient review in areas subject to significant estimates and judgments. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” This material weakness may result in a material misstatement to our quarterly or annual consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. As a result of the material weakness, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2017.

To remediate the material weakness described above with respect to controls over the period-end financial statement reporting and controls over significant complex transactions, we plan to continue to: (i) reinforce the oversight and review procedure over areas subject to significant estimates and judgments; and (ii) enhance our accounting manual to provide our accounting team with more comprehensive guidelines on the accounting policies under U.S. GAAP and SEC rules and requirements. We plan to continue to assess our standardized processes to further enhance the effectiveness of our financial review, including the analysis and monitoring of financial information in a consistent and thorough manner.

We expect that we will incur more costs in the implementation of such measures. However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. Our failure to correct the material weakness and control deficiency or our failure to discover and address any other material weakness or control deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs, may be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.

We have limited insurance coverage for our operations in China.

Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies do in more developed economies. We have determined that the risks of disruption or liability from our business, the loss or damage to our fixed assets, including our equipment and office furniture, the cost of insuring for these risks, and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms render it commercially impractical for us to have such insurance. As a result, we do not have any business interruption, litigation or property insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any uninsured occurrence of personal injury, loss or damage to fixed assets, or litigation or business disruption may result in the incurrence of substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Our business is subject to seasonal fluctuations, which may cause our operating results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter. This may result in volatility in and adversely affect the price of our ADSs.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal fluctuations in our net revenues and results of operations, primarily due to seasonal changes in student enrollment. Historically, our courses tend to have the largest student enrollment, cash collection and net revenues in the third and fourth quarters. We generally generate less tuition fees in the first quarter of each year due to the Chinese New Year holiday. Our expenses, however, do not necessarily correspond to changes in our student enrollment and net revenues. We make investments in marketing and promotion, instructor recruitment and training and course development throughout the year. We expect quarterly fluctuations in our net revenues and results of operations to continue. These fluctuations could result in volatility and adversely affect the price of our ADSs. As our net revenues grow, these seasonal fluctuations may become more pronounced.

Higher labor costs and inflation in China may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

Labor costs in China have risen in recent years. We employed 9,582 employees in China as of December 31, 2017. The increases in labor cost may erode our profitability and materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, PRC government have promulgated some new laws and regulations to enhance labor protection in recent years, such as the Labor Contract Law and the Social Insurance Law, which are also expected to cause our labor costs to increase. As the interpretation and implementation of these new laws and regulations are still evolving, our employment practice may not be at all times be deemed in compliance with the new laws and regulations. If we are subject to severe penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigation, our business and profitability may be adversely affected.

Although we have not in the past been materially affected by inflation since our inception, we can provide no assurance that we will not be affected in the future by higher rates of inflation in China.

We have granted share-based awards and may grant more share-based awards in the future, which may materially reduce our net income.

We adopted a share plan in 2008, or the 2008 Plan, that permits granting of options to purchase our ordinary shares, restricted shares (or share appreciation rights or other similar awards) and rights to purchase restricted shares. Under the 2008 Plan, the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards under our share plan is 8,184,990 shares. In February 2014, we adopted a 2014 share incentive plan, or the 2014 Plan. Pursuant to the 2014 Plan, we may issue options, restricted shares and restricted share units to our qualified employees, directors and consultants on a regular basis. The maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2014 Plan, or the Award Pool, is 1,833,696, provided that the shares reserved in the Award Pool shall be increased on the first day of each calendar year, commencing with January 1, 2015, if the unissued shares reserved in the Award Pool on such day account for less than 2% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on a fully-diluted basis on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, as a result of which increase the shares unissued and reserved in the Award Pool immediately after each such increase shall equal 2% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on a fully-diluted basis on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year. As a result of grants and potential future grants under the 2008 Plan and the 2014 Plan, we have incurred and will continue to incur share-based compensation expenses. As of December 31, 2017, the unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested options and non-vested shares amounted to RMB59.3 million and RMB6.8 million, respectively, which will be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.72 years and 7.46 years. Expenses associated with share-based compensation awards granted under our share plan may materially reduce our future net income. However, if we limit the size of grants under our share plan to minimize share-based compensation expenses, we may not be able to attract or retain key personnel.

Any natural catastrophes, severe weather conditions, health epidemics and other extraordinary events could severely disrupt our business operations.

The occurrence of natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods, typhoons, tsunamis or any acts of terrorism may result in significant property damages as well as loss of revenues due to interruptions in our business operations. Health epidemics such as outbreaks of Zika, Ebola, avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) or the influenza A (H1N1), and severe weather conditions such as snow storm and hazardous air pollution, as well as the government measures adopted in response to these events, could require the temporary closure of our learning centers.

Furthermore, our ability to broadcast live lectures and provide our education services through TTS or TMOOC.cn depends on the continuing operation of our technology system, which is vulnerable to damage or interruption from natural catastrophes and other extraordinary events. Our disaster recovery planning cannot account for every conceivable possibility. Any damage to or failure of our technology system could result in interruptions in our services, and our brand could be damaged if students believe our systems are unreliable. Such disruptions could severely interfere with our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for holding our ICP license do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations, we could be subject to severe penalties.

Prior to 2012, we conducted a substantial portion of our operations through our consolidated VIEs and their subsidiaries and schools. On January 30, 2012, the PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. On April 10, 2015, the new PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed non-accredited professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. On July 28, 2017, the new PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed non-accredited professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. In light of such change of law, starting from the second half of 2012, we began to transfer the operations, including related assets and liabilities, of our consolidated VIEs to Tarena Technologies Inc. (Tarena Tech) and its subsidiaries and schools. All of our learning center operations of VIEs had been transferred to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. In December 2016, we would up Shanghai Tarena, one of our VIEs. Pursuant to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign Invested Telecommunications Enterprises promulgated by the State Council on December 11, 2001 and amended on September 10, 2008, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications services provider may not exceed 50%. Moreover, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunication business in China, it must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating good track records and experience in operating value-added telecommunication business overseas. Foreign investors that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, or their authorized local counterparts, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals. Pursuant to publicly available information, the PRC government has issued telecommunications business operating licenses to only a limited number of foreign-invested companies, all of which are Sino-foreign joint ventures engaging in the value-added telecommunication business. Although the Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment amended in 2017 and Circular 196 promulgated by MIIT in June 2015 allows a foreign investor to own up to 100% of the total equity interest in an E-Commerce business, we have not engaged in any E-Commerce business. Due to the foreign ownership restriction on Internet content and other value-added telecommunication services, we operate our TMOOC.cn and www.it211.com.cn website through our VIE, Beijing Tarena. Beijing Tarena has added our TMOOC.cn and www.it211.com.cn website under the ICP license held by Beijing Tarena. Beijing Tarena is 70% owned by Mr. Shaoyun Han, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, and 30% owned by Mr. Jianguang Li, our director. Mr. Han and Mr. Li are both PRC citizens. We entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Beijing Tarena and its shareholders, which enable us to:

exercise effective financial control over Beijing Tarena;

receive substantially all of the economic benefits and bear the obligation to absorb substantially all of the losses of Beijing Tarena; and

have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Beijing Tarena when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

Because of these contractual arrangements, we are the primary beneficiary of Beijing Tarena and consolidate its financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For a detailed discussion of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure.”

Han Kun Law Offices, our PRC legal counsel, is of the opinion that (i) the ownership structure of Beijing Tarena and Tarena Tech will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and (ii) the contractual arrangements among Tarena Tech, Beijing Tarena and its shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. There are, however, substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations concerning foreign investment in the PRC, and their application to and effect on the legality, binding effect and enforceability of the contractual arrangements. In particular, we cannot rule out the possibility that PRC regulatory authorities, courts or arbitral tribunals may in the future adopt a different or contrary interpretation or take a view that is inconsistent with the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to VIE will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In or around September 2011, various media sources reported that the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, had prepared a report proposing regulating the use of VIE structures, such as ours, in industries subject to foreign investment restrictions in China and overseas listings by China-based companies. However, it is unclear whether the CSRC officially issued or submitted such a report to a higher level government authority or what such report provides, or whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to the VIE structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. In January 2015, the MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to existing companies with the “variable interest entity” structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. It is uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from the draft. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations—Regulations on Value–Added Telecommunications Services—The Discussion Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law” and “—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.”

If we or Beijing Tarena is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or such arrangement is determined as illegal and invalid by the PRC court, arbitral tribunal or regulatory authorities, or fail to obtain, maintain or renew any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures, including:

revoking the business and operating licenses of our PRC subsidiaries and Beijing Tarena;

discontinuing or restricting the conduct of any transactions between our PRC subsidiaries and Beijing Tarena;

imposing fines, confiscating the income from Beijing Tarena, or imposing other requirements with which we or Beijing Tarena may not be able to comply; or

requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with Beijing Tarena and deregistering the equity pledges of Beijing Tarena.

We launched our TMOOC.cn online learning platform in March 2015 to cover a broader customer base. TMOOC.cn features sample lecture videos and class materials covering our course subjects. We offer our part-time class students the opportunity to complete a portion of lessons online using TMOOC.cn. TMOOC.cn is also important for our marketing efforts. Therefore, the imposition of any of these penalties could result in a material and adverse effect on our ability to provide online education services and conduct our marketing and promotional activities through TMOOC.cn. Beijing Tarena has added our TMOOC.cn website under its ICP license. However, we cannot guarantee that Beijing Tarena will be successful in applying for the ICP license annual inspection. If we fail to go through the ICP annual inspection, our continued operation of TMOOC.cn may subject us to penalties, including confiscation of illegal income and fines, and we may be ordered to shut down our TMOOC.cn website.

If the relevant PRC authorities determine that we can no longer own and operate certain of our learning centers through our PRC subsidiaries, we may need to restructure the ownership and operation of these learning centers (including possibly transferring these learning centers to our consolidated VIE), our business may be disrupted and we may be exposed to increased risks associated with the contractual arrangements relating to our consolidated VIE.

Prior to 2012, we operated a substantial portion of our learning centers through our consolidated VIE and their subsidiaries and schools. After the PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries became effective on January 30, 2012 and as amended on April 10, 2015 and further amended on June 28, 2017, non-accredited foreign investment in professional education services is now “encouraged” in China and there is no limitation with respect to maximum percentage of foreign ownership in a company conducting business in this area.

In light of such change of law, starting from the second half of 2012, we began to transfer the operations, including related assets and liabilities, of our consolidated VIEs to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Tarena Tech, and its subsidiaries. All of our learning center operations of VIEs had been transferred to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 64 of our learning centers through private schools owned by subsidiaries of Tarena Tech. These 64 learning centers in the aggregate accounted for 37.1% of our total student enrollments in 2017.

However, there are still uncertainties under current PRC laws as to whether a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (such as Tarena Tech) is allowed to indirectly invest in and own private schools through its PRC subsidiaries. On the one hand, the PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (Amended) encourages and permit 100% foreign ownership of non-accredited professional training business in China and the Private Education Law does not expressly prohibit a subsidiary of a foreign-invested enterprise from investing in private schools. On the other hand, according to the Private Education Law, Chinese-foreign cooperation in operating schools is specifically governed by the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools and its implementing rules, which requires specific approvals from those governmental authorities in charge of either human resources and social security or education and requires any foreign party to such Chinese-foreign cooperation in operating schools to be an educational institution with relevant experience in providing educational services outside of China. In addition, the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools prohibits foreign institutions or individuals from independently establishing schools which provide educational services mainly for Chinese citizens in China. In practice, different local authorities have different views and administrative policies on whether foreign institutions or individuals are permitted to use their direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in China to establish a school under the Private Education Law without violating the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools. Twenty-five private schools sponsored by our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China have obtained private school operating permits, and based on the results of oral inquiries with the relevant governmental authorities of human resources and social security or education, we believe that the relevant government authorities have not challenged and are unlikely to challenge the ownership structure of our schools. However, if the relevant PRC government authorities determine in the future that we can no longer own and operate our schools and their related learning centers through our PRC subsidiaries, which are considered ineligible to act as sponsors of private schools, we may need to transfer these schools and the related learning centers to our consolidated VIE, which may severely disrupt our business and expose us to increased risks associated with the contractual arrangements relating to our consolidated VIE. See “—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.” If we fail to restructure the ownership and operation of these schools or otherwise accommodate requests from the relevant PRC human resources and social security or education regulatory authorities in a timely manner or to their satisfaction, we may be subject to fines, the suspension or ceasing of our operations or other penalties, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Any failure by Beijing Tarena or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have an adverse effect on our business.

If Beijing Tarena or its shareholders fail to perform their obligations under their contractual arrangements with us, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective. For example, if the shareholders of Beijing Tarena were to refuse to transfer their equity interest in Beijing Tarena to us or our designee if we exercise the exclusive option agreements pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Under PRC law, if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective financial control over Beijing Tarena, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

If we had direct ownership of Beijing Tarena, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of Beijing Tarena, which in turn could effect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by Beijing Tarena and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over Beijing Tarena. Therefore, our contractual arrangements with Beijing Tarena may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

The shareholders of Beijing Tarena may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

We have designated individuals who are PRC nationals to be the shareholders of Beijing Tarena. The equity interests of Beijing Tarena are held by Mr. Shaoyun Han and Mr. Jianguang Li. The interests of these individuals as the shareholders of Beijing Tarena may differ from the interests of our company as a whole. These shareholders may breach, or cause Beijing Tarena to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and Beijing Tarena, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control Beijing Tarena. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the purchase option agreement with these shareholders to request him to transfer all of his equity ownership in Beijing Tarena to a PRC entity or individual designated by us. We rely on Mr. Shaoyun Han and Mr. Jianguang Li, who are both our directors and who owe a fiduciary duty to our company, to comply with the terms and conditions of the contractual arrangements. Such fiduciary duty requires directors to act in good faith and in the best interests of the company and not to use their positions for personal gains. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of Beijing Tarena, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Our contractual arrangements with our consolidated VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities, and a finding that we owe additional taxes could substantially reduce our consolidated net income and the value of your investment.

Under PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements among Tarena Tech and our consolidated VIE did not represent an arms-length price and adjust our consolidated VIE’ income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of expense deductions recorded by our consolidated VIE, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities without reducing our tax liabilities. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties to our consolidated VIE for under-paid taxes. Our consolidated net income may be materially and adversely affected if our tax liabilities increase or if we are found to be subject to late payment fees or other penalties.

If Beijing Tarena becomes the subject of a bankruptcy or liquidation proceeding, we may lose the ability to use and enjoy its assets, which could materially and adversely affect our business.

Due to foreign ownership restrictions in the online value-added telecommunications business, we hold our ICP license through contractual arrangements with Beijing Tarena as well as its shareholders. As part of these arrangements, Beijing Tarena holds assets that are important to the operation of our business, including the domain name and ICP license for our www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn websites.

We do not have priority pledges and liens against Beijing Tarena’s assets. As a contractual and property right matter, this lack of priority pledges and liens has remote risks. If Beijing Tarena undergoes an involuntary liquidation proceeding, third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets and we may not have priority against such third-party creditors on Beijing Tarena’s assets. If Beijing Tarena liquidates, we may take part in the liquidation procedures as a general creditor under the PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law and recover any outstanding liabilities owed by Beijing Tarena to Tarena Tech under the applicable service agreements. To ameliorate the risks of an involuntary liquidation proceeding initiated by a third-party creditor, we closely monitor the operations and finances of Beijing Tarena through carefully designed budgetary and internal controls to ensure that Beijing Tarena is well capitalized and is highly unlikely to trigger any third party monetary claims in excess of its assets and cash resources. Furthermore, Tarena Tech has the ability, if necessary, to provide financial support to Beijing Tarena to prevent such an involuntary liquidation.

If the shareholders of Beijing Tarena were to attempt to voluntarily dissolve or liquidate Beijing Tarena without obtaining our prior consent, we could effectively prevent such unauthorized voluntary liquidation by exercising our right to request Beijing Tarena’s shareholders to transfer all of their equity ownership interest to a PRC entity or individual designated by us in accordance with the exclusive option agreements with the shareholders of Beijing Tarena. In the event that the shareholders of Beijing Tarena initiate a voluntary liquidation proceeding without our authorization or attempts to distribute the retained earnings or assets of Beijing Tarena without our prior consent, we may need to resort to legal proceedings to enforce the terms of the contractual agreements. Any such legal proceeding may be costly and may divert our management’s time and attention away from the operation of our business, and the outcome of such legal proceeding would be uncertain. The uncertainties in legal proceedings to enforce the terms of the contractual agreements are mainly caused by PRC laws that prohibit domestic companies holding ICP licenses from assisting foreign investors in conducting value-added telecommunications business in China. Under the MIIT Circular, a domestic company that holds an ICP license is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including providing resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business illegally in China.

If the custodians or authorized users of our controlling non-tangible assets, including chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.

In China, legal documents for corporate transactions, including agreements and contracts such as the leases and sales contracts that our business relies on, are typically executed using the chop or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant local branch of the SAIC. We generally execute legal documents by affixing chops or seals, rather than having the designated legal representatives sign the documents.

We have three major types of chops—corporate chops, contract chops and finance chops. We use corporate chops generally for documents to be submitted to government agencies, such as applications for changing business scope, directors or company name, and for legal letters. We use contract chops for executing leases and commercial contracts. We use finance chops generally for making and collecting payments, including but not limited to issuing invoices. Use of corporate chops and contract chops must be approved by our legal department and administrative department, and use of finance chops must be approved by our finance department. The chops of our subsidiaries and our consolidated VIE are generally held by the relevant entities so that documents can be executed locally. Although we usually utilize chops to execute contracts, the registered legal representatives of our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated VIE have the apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of such entities without chops, unless such contracts set forth otherwise. All designated legal representatives of our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated VIE have signed employment agreements with us under which they agree to abide by duties they owe to us.

In order to maintain the physical security of our chops, we generally store them in secured locations accessible only to the department heads of the legal, administrative or finance departments. Our designated legal representatives generally do not have access to the chops. Although we monitor our employees, including the designated legal representatives of our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated VIE, the procedures may not be sufficient to prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. There is a risk that our employees or designated legal representatives could abuse their authority, for example, by binding the relevant subsidiary or consolidated VIE with contracts against our interests, as we would be obligated to honor these contracts if the other contracting party acts in good faith in reliance on the apparent authority of our chops or signatures of our legal representatives. If any designated legal representative obtains control of the chop in an effort to obtain control over the relevant entity, we would need to have a shareholder or board resolution to designate a new legal representative and to take legal action to seek the return of the chop, apply for a new chop with the relevant authorities, or otherwise seek legal remedies for the legal representative’s misconduct. If any of the designated legal representatives obtains and misuses or misappropriates our chops and seals or other controlling intangible assets for whatever reason, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve while distracting management from our operations.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which legal cases have limited value as precedents. In the late 1970s, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly increased the protections afforded to various forms of foreign or private-sector investment in China. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to various PRC laws and regulations generally applicable to companies in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) some of which may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until some time after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

All of our business operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.

China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC government has implemented measures since the late 1970s emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the PRC government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over the PRC economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While China’s economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing. Some of the government measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. Any stimulus measures designed to boost the Chinese economy may contribute to higher inflation, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Affected under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, that became effective on January 1, 2008, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Under the Implementation Rules to the EIT Law, a “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and properties of an enterprise. In addition, a circular, known as Circular 82, issued in April 2009, as amended in January 2014, by the State Administration of Taxation, or the SAT, specifies that certain offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups will be classified as PRC resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in the PRC: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and shareholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights. Circular 82 also clarified that dividends and other income paid by such “resident enterprises” will be considered to be PRC source income, subject to PRC withholding tax, currently at a rate of 10%, when recognized by shareholders that are non-PRC resident enterprises. Further to Circular 82, the SAT issued a bulletin, known as Bulletin 45, which took effect on September 1, 2011, to provide more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of such “Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated resident enterprises.” Bulletin 45 provides procedures and administrative details for the determination of PRC resident enterprise status and administration on post-determination matters. Although both Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreign individuals like us, the determining criteria set forth in Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident enterprise status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, PRC enterprise groups or by PRC or foreign individuals.

We do not believe that Tarena International, Inc. meets all of the conditions above and thus we do not believe that Tarena International, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise, despite the fact that all of the members of our management team as well as the management team of our offshore holding company are located in China. However, if the PRC tax authorities determine that Tarena International, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we will be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax on our worldwide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Second, although dividends paid by one PRC tax resident to another PRC tax resident should qualify as “tax-exempt income” under the EIT Law, we cannot assure you that such dividends will not be subject to a 10% withholding tax, as the PRC foreign exchange control authorities, which enforce the withholding tax on dividends, and the PRC tax authorities have not yet issued guidance with respect to the processing of outbound remittances to entities that are not controlled by any PRC enterprise or enterprise group and treated as resident enterprises for PRC enterprise income tax purposes.

Finally, dividends we pay to our non-PRC enterprise shareholders and gains derived by our non-PRC shareholders from the sale of our shares maybe become subject to a 10% PRC withholding tax. In addition, future guidance may extend the withholding tax to dividends we pay to our non-PRC individual shareholders and gains derived by such shareholders from transferring our shares. In addition to the uncertainty in how the new “resident enterprise” classification could apply, it is also possible that the rules may change in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. If PRC income tax were imposed on gains realized through the transfer of our ADSs or ordinary shares or on dividends paid to our non-resident investors, the value of the investment in our ADSs or ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, our ADS holders whose jurisdictions of residence have tax treaties or arrangements with China may not qualify for benefits under such tax treaties or arrangements.

We face uncertainty regarding the PRC tax reporting obligations and consequences for certain indirect transfers of our operating company’s equity interests. Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

In connection with the EIT Law, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT jointly issued a Circular 59 in April 2009, and the SAT issued a Circular 698 in December 2009. Both Circular 59 and Circular 698 became effective retroactively on January 1, 2008.

On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued a Public Notice [2015] No.7, or Public Notice 7, to supersede the existing tax rules in relation to the Indirect Transfer under Circular 698. Under Public Notice 7, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the equity interests in a PRC “resident enterprise” or other taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests in an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, if the indirect transfer is considered to be an abusive use of company structure without reasonable commercial purposes. In addition, Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and introduces safe harbor scenarios applicable to internal group restructurings. However, it also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee of the Indirect Transfer as they have to make self-assessment on whether the transaction should be subject to PRC tax and to file or withhold the PRC tax accordingly. Since Public Notice 7 was recently promulgated and it is unclear how this set of measures, and any future implementation rules thereof, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant governmental authorities. Where non-resident investors were involved in our private equity financing, if such transactions were determined by the tax authorities to lack reasonable commercial purpose, we and our non-resident investors may become at risk of being taxed under Public Notice 7 and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Public Notice 7 or to establish that we should not be taxed under Public Notice 7, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or the non-resident investors’ investments in us.

In October 2017, the SAT promulgated the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Matters Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises at Source, or SAT Circular 37, which provides certain changes to the current withholding regime, repeals and replaces all other provisions under Circular 698 and amends certain provisions in Public Notice 7. For example, SAT Circular 37 requires that the transferor shall declare to the competent tax authority for payment of tax within seven (7) days after the tax payment obligation comes into being if the withholding agent fails to withhold the tax due or withhold the tax due in full. However, according to SAT Circular 37, if the withholding agent fails to withhold and remit the income tax payable, or is unable to perform its obligation in this regard, as long as the non-resident enterprise that earns the income voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.

By promulgating and implementing these circulars, the PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-resident enterprise. The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under Circular 59, Public Notice 7 and SAT Circular 37 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the equity interests transferred and the cost of investment. Although we currently have no confirmed plans to pursue any acquisitions in China or elsewhere in the world, we may pursue acquisitions in the future that may involve complex corporate structures. If we are considered a non-resident enterprise under the EIT Law and if the PRC tax authorities make adjustments under Circular 59 or Public Notice 7 or SAT Circular 37, our income tax costs associated with such potential acquisitions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated Administrative Measures on the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (Trial), or GAAR Measures, on December 12, 2014, which shows the authority’s intention to fight against tax avoidance scheme that is adopted to obtain unwarranted tax benefit without reasonable commercial purpose. A press release, made by the State Administration of Taxation to clarify certain issues relating to the application of the GAAR Measures, stated that the GAAR Measures may be applicable if any general tax-avoidance scheme exists in the offshore indirect transfer of equity interests. Since GAAR Measures was recently promulgated and it is unclear how this set of measures, and any future implementation rules thereof, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant governmental authorities, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operation, future acquisitions or strategy.

We face risks and uncertainties with respect to the licensing requirement for Internet audio-video programs and human resources intermediary service.

In December 2007, the State Administration of Press Publication Radio Film and Television, or SAPPRFT, the predecessor of Administration of Radio and Television newly established in April 2018, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or MIIT, issued the Administrative Measures Regarding Internet Audio-Video Program Services, or the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures, which became effective on January 31, 2008. Among other things, the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures stipulate that no entities or individuals may provide Internet audio-video program services without a “License for Disseminating Audio-Video Programs through Information Network” issued by SAPPRFT or its local bureaus or completing the relevant registration with SAPPRFT or its local bureaus, and only entities wholly owned or controlled by the PRC government may engage in the production, editing, integration or consolidation, and transmission to the public through the Internet, of audio-video programs, or the provision of audio-video program uploading and transmission services. In February 2008, SAPPRFT and MIIT jointly held a press conference in response to inquiries related to the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures, during which SAPPRFT and MIIT officials indicated that providers of audio-video program services established prior to the promulgation date of the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures that do not have any regulatory non-compliance records can re-register with the relevant government authorities to continue their current business operations. After the conference, the two authorities published a press release that confirmed the above guidelines. There are still significant uncertainties relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures, in particular, the scope of “Internet Audio-Video Programs.”

Furthermore, on April 1, 2010, SAPPRFT promulgated the Test Implementation of the Tentative Categories of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, or the Categories, which clarified the scope of Internet audio-video programs services. According to the Categories, there are four categories of Internet audio-visual program services which are further divided into seventeen sub-categories. The third sub-category to the second category covers the making and editing of certain specialized audio-video programs concerning, among other things, educational content, and broadcasting such content to the general public online.

We transmit our audio-video educational programs through our TTS system and TMOOC.cn to enrolled course participants. In addition, we provide audio-video program uploading and transmission services. As a result, we might be subject to the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures. If the governmental authorities determine that our provision of lecture videos on TTS and/or TMOOC.cn falls within the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures, we may not be able to obtain the License for Disseminating Audio-Video Programs through Information Network. If this occurs, we may become subject to significant penalties, fines, legal sanctions or an order to suspend our use of audio-video content, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Pursuant to the Provisions on the Administration of Human Resources Markets issued by SAIC in 2001 and as amended in 2005 and 2015, respectively, a human resources service intermediary refers to any entity which provides intermediary services for employers and any potential employees, and no entity may provide such services without a “License for Human Resources Intermediary Resources.” Any internet information service provider which provides intermediary services for employers and any potential employees via internet shall obtain such license. In January 2015, we launched a self-developed job search website called Job Show (www.jobshow.cn), which serves as a dedicated open platform for our students and other job-seeking candidates to connect with corporate employers more effectively. Although we have not entered into any agreement with corporate employers or any job-seeking candidates, we source and list job opportunities from both IT and non-IT employers in China through the website, which may be deemed as a human resources service intermediary. Currently, we have recorded human resources intermediary services in our business license but we have not obtained the “License for Human Resources Intermediary Resources,” and if the relevant PRC government authorities determine that we shall obtain such license for the operation of Job Show and we fail to obtain such license, they may order us to shut down the website and subject us to a fine of RMB10,000 and if there is any illegal income, we may be subject a fine of no more than three times of the illegal income, which shall not exceed RMB30,000.

PRC regulations establish complex approval procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China. The transfers of our learning centers from our consolidated VIE to our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China may be subject to such approval procedures, in which case we may need to restructure the ownership and operation of the affected learning centers, and as a result we may be exposed to increased risks associated with the contractual arrangements relating to our consolidated VIE.

Six PRC regulatory agencies promulgated regulations effective in September 2006 that are commonly referred to as the M&A Rules. The M&A Rules establish procedures and requirements that could make some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. In addition, national security review rules issued by the PRC governmental authorities in 2011 require acquisitions by foreign investors of domestic companies engaged in military-related or certain other industries that are crucial to national security to be subject to prior security review. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOFCOM shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. We may expand our business in part by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the M&A Rules, security review rules and other PRC regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

In addition, in accordance with the M&A Rules, approval of the MOFCOM is required for acquisitions of PRC domestic enterprises by foreign companies that are established or controlled by PRC domestic companies, enterprises or individuals related to the target PRC domestic enterprises, or “Related Party Acquisitions”, and the parties are not allowed to evade such requirements through investment by foreign investment enterprises in China or other ways. Although M&A Rules have become effective since September 2006, we are not aware of any precedent of approval by the MOFCOM of any Related Party Acquisition conducted by PRC domestic individuals. Starting from the second half of 2012, we began to transfer our operations, including related assets and liabilities, of our consolidated VIEs to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Tarena Tech, and its subsidiaries, either through transferring the companies that operate learning centers or that sponsor the schools, or through changing the schools’ sponsors. All of our learning center operations of VIEs had been transferred to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. As Mr. Shaoyun Han is a shareholder of both Tarena and our consolidated VIEs, even though the transfers of the companies, which operated 23 of our learning centers themselves or through schools they established as of December 31, 2017, from our consolidated VIEs to our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China are not “acquisitions by foreign investors of PRC domestic enterprises” under the M&A Rules, and Tarena Tech, our wholly foreign invested enterprise in PRC, was converted into a wholly foreign invested enterprise before the effective date of M&A Rules, the requirement for an approval from the MOFCOM may still be required for such transfers because of the above anti-evasion clause. Furthermore, it is unclear whether our transfers of the schools which operated 23 learning centers as of December 31, 2017, which are not enterprises, from subsidiaries of our consolidated VIEs to our wholly-owned subsidiaries, could be regarded as Related Party Transactions under the M&A Rules. If the MOFCOM determines that our previous transfers of learning centers from our consolidated VIEs to our wholly-owned subsidiaries are Related Party Transactions under the M&A Rules and we fail to obtain the MOFCOM’s approvals on such transfers, the effectiveness of such transfers may be challenged and we may need to transfer these companies and schools, including the related learning centers, back to our consolidated VIE. Under such circumstances, our business may be disrupted and we may be exposed to increased risks associated with the contractual arrangements relating to our consolidated VIE. See “—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, or otherwise expose us to liability and penalties under PRC law.

The PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, has promulgated regulations, including the Notice on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Residents’ Investment and Financing and Round-Trip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, effective on July 4, 2014, and its appendixes, that require PRC residents, including PRC institutions and individuals, to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires an amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material events. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in their ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for foreign exchange evasion, including (i) the requirement by SAFE to return the foreign exchange remitted overseas within a period specified by SAFE, with a fine of up to 30% of the total amount of foreign exchange remitted overseas and deemed to have been evasive and (ii) in circumstances involving serious violations, a fine of no less than 30% of and up to the total amount of remitted foreign exchange deemed evasive. Furthermore, the persons-in-charge and other persons at our PRC subsidiaries who are held directly liable for the violations may be subject to criminal sanctions. On February 28, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. In accordance with SAFE Notice 13, entities and individuals are required to apply for foreign exchange registration of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment, including those required under the SAFE Circular No. 37, with qualified banks, instead of SAFE. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, directly examine the applications and conduct the registration.

These regulations apply to our direct and indirect shareholders who are PRC residents and may apply to any offshore acquisitions or share transfers that we make in the future if our shares are issued to PRC residents. We have requested PRC residents who we know currently hold direct or indirect interests in our company to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and other related rules.

To our knowledge, all of our shareholders who are PRC citizens and hold interests in us, have registered with the local SAFE branch and/or qualified banks as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and SAFE Notice 13. However, in practice, different local SAFE branches and/or qualified banks may have different views and procedures on the application and implementation of SAFE regulations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that they can successfully amend their foreign exchange registrations with the local SAFE branch and/or qualified banks in full compliance with applicable laws. In addition, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurances that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements required by SAFE Circular No. 37, SAFE Notice 13 or other related rules. A failure by any of our current or future shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with the SAFE regulations may subject us to fines or other legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Furthermore, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. We cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, either we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, may not be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee share ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rules. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly-listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. The participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of stock options, the purchase and sale of corresponding stocks or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations—Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans.” We and our PRC employees who have been granted share options and restricted share units are subject to these regulations and we have completed the registrations of our stock incentive plans, namely the 2008 Plan and the 2014 Plan, with the local SAFE as required by PRC law. Failure of our PRC share option holders or restricted shareholders to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC residents to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limited our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us, or otherwise materially and adversely affect our business.

PRC regulation of direct investment and loans by offshore holding companies to PRC entities and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or limit us from using the proceeds of offshore offerings to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiaries.

Any capital contributions or loans that we, as an offshore entity, make to our PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC regulations. Under PRC laws and regulations, we are permitted to utilize the proceeds from offshore offerings to fund our existing PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions or to establish new PRC subsidiaries, subject to applicable government registration and approval requirements. None of our loans to a PRC subsidiary can exceed the difference between its total amount of investment and its registered capital approved under relevant PRC laws, and the loans must be registered with the local branch of SAFE. Our capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries or establishment of new PRC subsidiaries must be approved by the MOFCOM or its local counterpart. We cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary registration or obtain the necessary approval on a timely basis, or at all. If we fail to complete the necessary registration or obtain the necessary approval, our ability to make loans or equity contributions to our PRC subsidiaries may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our PRC subsidiaries’ liquidity and their ability to fund their working capital and expansion projects and meet their obligations and commitments.

On March 30, 2015, the SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which expands a pilot reform of the administration of the settlement of the foreign exchange capitals of foreign-invested enterprises nationwide. Circular 19 came into force replacing both previous SAFE Circular 142 and SAFE Circular 36 on June 1, 2015. Circular 19 allows all foreign-invested enterprises established in the PRC to use their foreign exchange capitals to make equity investments and removes certain other restrictions provided under Circular 142 for these enterprises. However, Circular 19 continues to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, using the Renminbi fund converted from its foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond its business scope, and providing entrusted loans or repaying loans between non-financial enterprises. The business scopes of Tarena Tech include research and development of computer software, hardware, internet technology and products and telecommunications technology, transfer of proprietary technologies, information technology consulting, technical services, computer technology training, sales of self-developed products and franchise business operations. The business scopes of Tarena Software Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., or Tarena Hangzhou, include technology development, technology consulting, technical services, computer software and hardware, network technology, telecommunication technology, services, non-certification computer technology training for adults (excluding business subject to pre-approvals), wholesale and retail of computer software and hardware and telecommunication equipment (excluding equipment subject to national controls and other special controls). Tarena Tech and Tarena Hangzhou may only use Renminbi converted from foreign exchange capital contribution for activities within their respective approved business scope. Therefore, we may not use such Renminbi funds converted to make equity investments in the PRC through our PRC subsidiaries. In addition, the use of such Renminbi capital may not be altered without SAFE approval, and such Renminbi capital may not in any case be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not been used. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 could result in severe monetary or other penalties.

SAFE also promulgated a SAFE Circular 45 in November 2011, which, among other things, restricts a foreign-invested enterprise from using RMB converted from its registered capital to provide entrusted loans or repay loans between non-financial enterprises. Those circulars may significantly limit our ability to use Renminbi converted from the net proceeds of offshore offerings to fund the establishment of new PRC subsidiaries by Tarena Tech and Tarena Hangzhou to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies, or to establish new PRC consolidated affiliated entities.

Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may need dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiaries to satisfy our liquidity requirements. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their respective registered capital. Our PRC subsidiaries may also allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us or may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements.

In addition, the EIT Law, and its implementation rules provide that withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises are incorporated.

We may not be able to obtain certain treaty benefits on dividends paid to us by our PRC subsidiary through our Hong Kong Subsidiary.

Under the EIT Law, dividends generated from retained earnings after January 1, 2008 from a PRC company and distributed to a foreign parent company are subject to a withholding tax rate of 10% unless the foreign parent’s jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a preferential withholding arrangement. Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income, or the Hong Kong Tax Treaty, which became effective on December 8, 2006, a company incorporated in Hong Kong, such as Tarena HK, will be subject to withholding income tax at a rate of 5% on dividends it receives from its PRC subsidiary if it holds a 25% or more interest in that particular PRC subsidiary, or 10% if it holds less than a 25% interest in that subsidiary. Pursuant to the Notice of the SAT on the Issues concerning the Application of the Dividend Clauses of Tax Agreements, or Circular 81, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including without limitation that (a) the Hong Kong enterprise must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong enterprise must directly hold at least 25% share ownership in the PRC enterprise during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt of the dividends. However, a transaction or arrangement entered into for the primary purpose of enjoying a preferential tax treatment should not be a reason for the application of the preferential tax treatment under the Hong Kong Tax Treaty. If a taxpayer inappropriately is entitled to such preferential tax treatment, the competent tax authority has the power to make appropriate adjustments. According to the Circular on Several Issues regarding the “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties, which was issued on February 3, 2018 by the SAT and has taken effect from April 1, 2018, or Circular 9, when determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in twelve months to residents in a third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the counterparty country or region to the tax treaties levies any tax or grants tax exemption on relevant incomes or levies tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and such determination will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases. Circular 9 further provides that applicants who intend to prove his or her status of the “beneficial owner” shall submit the relevant documents to the relevant tax authority according to the Administrative Measures for Non-Resident Taxpayers to Enjoy Treatments under Tax Treaties, or Circular 60, which was issued in August 2015 by the SAT and became effective on November 1, 2015. Circular 60 provides that non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. However, if a competent tax authority finds out that it is necessary to apply the general anti-tax avoidance rules, it may start general investigation procedures for anti-tax avoidance and adopt corresponding measures for subsequent administration. As a result, although our PRC subsidiary, Tarena Hangzhou, is currently wholly owned by our Hong Kong subsidiary Tarena HK, we cannot assure you that we would be entitled to the tax treaty benefits and enjoy the favorable 5% rate applicable under the Hong Kong Tax Treaty on dividends. If Tarena HK cannot be recognized as the beneficial owner of the dividends to be paid by Tarena Hangzhou to us, such dividends will be subject to a normal withholding tax of 10% as provided by the EIT Law. Besides, according to Circular 81 and Circular 60, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a preferential tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the preferential withholding tax in the future.

Discontinuation or revocation of any of the preferential tax treatments and government subsidies or imposition of any additional taxes and surcharges could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our PRC subsidiaries are incorporated in the PRC and governed by applicable PRC tax laws and regulations. The EIT Law and its Implementing Rules, both became effective on January 1, 2008, have adopted a uniform statutory enterprise income tax rate of 25% to all enterprises in China including foreign-invested enterprises. The EIT Law and its Implementation Rules also permit qualified “high and new technology enterprises,” or HNTEs, to enjoy a preferential enterprise income tax rate of 15% upon filing with relevant tax authorities. The qualification as a HNTE generally has a valid term of three years and the renewal of such qualification is subject to review by the relevant authorities in China. Tarena Tech obtained its HNTE certificate in 2009 and renewed its HNTE certificate in 2012 and again in 2015, and is eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% until the fourth quarter of 2018. If Tarena Tech fails to maintain its HNTE qualification or renew its qualification when its current term expires, its applicable enterprise income tax rate may increase to 25%, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, Tarena Hangzhou, one of our PRC subsidiaries, was established in 2013 and is qualified as a “newly established software enterprise”, which entitles it to two years of full tax exemption followed by three years of 50% tax exemption, commencing from the year in which its taxable income is greater than zero, which was 2014. Tarena Hangzhou has also received financial subsidies from PRC local government authority in 2013, 2015 and 2016. In 2016, Tarena Hangzhou acquired Hanru Education & Technology Co., Ltd., or Hanru Hangzhou, which was qualified as an eligible software enterprise and entitled to a full tax exemption of two years followed by a 50% tax exemption of three years, commencing from 2016.

Preferential tax treatments and financial subsidies are subject to review and may be adjusted or revoked at any time in the future. The discontinuation of any preferential tax treatments or financial subsidies or imposition of any additional taxes could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange policies. The PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar in 2005, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. However, the People’s Bank of China regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to limit fluctuations in Renminbi exchange rates and achieve policy goals. During the period between July 2008 and June 2010, the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar had been stable and traded within a narrow range. However, the Renminbi fluctuated significantly during that period against other freely traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S. dollar. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. In August 2015, the People’s Bank of China changed the way it calculates the mid-point price of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar, requiring the market-makers who submit for reference rates to consider the previous day’s closing spot rate, foreign-exchange demand and supply as well as changes in major currency rates. The value of the Renminbi depreciated approximately 5.8% against the U.S. dollar in 2015 and further by approximately 6.3% in 2016. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that the 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 the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the RMB may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for capital expenditures and working capital and other business purposes, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to U.S. dollars would affect the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, regardless of any underlying change in our business or results of operations.

In January 2016, we entered into a foreign currency forward contract with China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. The notional amounts of the foreign currency forward contracts were RMB564.1 million and the settlement date was on May 19, 2016. We incurred a loss of RMB12.9 million as a result of such forward foreign currency contract in 2016. The contract expired in May 2017, and we do not have entered into any new foreign currency forward contract in 2017. Due to the fluctuation in the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and RMB, we may decide to enter into additional foreign currency contract 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 control 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 audit report included in this annual report is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Auditors of companies that are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and traded publicly in the United States, including our independent registered public accounting firm, must be registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, and are required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditor is located in the Peoples’ Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities, our auditor is not currently inspected by the PCAOB. In May 2013, PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by PCAOB, the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC, respectively. PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance to permit joint inspections in the PRC of audit firms that are registered with PCAOB and audit Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges.

This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating audits and quality control procedures of any auditors operating in China, including our auditor. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain China-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

On January 22, 2014, Judge Cameron Elliot, an SEC administrative law judge, issued an initial decision suspending the Chinese member firms of the “Big Four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, from, among other things, practicing before the SEC for six months. In February 2014, the initial decision was appealed. While under appeal and in February 2015, the Chinese member firms of the “Big Four” accounting firms reached a settlement with the SEC. As part of the settlement, each of the Chinese member firms of the “Big Four” accounting firms agreed to settlement terms that include a censure; undertakings to make a payment to the SEC; procedures and undertakings as to future requests for documents by the SEC; and possible additional proceedings and remedies should those undertakings not be adhered to.

If the settlement terms are not adhered to, Chinese member firms of the “Big Four” accounting firms may be suspended from practicing before the SEC. If our independent registered public accounting firm were suspended, from practicing before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to our delisting from the NASDAQ Global Select Market or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015 aiming to, upon its enactment, replace 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 draft Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. While the Ministry of Commerce solicited comments on this draft earlier this year, substantial uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation. The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may materially impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations in many aspects.

Among other things, the draft Foreign Investment Law expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE. The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but “controlled” by foreign investors will be treated as FIEs. Once an entity is determined to be an FIE, it will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in a “negative list” to be separately issued by the State Council later. The “negative list” will consist of a list of industry categories where foreign investments are strictly prohibited and a list of industry categories where foreign investments are subject to certain restrictions. Foreign investments in business sectors outside of the “negative list” will only be subject to filing procedures, whereas foreign investments in the restricted industries must apply for prior approval from the foreign investment administration authority. In case the underlying business of an FIE falls within the foreign investment restricted industries, upon market entry clearance by the MOFCOM, the FIE may file an application for being treated as a PRC domestic investment if the FIE is “controlled” by PRC entities and/or citizens. In this connection, “control” is broadly defined in the draft law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding 50% or more of the voting rights of the subject entity; (ii) holding less than 50% of the voting rights of the subject entity but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to exert material influence on the board, the shareholders’ meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity’s operations, financial matters or other key aspects of business operations.

The “variable interest entity” structure, or VIE structure, has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. See “—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for holding our ICP license do not comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations, we could be subject to severe penalties” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure.” Under the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangement would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. Therefore, for any companies with a VIE structure in an industry category that is on the “negative list,” the VIE structure may be deemed legitimate only if the ultimate controlling person(s) is/are of PRC nationality (including PRC citizens, PRC governmental authorities and their affiliates, and the PRC companies controlled by the foregoing). Conversely, if the actual controlling person(s) is/are of foreign nationalities, then the variable interest entities will be treated as FIEs and any operation in the industry category on the “negative list” without market entry clearance may be considered as illegal.

Through our dual-class share structure, Mr. Shaoyun Han, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, a PRC citizen, possessed and controlled 67.6% of the voting power of our company as of March 31, 2018. The draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with a VIE structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties. Moreover, it is uncertain whether the Internet content and other value-added telecommunication service industry, in which our VIE operates, will be subject to the foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions set forth in the “negative list” to be issued. If the enacted version of the Foreign Investment Law and the final “negative list” mandate further actions, such as MOFCOM market entry clearance or certain restructuring of our corporate structure and operations, to be completed by companies with existing VIE structure like us, we face substantial uncertainties as to whether these actions can be timely completed, or at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

The draft Foreign Investment Law, if enacted as proposed, may also materially impact our corporate governance practice and increase our compliance costs. For instance, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. Aside from investment implementation report and investment amendment report that are required at each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

Risks Relating to Our ADSs

The trading prices of our ADSs have fluctuated and may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading prices of our ADSs have fluctuated since we first listed our ADSs. The trading price of our ADSs has ranged from US$12.52 to US$21.70 per ADS in 2017. The last reported trading price on April 27, 2018 was US$10.01 per ADS. The trading prices of our ADSs may continue to fluctuate and be volatile due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In recent years, the widespread negative publicity of alleged fraudulent accounting practices and poor corporate governance of certain U.S. public companies with operations in China were believed to have negatively affected investors’ perception and sentiment towards companies with connection with China, which significantly and negatively affected the trading prices of some companies’ securities listed in the U.S. Any similar negative publicity or sentiment may affect the performances of our ADSs. A number of PRC companies have recently listed or are in the process of listing their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these PRC companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward PRC companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance.

In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

the financial projections that we may choose to provide to the public, any changes in those projections or our failure for any reason to meet those projections;

variations in our net revenues, net income and cash flow;

announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, or joint ventures;

announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors;

changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

additions or departures of key personnel;

release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities;

potential litigation, regulatory investigations or other legal proceedings involving us; and

detrimental negative publicity about us or our industry.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our ADSs, the market price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs is influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our ADSs or publish unfavorable research about us, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

Our dual class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share, with Class A and Class B ordinary shares voting together as one class on all matters subject to a shareholders’ vote. As of March 31, 2018, our Class B ordinary shares represent 12.8% of our total outstanding ordinary shares on an as-converted basis and entitle their holders to 59.4% of our total voting power.

As a result of the dual class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of our Class B ordinary shares have substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial. For more information regarding our principal shareholders and their affiliated entities, see “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions.”

The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs. In addition, certain holders of our existing shareholders are entitled to certain registration rights, including demand registration rights, piggyback registration rights, and Form F-3 or Form S-3 registration rights. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration. Sales of these registered shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse United States federal income tax consequences to United States investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

We will be classified as a “passive foreign investment company,” or “PFIC” if, in the case of any particular taxable year, either (a) 75% or more of our gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (b) 50% or more of the average quarterly value of our assets (as determined on the basis of fair market value) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of passive assets (including property producing passive income) and net foreign currency gains. For this purpose, cash is categorized as a passive asset and the company’s unbooked intangibles associated with active business activity are taken into account as a non-passive asset. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, more than 25% (by value) of the stock.

Based on our current income and assets and the value of our ADSs and outstanding ordinary shares, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2017 and we do not expect to be classified as a PFIC for our taxable year ending December 31, 2018 or in the foreseeable future.

While we do not expect to become a PFIC, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares, fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs or ordinary shares may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years. The determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC will also depend, in part, on the composition of our income and assets, which will be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. Under circumstances where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of being classified as a PFIC may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules and PFIC status is a factual determination made annually after the close of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year or any future taxable year.

If we are classified as a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations”) may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on the ADSs or ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an “excess distribution” under the United States federal income tax rules and such holders may be subject to burdensome reporting requirements. Further, if we are classified as a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares. For more information, see “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands (2016 Revision) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, 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 precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, 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 precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have the standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

The Cayman Islands courts are also unlikely:

to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws; and

to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature.

There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands will in certain circumstances recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.

Judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands company and almost all of our assets are located outside of the United States. All of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, most of our current directors and executive officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the United States federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to vote your Class A ordinary shares.

As a holder of our ADSs, you will only be able to exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying shares unless you withdraw the shares. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten clear days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 for so long as we are an emerging growth company, which may be for as long as five years following our initial public offering in April 2014. As a result of our current status as an emerging growth company, our investors may not have access to certain information that they may deem important.

The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. However, we had elected to “opt out” of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. The decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act was irrevocable.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:

the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;

the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;

the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and

the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events are also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC are less extensive and less timely as compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by United States domestic issuers. As a Cayman Islands company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, we are subject to the NASDAQ Global Select Market corporate governance listing standards. However, NASDAQ Global Select Market rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NASDAQ Global Select Market corporate governance listing standards.

We relied on the exemption available to foreign private issuers for the requirement that it hold an annual general meeting of shareholders no later than December 31, 2017 in 2017. In this respect, we elected to follow home country practice and did not hold an annual general meeting of shareholders no later than December 31, 2017 in 2017. We may also continue to rely on this and other exemptions available to foreign private issuers in the future, and to the extent that we choose to do so in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under the NASDAQ Global Select Market corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a United States domestic issuer.

You may not receive dividends or other distributions on our Class A ordinary shares and you may not receive any value for them, if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.

The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying our ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act but that are not properly registered or distributed under an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary may also determine that it is not feasible to distribute certain property through the mail. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you may not receive distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of our ADSs.

You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is 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.

We incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional future costs we may incur or the timing of such costs

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including additional costs associated with our public company reporting obligations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and NASDAQ Global Select Market, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting and permission to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. However, we had elected to “opt out” of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. The decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act was irrevocable.

We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with reasonable certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

In the past, shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that company’s securities. In the fourth quarter of 2015, several law firm in the U.S. announced that they were investigating potential securities claims on behalf of our shareholders against us. We cannot predict whether such investigations will result in lawsuits, including class action suits, being filed against us. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

ITEM 4.

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

History and Development of the Company

We began our operations in Beijing in September 2002 through Beijing Tarena Technology Co., Ltd. In November 2012, we changed the name of Beijing Tarena Technology Co., Ltd. to Tarena Technologies Inc., or Tarena Tech. Tarena International, Inc., an exempted company with limited liability, was incorporated in the Cayman Islands in October 2003 and became our ultimate holding company. We established Tarena Hong Kong Limited, or Tarena HK, as our wholly-owned subsidiary in October 2012. Tarena HK wholly owns Tarena Software Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd., or Tarena Hangzhou, an entity that we established in January 2013.

On April 3, 2014, our ADSs began trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “TEDU.” We and certain selling shareholders sold a total of 15,300,000 ADSs, representing 15,300,000 Class A ordinary shares, at an initial offering price of $9.00 per ADS. Concurrently with our initial public offering, we also issued 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares at a price of US$9.00 per share to New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. Ltd. through a private placement.

Prior to 2012, we conducted a substantial portion of our operations through our consolidated VIEs and their respective subsidiaries and schools. On January 30, 2012, the PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. On April 10, 2015, the new PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed non-accredited professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. On July 28, 2017, the new PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended) became effective, which listed non-accredited professional education service as an industry for which foreign investments are “encouraged” by the government. In light of such change of law, starting from the second half of 2012, we began to transfer the operations, including related assets and liabilities, of our consolidated VIEs to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. All of our learning center operations of VIEs had been transferred to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. In December 2016, we wound up Shanghai Tarena, one of our VIEs. We expect to continue to control and consolidate Beijing Tarena, which holds an Internet Content Provider license, or ICP license. Beijing Tarena has added our TMOOC.cn website under the ICP license held by Beijing Tarena. For a description of the risks relating to our corporate structure and the contractual arrangements we have entered into with our VIE, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”

In 2015, we invested RMB24.0 million in five PRC companies which are engaged in the provision of educational products and services. In 2016, we invested RMB12.8 million in three companies which are mainly engaged in the provision of educational products and services. In 2017, we invested RMB50.5 million in three companies which are mainly engaged in the provision of IT, educational products and services.

The table below sets forth the respective revenues and assets of Tarena and our wholly-owned subsidiaries and our consolidated VIEs as of the dates and for the periods indicated:

	Net Revenues⁽¹⁾									Total Assets⁽¹⁾
	For the year ended December 31, 2015			For the year ended December 31, 2016			For the year ended December 31, 2017			As of December 31, 2017
Tarena and its wholly-owned subsidiaries		100%			100.0%			100.0%			95.4%
Consolidated VIEs⁽²⁾		0.0%	⁽³⁾		0.0%	⁽³⁾		0.0%	⁽³⁾		4.6%
Total		100%			100%			100%			100.0%

Notes:

(1)

The percentages exclude the inter-company transactions and balances between Tarena and wholly-owned subsidiaries and the consolidated VIEs.

(2)

Shanghai Tarena, one of our consolidated VIEs, was wound up in December 2016.

(3)

The net revenues from consolidated VIEs are immaterial and accounted for 0.0% due to rounding.

We have dual headquarters in China. Our principal executive offices in Beijing are located at Suite 10017, Building E, Zhongkun Plaza, A18 Bei San Huan West Road, Haidian District, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 10 6213 5687. Our principal executive offices in Hangzhou are located at 1/F, Block A, Training Building, 65 Kejiyuan Road, Baiyang Jie Dao, Economic Development District, Hangzhou 310000, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 571 5602 0827. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Conyers Trust Company (Cayman) Limited, Cricket Square, Hutchins Drive, PO Box 2681, Grand Cayman KY1-1111, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc. located at 801 2nd Avenue, Suite 403, New York, NY 10017.

Business Overview

We provide professional education services in China. Our core strength is in IT professional education services. Since our inception in 2002, we have trained over 509,000 students, cooperated with more than 750 universities and colleges and placed students with approximately 134,000 corporate employers in a variety of industries. We currently offer courses in thirteen IT subjects, three non-IT subjects and four kid education programs.

For our adult students, our education platform combines live distance instruction, classroom-based tutoring and online learning modules. We deliver professional education lectures through a group of experienced and passionate instructors based in Beijing to a nationwide network of 184 directly managed learning centers in 59 cities in China as of December 31, 2017. For each class, instructors deliver lectures from one classroom in Beijing to students in the same classroom as well as to students at our learning centers across China via simultaneous webcast. To facilitate a disciplined and focused learning environment, we staff each classroom at our learning centers with one or two on-site teaching assistants to tutor and supervise students. We complement the live instruction and tutoring with our proprietary learning management system TTS. TTS has five core functions, featuring course content, self-assessment exams, student and teaching staff interaction tools, student management tools and an online student community. Through this education platform, we provide job-oriented education with measurable outcomes, as demonstrated by our high job placement rates and students’ academic performance. In addition to our TTS platform, we launched TMOOC.cn in March 2015, which offers not only regular teaching video contents, but also continuing education courses and job placement training courses, in order to cover a broader customer base. We offer our part-time class students the opportunity to complete a portion of lessons online using TMOOC.cn. TMOOC.cn is also important for our marketing efforts.

In December 2015, we launched new training programs TongchengTongmei featuring IT training courses and non-IT training courses for minors. In March 2016, we rolled out kid robotics programming courses. In 2017, we launched coding mathematics to further diversify our course offerings in kid education. These new programs target and contain curriculum that is customized for primary to secondary school students aged between six and eighteen. Unlike programs designed for adult students, our courses for primary to high school students are taught by teaching assistants face-to-face in offline classrooms. In order to build a more vivid and concentrated learning environment, students will watch a series of interesting courseware videos step by step, under the lead of on-site teaching assistants. These programs are partly delivered through the facilities of existing learning centers to improve the utilization of the facilities. Since 2016, we also set up standalone flagship centers for kid education programs, which have further improved our brand recognition and teaching facilities and brought better learning experience for our students. By the end of 2017, there were 30 TongchengTongmei standalone centers, covering 24 cities in China.

We have a strong commitment to career services. We had 593 career counselors as of December 31, 2017, who advise students through mandatory job skill seminars, one-on-one interview workshops and systematic career assessment and planning. We had 310 employer cooperation representatives as of December 31, 2017, who liaise closely with employers, alumni, human resources websites and other employment recruiters to maximize job opportunities for our students. In January 2015, we launched a self-developed job search website called Job Show (www.jobshow.cn), which serves as a dedicated open platform for our students and other job-seeking candidates to connect with corporate employers more effectively. Through Job Show, we source and list job opportunities from both IT and non-IT employers in China. We have a track record of producing qualified, job-ready candidates for many corporate employers in China, including Global Fortune 500 companies and leading technology companies.

We are a holding company with no material operations of our own. We conduct our operations primarily through our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China. We also control and consolidate a VIE, Beijing Tarena. Beijing Tarena has added our TMOOC.cn website under the ICP license held by Beijing Tarena as of December 31, 2017. Our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China are currently not eligible as wholly-owned foreign-invested enterprises to hold ICP licenses.

Our Education Platform

For our adult students, our education platform combines three key components: live distance instruction, classroom-based tutoring and online learning modules.

Live distance instruction

From our headquarters in Beijing, our instructors deliver live courses primarily via live webcast to our learning centers across China. Students attending class watch live audio-video broadcasts of lectures delivered using streaming media and other Internet-based technologies. Our full-time students typically watch live lectures for approximately five hours a day and work on practice exercises assigned by instructors for approximately two hours every day during the classroom sessions, which generally last from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. five days a week.

Our live broadcast method of lecture delivery ensures consistency in teaching quality across all our centers. All of our instructors to deliver the lecture through webcasting system are located in Beijing, where we centralize our training support. Our headquarter-level quality control department monitors the performance of each lecturer on a daily basis. We typically have multiple instructors for each course, with each instructor focusing on separate topic areas. We believe this allows our instructors to focus, and offer more in-depth teaching, on their specific areas of expertise within a subject.

Classroom-based tutoring

Our students are generally required to physically attend classes at our learning centers. We believe physical attendance is important as it creates a disciplined and focused learning environment for students to effectively master the course content. Requiring students to physically attend classes also facilitates the delivery of personalized and systematic tutoring and job placement services to our students.

In terms of professional education programs, our classrooms are equipped with computers for each student, as well as projectors and other equipment necessary for the live broadcast of our lectures. Our classroom technology infrastructure allows students to interact with instructors online to receive help on course materials and to use online modules in TTS to take notes and conduct practice exercises.

Our learning centers function both as classrooms for delivering lectures and self-study rooms after class hours. As of December 31, 2017, we directly managed a total of 184 learning centers in 59 major cities across China. Our learning centers vary in terms of size, typically having between 5 and 20 classrooms, with each classroom typically able to host between 20 and 100 students. In addition to the learning centers that we operate directly, we also have one franchised learning center in Xi’an, and the franchise fee from such learning center was immaterial in 2017.

The courses under our kid education programs are provided in offline classrooms and some of them share the learning centers with our professional programs. We believe such arrangement will help us to fully utilize our learning center resources and expand our K-12 education business at a fast pace.

The following table provides an overview of our national network of learning centers that we manage directly and the adult courses offered in each city as of December 31, 2017 and student enrollments in each city in 2017:

Cities	Number of Learning Centers	Java	C++	Digital Art	Software Testing	PHP	Embedded	Android	.Net	iOS	Linux and Network Engineering	Online Sales & Marketing	Accounting	Web Front	VR/AR	Big Data	python	Network Engineer
Beijing	16	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Hangzhou	10	●	—	●	●	●	●	—	—	—	●	—	—	●	—	●	—	—
Shanghai	8	●	●	●	●	●	—	—	—	—	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	—
Zhengzhou	8	●	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	●	●	—	●	—	—	—	—
Shenzhen	8	●	—	●	●	●	●	—	—	—	●	●	—	●	—	●	●	—
Guangzhou	8	●	●	●	●	●	●	—	—	—	●	●	—	●	●	●	●	—
Wuhan	7	●	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	●	—	—	●	—
Chengdu	7	●	●	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	●	●	●	●	—	●	—
Chongqing	6	●	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	●	●	●	—	—	—	—
Hefei	6	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nanjing	6	●	●	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	●	—
Changsha	5	●	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—
Jinan	4	●	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	●	—	—	—	—
Qingdao	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shenyang	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Kunming	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tianjin	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Suzhou	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—
Shijiazhuang	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Taiyuan	4	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	●	—	—	—	—	—
Harbin	3	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Changchun	3	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nanning	3	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wuxi	3	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nanchang	3	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Xi'An	3	●	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	●	●	—	●	—	—	●	—
Dalian	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Yantai	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Xiamen	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dongguan	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ningbo	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fuzhou	2	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—
Zhuhai	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Daqing	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Guiyang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Haikou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Lanzhou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Weifang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Luoyang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Linyi	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Yuncheng	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wenzhou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Huhehaote	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Qinhuangdao	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nanyang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jinzhong	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Zibo	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jining	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Wuhu	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Fushan	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Xuzhou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Jinhua	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Baotou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Bengbu	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Zhongshan	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Huizhou	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mianyang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Xiangyang	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tangshan	1	●	—	●	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Notes:

●

currently offered

—

not currently offered

In 2017, we have entered 59 cities in China and recruited 128,776 students, approximately 56.2% of whom are from top 10 cities, namely Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Qingdao, Wuhan. Other cities accounted for 43.8% of total student enrollments.

Online learning modules

Our live distance instruction and classroom-based tutoring are supplemented by our proprietary online learning modules featured on our TTS platform. TTS has the following five core functions:

Course content. TTS contains lecture slides, key lecture video recordings, case studies, practice exercises and supplemental reading materials. In addition to recordings of past lectures, TTS also features exclusive online videos on key course materials. Students may view lecture videos using the computers at our learning centers. To foster effective learning of our course lecture materials, especially theoretical knowledge points, TTS features software development case studies and practice exercises. TTS contains supplemental reading materials on areas in which we have historically received frequent questions from students. TTS also allows students to download coding materials and study notes that they have prepared for reference in their future jobs.

Self-assessment exams. TTS features daily and weekly interactive mock examinations to measure learning outcomes. Students use the mock exams to assess their learning results and gauge their grasp of course content. After students complete a self-assessment exam, TTS automatically provides students with detailed explanations on each of the exam questions.

Student and teaching staff interaction. TTS allows students to interact with instructors and teaching assistants. In class, students may raise questions for instructors and teaching assistants using the messaging tools on TTS. After class, students can post questions to the teaching assistants through the online question and answer board in TTS. Teaching assistants are able to provide timely and accurate responses typically within 30 minutes after a question is submitted. To ensure the accuracy of responses and to identify questions of common interest, our instructors also actively review questions posted on TTS and regularly provide answers. Students are given the opportunity to provide feedback for each answer or tutorial service provided by teaching assistants using the evaluation functions on TTS.

Student management tools. TTS allows instructors to receive daily ratings and feedback from students. Instructors may then adjust their lecture pace and coverage of course materials each day. TTS enables teaching assistants to evaluate each student’s academic performance. The teaching assistant interface of TTS contains each student’s monthly performance test scores, as well as each student’s ranking within the class and nationally. Teaching assistants are required to follow-up with underperforming students regarding their academic status and to adopt concrete action plans with such students to improve their future performance. TTS also allows teaching assistants to monitor each student’s attendance and to log their daily tutoring activities.

Online student community. TTS serves as an online student community that fosters academic collaboration among students. We encourage students to post course-related articles and comments sharing their study experiences on the bulletin board forum.

In addition to our TTS platform, we launched TMOOC.cn in March 2015 to cover a broader customer base. TMOOC.cn offers two types of online learning products: continuing education courses and job placement training courses. Continuing education courses, composed of a library of video clips that focus on on-the-job practical skills, target working professionals and others with continuing education needs. Job placement training courses are full-length programs that target job seekers. These recruitment-oriented courses are carefully chosen from existing courses at our learning centers and redesigned to be more suitable for the online learning environment. Users who finish all modules in a job placement training course and pass the relevant Tarena certification examination will receive the same job placement services that we offer to students at learning centers. We also offer our part-time class students the opportunity to complete a portion of lessons online using TMOOC.cn. The number of registered TMOOC.cn users has reached more than 393,000 as of December 31, 2017, and our proprietary content library offers more than 62,000 hours of video content.

Our Course Offerings

Our courses provide students with practical education to prepare them for jobs in industries with significant growth potential and strong hiring demand. We also provide kid students with STEAM education to help them develop their logical thinking ability as well as their practical skills. We currently offer courses in thirteen IT subjects, three non-IT subjects and four kid education programs.

For adult students, we generally offer the following two types of classes in order to accommodate the different scheduling and training needs of our students:

Full-time class. The term for a full-time class is typically four months and includes approximately 1,000 learning hours. Full-time classes meet from Monday to Friday. In 2016, we also implemented “teaching at appropriate level” strategy and launched advanced courses with terms of one to five months. For students enrolled in the joint major programs, they will finish their courses in three to four years alongside their college education. In 2017, approximately 84.4% of our enrolled students attended our full-time classes.

Part-time class. Part-time classes typically have terms of four to eight months. We allow students to attend part-time classes either exclusively during weekends or on a combination of weekday nights and weekends, as these students typically have full-time jobs. We offer our part-time class students the opportunity to complete a portion of lessons online by watching videos available on TTS through TMOOC.cn. In 2017, approximately 15.6% of our enrolled students attended our part-time classes.

We have adopted stringent quality control procedures to ensure that we produce high-quality graduates. We use entrance exams to assess the level of our students. Prospective full-time students with low entrance exam scores are recommended to enroll in preparatory training camps. We have a total of four monthly closed-book performance tests to evaluate the learning status of our students. For underperforming students who have failed the first monthly performance test, we offer them the opportunity to re-take the first month classes at no extra cost. We believe physical class attendance is important, and students with low attendance rates are generally not given graduation certificates and job opportunities referrals at the end of our program.

Our full-time classes also include short-term, project-based training programs designed for college students to gain practical IT experience, which are not material for our business as a whole.

IT education courses

We offer education courses covering the following thirteen IT subjects:

Subject	Year of Launch	Focus of Course Content
Java	2002	Programming for Windows and Linux-based desktop software and web-based software
.NET	2007	Development of software based on the .NET framework that runs primarily on Windows
C++	2009	Programming for Windows and Linux-based desktop software
Software testing	2009	Practical software testing and quality assurance training
Embedded	2009	Development of software to control machines and devices
PHP	2010	Web-based software development for e-commerce industries
Android	2011	Programming for Android-based applications
iOS	2012	Programming for iOS-based applications
Linux and network engineering	2013	Linux operating system and network management technology
Big Data	2015	Hadoop, HBase, Hive, Zookeeper
Web front-end development	2015	HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, AJAX, Bootstrap, AngularJS, Web APP
VR/AR	2016	Programming for developing a full range of VR/AR projects
Python	2017	Python and AI full stack of software development

Graduates of our IT education courses receive Tarena Certified Software Developer certificates, or TCSD certificates. Holders of TCSD certificates are qualified to obtain the intermediate-advanced software engineer certificate issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, or the MIIT, for their respective field of study, subject to such graduates passing our internal examination. Graduates of our Java courses are granted ORACLE Certified Java Programmer certificates by ORACLE Corporation after passing the relevant exams. Our Linux and network engineering course graduates may also sign up for Red Hat certification exams at our learning centers. Pursuant to our strategic partnership agreement with Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd., or Aliyun, Aliyun will provide two opportunities to take the ACF (Ali Cloud Foundation) certification exams to each Tarena student.

Non-IT education courses

We began offering courses in non-IT subjects in 2013. We launched our digital art course in February 2013, our online sales and marketing course in November 2013 and our accounting course in October 2014. The following table describes the three non-IT courses that we currently offer:

Subject	Year of Launch	Focus of Course Content
Digital art	2013	Latest Adobe user interface design technology for graphic, webpage and mobile sites design
Online sales and marketing	2013	Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and other Internet based marketing, including microblog marketing
Accounting	2014	Accounting certificate, and chief accountant practice

Since its launch in February 2013, our digital art course has registered strong growth in student enrollments and has become one of the largest courses in terms of net revenue contribution in 2017. Our accounting course helps us target a broader student base. Graduates of our online sales and marketing courses are awarded the Certificate issued by Baidu without additional examination. Graduates of our digital art courses are granted the certificates by ACAA or ADOBE after passing the relevant exams.

Kid Education Programs

In December 2015, we launched new training programs under the brand name TongchengTongmei featuring IT training courses and non-IT training courses for kid students. In March 2016, we rolled out kids robotics programming courses. In 2017, we launched coding mathematics to further diversify our course offerings in K-12 education. We treat the TongchengTongmei programs as our main effort to enter into the kid STEAM education market, and a significantly growing part of our operation.

Subject	Year of Launch	Focus of Course Content
Computer programming	2015	Programming skills training in JavaScript, Java, HTML5, Python, C++, iOS and Android, encompass subjects in scratch, game programming, web programming, server programming, app development, etc.
Digital art	2015	User interface design technology for graphic, webpage and mobile sites design, and 3D printing courses
Robotics programming	2016	Introductions to programmable robots, including mechanic structure and relevant programming, advanced artificial intelligence and robot development
Coding Mathematics	2017	Mathematics and algorithm logistics training based on scratch programming assistance

Compared with the curriculum for adult students, the IT and non-IT courses offered under the TongchengTongmei programs feature materials that are customized for young kids. All of our kid education programs target and contain curriculum that is customized for primary to high school students aged between 6 and 18. Unlike programs designed for adult students, our courses for primary to high school students are taught by teaching assistants face-to-face in offline classrooms. In order to build a more vivid and concentrated learning environment, students will watch a series of interesting courseware videos step by step, under the lead of on-site teaching assistants.

Courses under TongchengTongmei programs typically have four levels, with each level consisting of 120 learning hours per year. Students begin from level 1 and attend a 3-hour class per week. Depending on the age group, it generally takes approximately one year to complete each level. In 2017, our TongchengTongmei programs are offered in 24 cities in China and recruited 9,580 students.

Our Teaching Staff

Our instructors

As of December 31, 2017, we employed 357 full-time instructors based in Beijing. Most of our instructors for IT education courses have industry backgrounds in global and domestic technology companies. Instructors for non-IT education courses are typically experts or veterans in their respective specialized fields. Our instructors also provide us with unique access to a large pool of experts on industry trends that is especially valuable in our decision-making and development process for new courses. We believe we attract highly qualified instructors by virtue of our respected brand, our well-established teaching infrastructure and sales team and our competitive compensation.

We believe that developing and maintaining highly capable and motivated instructors is critical to our success. We seek qualified instructor candidates who have extensive industry experience or come from other professional education service providers. These candidates are subject to multiple rounds of interviews conducted by our director of teaching, vice-president for teaching and the chief executive officer. All instructors are required to undergo training in teaching skills and techniques. We require our instructors to regularly update their course materials to remain current with evolving employer needs, industry developments and other key trends necessary to teach effectively. We typically have a backup instructor assigned to each course to meet any emergency needs.

To align incentives, instructors receive bonuses based on students’ ratings and the number of class sessions taught, in addition to their base compensation.

Our teaching assistants

We believe that our dedicated teaching assistants are essential to the success of our education model. Our teaching assistants interact with and tutor our students on a daily basis, and are instrumental in facilitating a disciplined and focused learning environment. Each classroom is staffed with one or two teaching assistants, who attend lectures together with students. Teaching assistants are available during class hours to answer student questions in person, and after class hours to address inquiries online via TTS or on-site until 8:30 p.m. Teaching assistants are also responsible for offering focused tutoring services to underperforming students and continuously monitoring their academic results. Our teaching assistants are also one of the key factors of the operation of our kid education programs as we need our teaching assistants to guide our students throughout the course. We have adopted a comprehensive set of key performance indicators, or KPIs, to evaluate the performance of our teaching assistants. Such KPIs include student satisfaction, exam scores of students on monthly performance tests, the improvement of underperforming students and employment results after graduation, among other indicators.

We primarily seek teaching assistant candidates from our graduates who have demonstrated strong command of materials in the relevant subject areas. We provide necessary training to newly hired teaching assistants to tutor effectively. Our teaching assistants are frequently evaluated by students on the quality of their assistance. We had a total of 1,610 teaching assistants as of December 31, 2017.

Course Content Development

In addition to teaching, our instructors also develop the course content in their respective subject areas. We regularly update our existing courses, typically every six months, to stay abreast of the latest technology developments and industry trends. Our instructors are also responsible for producing practice exercises and exam questions for monthly performance tests to evaluate the effectiveness of our student self-assessment tests in TTS. We regularly engage in new course development in order to capture demands created by evolving job market and industry trends. We have a set of procedures for new course development. Prior to developing a new course, we gather market intelligence by collecting job market demand information to ensure that we are developing relevant and up-to-date courses. We conduct a series of surveys, each with clear parameters, to determine various aspects of the proposed new course. Once we gather enough market intelligence, we recruit, or identify from within Tarena, instructors with the appropriate industry and academic background to form a course-specific development task team. The development of our kid education program courses is mostly programming centered. In addition, we focus on leveraging our experience in IT courses, especially programming courses, to develop coding- and programming-based courses for our kid education programs.

All of our new courses are pilot tested in a selected learning center in Beijing for student satisfaction, training practicality and employment outcomes. In 2017, we launched one new course in Python and one kid program in coding mathematics.

Our software research and development department is tasked with improving the technical performance and user experience of TTS. Since introducing TTS student version 1.0 in 2006, we have produced eight upgrades to TTS. The current version that our students use is TTS student version 9.0.

Our Students

The majority of our students are college students and graduates. In 2017, approximately 74.0% of our enrolled students were either studying towards, or already held, a post-secondary degree. We have experienced significant growth in student enrollment in recent years. Our student enrollment in professional education courses reached 128,776 in 2017, and our student enrollment in kid education programs reached 9,580 in 2017.

Student recruitment

We rely primarily on Internet-based marketing to attract students and increase enrollments. We advertise on the Internet using search engine keywords on leading search engines. We also use banners and other advertising placements on targeted sites, such as education portals, career sites and industry-specific websites. We actively monitor the effectiveness of our advertising and adjust marketing spending accordingly. Our learning centers also host seminars, information sessions and preparatory training camps for prospective students.

When a prospective student responds to our advertisements, an enrollment advisor generates a prospective student profile and advises the candidate, through online, telephone or a face-to-face meeting, on various aspects of our courses and educational experience. As of December 31, 2017, we had a total of 4,807 employees in sales and marketing nationally.

To promote brand awareness, we place advertisements in industry trade publications and present at industry trade seminars and conventions. We also began to host our annual Tarena-Discovery Cup Chinese University Students Software Design Competition in April 2012. In 2015, we changed our logo from “Tarena Technology” (达内科技) to “Tarena Education” (达内教育) to better showcase our professional image in education.

We also encourage our students at schools to introduce their friends or classmates who are interested in taking professional education courses. Student referral has become one of the key channels we access to new students.

In addition to our marketing efforts and student referrals, we recruit a significant portion of our students directly from universities and colleges. As of December 31, 2017, we have cooperated with over 750 universities and colleges in China under one of the three following modes of cooperation:

Joint-majors. We offer joint-majors with 153 universities and colleges in China. These universities offer students the option to integrate our selected courses into their standard undergraduate curriculum. Students in selected majors at these universities take our courses and receive academic credits from these universities and colleges after successfully completing our courses. Students can attend part of the courses in our established on-campus learning sites and part of the courses at our learning centers.

Enrollment cooperation. We have enrollment cooperation with over 750 universities and colleges in China. These universities and colleges allow us to organize marketing and promotional events on campus in order to attract students.

We had a total of 374 university cooperation representatives as of December 31, 2017. Our university cooperation representatives are responsible for establishing new and maintaining current cooperative relationships between us and universities in China. In 2017, we enrolled approximately 16% of our students from universities and colleges with which we cooperated.

Student job placement services

We have an effective job placement program for our adult students. Each learning center retains full-time career counselors who meet with students on the first day of class to discuss their career goals and to build an employment profile for each student. Our career counselors host a series of mandatory career development seminars for students throughout the term. During the final weeks of each course, our career counselors meet with students one-on-one to offer training on interview and résumé preparation. In addition to the scheduled career service activities, our career counselors are generally available to meet with students one-on-one during office hours. Our career counselors also monitor the employment results of our students and actively offer personalized assistance to students facing difficulties in securing job offers. We had a total of 593 career counselors as of December 31, 2017.

Each learning center offering courses for adult students also retains full-time employer cooperation representatives who routinely collaborate with employers, alumni, human resources websites and other employment recruiters to maximize opportunities for job placements. We had a total of 310 employer cooperation representatives as of December 31, 2017. We invite corporate employers to host recruiting events and interviews at our learning centers and offer students with interview opportunities across the country.

In January 2015, we launched a self-developed job search website called Job Show (www.jobshow.cn), which serves as a dedicated open platform for our students and other job-seeking candidates to connect with corporate employers more effectively. Through Job Show, we source and list job opportunities from both IT and non-IT employers in China.

Our Network of Employers

We have a track record of producing job-ready and highly qualified candidates for many corporate employers. Since our inception, our network of potential employers for our students covered approximately 134,000 corporate employers, including Global Fortune 500 companies, and leading technology, IT services and Internet companies in China.

We offer the following recruiting services to corporate employers:

General recruiting services. We offer corporate employers candidate referral services and other recruitment-related services. Once an employer communicates its hiring needs to us, we direct the relevant learning centers to produce a list of student candidates that meet the hiring criteria of such employer, and refer such candidates to the employer for interviews and assessments. We also offer space at our learning centers for employers to host recruiting events targeting our students and to conduct interviews.

Customized courses. We offer customized courses targeting specific employers with large demands for trained professionals. Prospective students for our customized courses generally undergo interviews conducted by the employers before the start of classes. In addition to our standard curriculum, students enrolled in customized courses must participate in additional training provided by employers at our learning centers. Such additional training is tailored according to the particular skill requirements of the employers. Successful graduates of our customized courses who have passed the relevant qualifying exams are granted job offers by the employers.

While we currently do not generate any material revenue from any of our recruiting services for corporate employers, we believe such services enhance our brand recognition and are instrumental in our ability to help students achieve high job placement rates.

Tuition Fees

For our full-time classes for adult students, our standard tuition fees generally range from RMB15,800 to RMB26,800 per course. We raised the standard tuition fees on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB2,000 per course in 2017. We also increased our tuition fees for part-time classes on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB2,000 per course in 2017. For our kid education programs, our standard tuition fees are between RMB11,400 and RMB19,200. Courses under kid education program typically are composed of four levels, with each level consisting of 120 learning hours in one year.

We primarily offer two payment options for our adult students, including one-time full payment upon enrollment and multiple payments within two months of enrollment. We also offer an option whereby qualified adult students can pay our tuition fees within a period of time after graduation.

To assist our students in paying our tuition fees, we mainly offered the following five credit sources to provide financing services for our students to make one-time, up-front tuition payments in 2017:

Baidu Small Loan Co., Ltd. We launched the Baidu student loan program in November 2015.

Bank of China Consumer Finance Co., Ltd. We launched the BOC CFC student loan program in April 2014.

RenRenDai. We began to cooperate with RenRenDai, a third-party peer-to-peer lending service provider, in arranging loans for our students to pay for their tuition fees during January 2015 to September 2017.

CreditEase. CreditEase, a credit management and microfinancing company in China, assists our students in obtaining loans to pay for their tuition. CreditEase began to offer this service to our students in July 2013.

ShiTuDai. We have cooperated with ShiTuDai, a peer-to-peer lending service provided by an independent third party, in arranging loans for our students to pay for their tuition fees since the second quarter of 2015.

Approximately 52.4% of our students enrolled in 2017 obtained financing from one of the five abovementioned sources. Such financing arrangements are bilateral in nature, and are carried out between our students and the respective financing institution directly.

Technology

Building a reliable, scalable and secure technology infrastructure is crucial to our ability to support our live lecture broadcasts, online TTS, TMOOC.cn and the various services that we provide to our students. We manage our lecture delivery system, TTS and TMOOC.cn using a combination of commercially available software and hardware systems. Since 2006, we have established a powerful online platform that enables thousands of students to simultaneously log onto our TTS and participate in activities online.

All of our servers and routers, including backup servers, are currently hosted at our learning centers or by third-party service providers in multiple cities in China. We regularly back up our databases. Our network administration department regularly monitors the performance of our websites and infrastructure to enable us to respond quickly to potential problems. We deliver live broadcast of audio and video of the lectures given in Beijing via the dedicated network of China Telecom and China Unicom to terminals located in selected learning centers with high student enrollment, and via public Internet infrastructure to our other learning centers.

We developed our CRM software in-house to manage our student and corporate employer information, as well as to integrate our key administrative functions. We will rely on our internal IT resources to upgrade the CRM system as needed.

Seasonality

Seasonal fluctuations have affected, and are likely to continue to affect, our business. Historically, we typically generate the highest net revenues in the third and fourth quarters because of the increased student enrollments during summer vacation. We generally generate less tuition fees in the first quarter of each year due to the Chinese New Year holiday. Our quarterly cost of revenue, selling and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses have generally been increasing in absolute amounts since 2012 as we expanded our network of learning centers, increased the number of our personnel, enhanced our marketing efforts and offered more courses.

Intellectual Property

Our trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights distinguish our courses and services from those of our competitors and contribute to our ability to compete in our target markets. We rely on a combination of copyright and trademark law, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with senior executive officers and most other employees, to protect our intellectual property rights. In addition, we require certain of our senior executive officers and other employees to enter into agreements with us under which they acknowledge that all inventions, utility models, designs, know-how, copyrights and other forms of intellectual property made by them within the scope of their employment with us, pursuant to job assignments or using our materials and technology, or during the two years after their employment that relates to their employment with us, are our property and they should assign the same to us if we so require. We also regularly monitor any infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights.

As of December 31, 2017, we had registered 220 domain names relating to our business, including our www.tedu.cn, TMOOC.cn, jobshow.cn, www.IT61.cn and www.art61.cn websites, with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and China Internet Network Information Center. Tarena Tech holds 72 registered software copyrights, 54 trademarks and 220 registered domain names including www.tedu.cn. Beijing Tarena holds the domain name TMOOC.cn.

Competition

The professional education services market in China is fragmented, rapidly evolving and highly competitive. We face competition in our offered courses and in many of the geographic markets in which we operate. For our IT training courses, we face competition from IT professional education providers that offer specialized training programs targeting certain niche job markets in the IT industry. In the future, we may also face competition from new entrants into the Chinese IT professional education market. For our non-IT training courses, we face competition for student enrollment from existing online and offline providers of professional education services, as well as smaller regional professional education services providers in China. As we enter the kid education services market, we also face competition from other national and regional providers of K-12 education services. Our enrollment rate could be impacted by the operations of academic K-12 education and tutoring service providers, given our target students have limited time and energy and they need to choose among different courses and programs.

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

scope and quality of course offerings and services;

student placement and employer satisfaction with our graduates;

brand recognition;

ability to effectively market course offerings and services to a broad base of prospective students;

cost effectiveness of the education; and

ability to align course offerings and services to specific needs of students and employers.

We believe that we are well-positioned to effectively compete in markets in which we operate on the basis of our innovative education platform, scalable and efficient business model, unparalleled access to corporate employers, training quality, strong content development capabilities and experienced management team. However, some of our current or future competitors may have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, richer experience or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than we do. For a discussion of risks relating to competition, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We may lose market share and our profitability may be materially and adversely affected, if we fail to compete effectively with our present and future competitors or to adjust effectively to changing market conditions and trends.”

Insurance

We do not maintain any property insurance policies covering students, equipment and facilities for injuries, death or losses due to fire, earthquake, flood or any other disaster. Consistent with customary industry practice in China, we do not maintain business interruption insurance, nor do we maintain key-man life insurance. We maintain accident injury insurance and accident injury medical insurance for our employees based in our headquarters in Beijing, and we maintain liability insurance for our students enrolled through university and college cooperation channel. Uninsured injury or death to our students or staff, or damage to any of our equipment or buildings could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—We have limited insurance coverage for our operations in China.”

Government Regulations

Regulations on Private Education

Education Law of the PRC

On March 18, 1995, the NPC promulgated the Education Law of the PRC, or the Education Law. Pursuant to the Education Law, enterprises, social organizations and individuals are generally encouraged to operate schools and other types of educational organizations in accordance with PRC laws and regulations. It is provided in the Education Law that no organization or individual may establish or operate a school or any other educational institution for commercial purposes. However, private schools may be operated for “reasonable returns” as described in more detail below. On December 27, 2015, the Standing Committee of the NPC released the Amendment to the Education Law of the PRC, taking into effect on June 1, 2016, pursuant to which the Standing Committee of the NPC narrowed the provision prohibiting the establishment or operation of schools or other educational institutions for commercial purposes to only restricting a school or other educational institution founded with governmental funds or donated assets.

Regulations on Professional Education

On May 15, 1996, the Standing Committee of the NPC promulgated the Professional Education Law of the PRC, or the Professional Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 1996. Pursuant to the Professional Education Law, professional training includes training pre-employment, training for military personnel transferring to civil positions, training for apprentices, on-the-job training, job-transfer training and other professional training. Professional training may be classified as junior, middle or senior level according to the actual situations. It shall be conducted by either professional training institutions or professional schools, which may develop various professional training to satisfy the needs of the society. The PRC government encourages institutional organizations, social organizations, other social groups and citizens to establish professional schools and professional training institutions, and the financial allocation for professional schools and professional training institutions from the governments at various levels shall be gradually increased. The PRC government also encourages financial institutions to support and develop professional education by means of credit facilities.

On August 3, 2007, the Standing Committee of the NPC promulgated the Employment Promotion Law of the PRC, or the Employment Promotion Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008. Pursuant to the Employment Promotion Law, the PRC government at and above the county level shall encourage and support professional schools, professional training institutions and corporations to carry out pre-employment training, employment training, re-employment training and entrepreneurship training, and encourage workers to attend various types of training programs. Corporations in China are requested to set aside financial resources for the training and continued education of their employees.

The Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementation Rules

On December 28, 2002, the Standing Committee of the NPC promulgated the Law for Promoting Private Education, or the Private Education Law, which became effective on September 1, 2003 and was first amended on June 29, 2013. On March 5, 2004, the PRC State Council promulgated the Implementation Rules for the Law for Promoting Private Education, or the Private Education Implementation Rules, which became effective on April 1, 2004. Under the Private Education Law and the Private Education Law Implementation Rules, “private schools” are defined as schools established by social organizations or individuals using non-government funds. Private schools providing certifications, pre-school education, education for self-study aid and other academic education shall be subject to approval by the education authorities, while private schools engaging in professional qualification training and professional education training shall be subject to approvals from the authorities in charge of human resources and social security.

Under the above regulations, the operations of a private school are highly regulated. For example, the types and amounts of fees charged by a private school providing certifications shall be approved by the governmental pricing authority and be publicly disclosed. A private school that does not provide certifications shall file its pricing information with the governmental pricing authority and publicly disclose such information. A private school shall file its advertisement and school enrollment brochure with the relevant governmental authorities of human resources and social security or education.

According to the Private Education Law and the Private Education Implementation Rules, entities and individuals who establish private schools are commonly referred to as “sponsors” rather than “owners” or “shareholders”. The economic substance of “sponsorship interest” that a sponsor holds in a private school is, for all other practical purposes, substantially equivalent under PRC law and practice to the “equity interest” a shareholder holds in a company. 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. The capital contributed by the sponsor becomes assets of the school and the school has independent legal person status. In addition, the sponsor of a private school has the right to exercise ultimate control over the school by becoming the member of and controlling the composition of the school’s decision making body. 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. Nevertheless, before the Standing Committee of the NPC promulgated the Decision on Amending the Law for Promoting Private Education of the PRC on November 7, 2016 which came into force on September 1, 2017, or the Amendment to the Private Education Law, sponsors of a private school may choose to require “reasonable returns” from the annual net balance of the school after deduction of costs for school operations, donations received, government subsidies (if any), the reserved development fund and other expenses as required by the regulations. However, none of the current PRC laws and regulations provides a formula or guidelines for determining “reasonable returns”. Private schools whose sponsor does 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 whose sponsor require 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 such authorities in this regard.

As for private training institutions, the Private Education Law provides that the regulations applicable to private training institutions registered with the SAIC and its local counterparts shall be formulated by the State Council separately. On July 29, 2010, the PRC central government promulgated the Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium- and Long-Term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020), which announced the policy that the government will implement a reform to divide private schools into two categories: (i) for-profit private schools and (ii) not-for-profit private schools. On October 24, 2010, the General Office of the State Council issued the Notices on the National Education System Innovation Pilot, pursuant to which the PRC government plans to implement a for-profit and non-profit classified management system for the private schools in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shenzhen and Jilin Huaqiao Foreign Language School.

The Amendment to the Private Education Law has followed the principles and spirits of the above outline and the pilot program, which establishes a new classification system for private schools to be classified by whether they are established and operated for profit-making purposes. Under the Amendment to the Private Education Law, sponsors of private schools may choose to establish non-profit or for-profit private schools at their own discretion. Nonetheless, school sponsors are not allowed to establish for-profit private schools that are engaged in compulsory education. In other words, the schools engaged in compulsory education should retain their non-profit status after the Amendment to the Private Education Law comes into force.

According to the Amendment to the Private Education Law, there are certain key features of the aforesaid new classification system for private schools, including but not limited to: (1) 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. But sponsors of non-profit private schools are not entitled to the distribution of profits or proceeds from the non-profit schools and all operation surplus of non-profit schools shall be used for the operation of the schools; (2) For-profit private schools are entitled to set their own tuition fees and other miscellaneous fees without the need to seek prior approvals from or report to the relevant government authorities. The collection of fees by non-profit private schools, on the other hand, shall be regulated by the provincial, autonomous regional or municipal governments; (3) Private schools (for-profit and non-profit) may enjoy preferential tax treatments. Non-profit private schools will be entitled to the same tax benefits as public schools. Taxation policies for for-profit private schools after the Amendment to the Private Education Law taking effect are still unclear as more specific provisions are yet to be introduced; (4) Where there is construction or expansion of a non-profit private school, the school may acquire the required land use rights in the form of allocation by the government as a preferential treatment. Where there is construction or expansion of a for-profit private school, the school may acquire the required land use rights by purchasing them from the government; (5) The remaining assets of non-profit private schools after liquidation shall continue to be used for the operation of non-profit schools. The remaining assets of for-profit private schools shall be distributed to the sponsors in accordance with the PRC Company Law; and (6) The people’s governments at or above the county level may support private schools by subscribing to their services, provision of student loans and scholarships, and leases or transfers of unused state assets. The governments may further take such measures as government subsidies, bonus funds and incentives for donation in support of non-profit private schools.

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, or the State Council Opinions, which require to ease the access to the operation of private schools and encourages social forces to enter the education industry. The State Council Opinions also provide that each level of the people’s governments 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, protecting the rights of teachers and students etc. Further, the State Council Opinions require each level of the people’s governments to improve its local policies on government support to for-profit and non-profit private schools by ways of preferential tax treatments etc. In addition, under the State Council Opinions, private schools shall strengthen its construction of organizations of the Chinese Communist Party, or the CCP, and further the theoretical system of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics by introducing such system into textbooks and teaching programs. The construction of the CCP’s organizations by the private schools as well as the CCP’s leadership to private schools shall constitute an important part of such schools annual inspection.

On December 30, 2016, the Implementation Rules for Private School Classification Registration was issued by the MOE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare and other relevant authorities, which requires all private schools, including non-profit private schools and for-profit private schools, to obtain “school permits”. Existing private schools established before promulgation of the Amendment to the Private Education Law which choose to register as for-profit private schools should apply for new school permits and complete the re-registration process. If such private schools chooses to register as a non-profit school, they shall amend their articles of association, continue their operation and complete the new registration process. The Regulatory Implementation Rules for Profitable Private School issued by the MOE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Welfare and other relevant authorities further provide that the establishment, division, merger and other material changes of a for-profit private school shall first be approved by the education authorities or the authorities in charge of human resources and social welfare, and then be registered with the competent branch of SAIC. In addition, for-profit private training institutions shall also be regulated and governed with reference to such rules.

On August 31, 2017, the Notice on the Work concerning the Administration of the Name Registration for Non-profit Private Schools was issued by the SAIC and the MOE, which requires that non-profit private schools shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the PRC Company Law and the Private Education Law, be registered as limited liability companies or joint stock limited companies, and their names shall comply with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations on company registration administration and education.

Besides the Amendment to the Private Education Law and the above regulations, the details of the operation requirement of non-profit schools and for-profit schools will further be provided in implementation regulations which may include the Amendment to the Private Education Implementation Rules, the local regulations relating to legal person registration of for-profit and non-profit private schools, and the specific measure to be formulated and promulgated by the competent authorities responsible for the administration of private schools, including but not limited to the specific measures for registration of pre-existing private schools, the specific requirements for authenticating various parties’ property rights and payment of taxes and fees of for-profit private schools, taxation policies for for-profit private schools, measure for the collection of non-profit private schools’ fee.

As of the date hereof, certain local governments, such as Shanghai, Jiangsu province, Hebei province, Sha’anxi province, and Qionghai of Hainan province have promulgated their local regulations relating to legal person registration and administration for private schools. However, these local regulations are silent on the licensing and other administrative requirements for online education schools, and the implementation regulations in the nation level or for Beijing and most provinces in the PRC are yet to be introduced. On April 20, 2018, the MOE issued the Implementation Rules for the Law for Promoting Private Education (Revised Draft) (Draft for Public Comment), or the Revised Private Education Implementation Rules Draft. Among other things, the Revised Private Education Implementation Rules Draft clarifies the types of different private training institutions and the corresponding regulatory principles: (i) the private training institutions which provide school education related courses or courses for the purpose of entrance exams facing kid and teenagers in pre-school education or basic education stage, shall be regulated as “private education training institutions" which are required to obtain a school permit governed by the administrative department for education; (ii) the private training institutions which provide cultural education training, non-diploma continuing education or the training courses for the personal promotion purposes such as the course of language, art, sports, science or technology etc. facing adults, do not need to obtain a school permit and could directly apply for registration as a legal person, provided that such training institutions could not provide school education related courses or courses for the purpose of entrance exams facing kid and teenagers in pre-school education or basic education stage; and (iii) the private training institutions which provide school education related courses or courses for the purpose of entrance exams facing kid and teenagers in pre-school education or basic education stage, or the professional qualification and skills training, through the internet, shall obtain a school permit governed by the provincial administrative department for education or the administrative department for human resources and social security, as the case maybe. However, it is uncertain when the Revised Private Education Implementation Rules Draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes to the draft.

Regulations on Kid Professional Education/Training

Our new kid education programs launched in December 2015 are currently operated through our learning centers in 24 cities in China. The kid education programs contain IT training courses and non-IT training courses, both of which fall within the category of professional education training. Under PRC regulations, the kid education programs offered through professional education training institutions shall not be subject to supplemental governmental pre-approval. The governmental authorities that have approved the establishment of the professional education training institutions shall be the same authorities that continue to regulate new programs launched by such training institutions. In the case of our learning centers operating our kid education programs, their establishments are approved by the relevant governmental authorities in charge of human resources and social security, and as such, the kid education programs will be under the governance of the same governmental authorities. Furthermore, current PRC laws and regulations do not specifically distinguish between adult professional education training and minor professional education training. Thus, from a regulatory prospective, the kid education programs do not have a material difference as compared with adult professional education training programs and shall follow the same PRC regulations that apply to our adult professional education training programs. According to the Regulation on Prohibiting Primary to High Schools and Their Teachers from Paid Teaching after School issued by the MOE on June 29, 2015 and the implementation documents issued by local education authorities, only teachers of primary to high schools are not allowed to teach paid lessons after school nor act in a separate capacity as private tutors or teachers. None of teachers in our kid education programs are teachers of primary to high schools, and most of such teachers are our full-time employees.

Regulations on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Operating Schools

Chinese-foreign cooperation in operating schools or training programs is specifically governed by the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools, promulgated by the State Council in 2003 in accordance with the Education Law, the Occupational Education Law and the Private Education Law. The Implementing Rules for the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools, or the Implementing Rules, were issued by the MOE in 2004. The Regulations on Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Operating Schools and its Implementing Rules encourage substantive cooperation between overseas educational organizations with relevant qualifications and experience in providing high-quality education and Chinese educational organizations to jointly operate various types of schools in the PRC. Cooperation in the areas of higher education and occupational/professional education is especially encouraged. Chinese-foreign cooperative schools are not permitted, however, to engage in compulsory education or military, police, political and other kinds of education that are of a special nature in China. The Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools prohibits foreign institutions or individuals from independently establishing schools in China, which provide educational services mainly for Chinese citizens.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (formerly known as Ministry of Labor and Social Security) also promulgated the Regulations on Operation Chinese-foreign Cooperation School in Professional Education Training to implement the Regulations on Operating Chinese-foreign Schools on July 26, 2006, which took effect on October 1, 2006. The Regulations on Operation Chinese-foreign Cooperation School in Professional Education Training prohibits foreign institutions or individuals from independently establishing professional education training institutions in China, which provide educational services mainly for Chinese citizens.

We have not operated or applied for any Chinese-foreign schools. Prior to 2012, we operated a substantial portion of our learning centers through subsidiaries of our consolidated VIEs and schools to which our consolidated VIEs or their respective subsidiaries are sponsors. Starting from the second half of 2012, we began to transfer our operations to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Tarena Tech, and its subsidiaries. All of our learning center operations of VIEs had been transferred to Tarena Tech and its subsidiaries and schools. As of December 31, 2017, we operated 64 of our learning centers through private schools owned by subsidiaries of Tarena Tech. However, there are still uncertainties under the current PRC laws as to whether a wholly foreign owned enterprise (such as Tarena Tech) is allowed to indirectly invest in and own private schools through its PRC subsidiaries. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Business—If the relevant PRC authorities determine that we can no longer own and operate certain of our learning centers through our PRC subsidiaries, we may need to restructure the ownership and operation of these learning centers (including possibly transferring these learning centers to our consolidated VIE), our business may be disrupted and we may be exposed to increased risks associated with the contractual arrangements relating to our consolidated VIE.”

Foreign Investments in Professional Education Services

The PRC Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries, or the Catalogue, as promulgated and amended from time to time by the MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission, is the principal guide to foreign investors’ investment activities in the PRC. The most updated version of the Catalogue, which was promulgated in March 2017 and became effective in July 2017, divides the industries into three categories: encouraged, restricted and prohibited. Industries not listed in the Catalogue are generally open to foreign investment unless specifically restricted by other PRC laws and regulations. A wholly foreign-owned enterprise is generally permitted for encouraged industries and industries not listed in the Catalogue, while there are some limitations to the ownership and/or corporate structure of the foreign-invested companies that operate in restricted industries. Industries in the prohibited category are not open to foreign investors. According to the latest Catalogue, foreign investment is encouraged in non-accredited professional education services and there is no limitation with respect to the maximum percentage of foreign ownership in a company conducting business in professional education services. Foreign investment is restricted to establishing Sino-foreign cooperative joint venture operations led by Chinese parties in pre-school education institutions, ordinary senior high schools and institutions of higher learning. Foreign Investment is prohibited in compulsory education institutions.

Regulations on Online and Distance Education

Pursuant to the Administrative Regulations on Educational Websites and Online and Distance Education Schools issued by the MOE on July 5, 2000, educational websites and online education schools may provide educational services in relation to higher education, elementary education, pre-school education, teaching education, occupational/professional education, adult education, other education and public educational information services. “Educational websites” refer to organizations providing education or education-related information services to website visitors by means of a database or online education platform connected via the Internet or an educational television station through an Internet Service Provider, or ISP. “Online education schools” refer to education websites providing academic education services or training services with the issuance of various certificates.

Setting up education websites and online education schools is subject to approval from relevant education authorities, depending on the specific types of education. Any education website and online education school shall, upon the receipt of approval, indicate on its website such approval information as well as the approval date and file number.

On June 29, 2004, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Setting Down Administrative Licenses for the Administrative Examination and Approval Items Really Necessary to be Retained, pursuant to which the administrative license for “online education schools” was retained, while the administrative license for “educational websites” was not retained. Accordingly, Beijing Tarena, our consolidated VIE engaging in online education-related services, is not required to obtain approval to operate “educational websites” from the MOE. On January 28, 2014, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Abolishing and Delegating Certain Administrative Examination and Approval Items, pursuant to which the administrative approval for “online education schools” of higher education was abolished.

Notwithstanding these decisions formulated by the State Council, as the Administrative Regulations on Educational Websites and Online Education Schools were not explicitly abolished, in practice, certain local authorities continue to implement the approval requirement for setting up education websites and online education schools until February 3, 2016, when the State Council promulgated the Decision on Cancelling the Second Batch of 152 Items Subject to Administrative Examination and Approval by Local Governments Designated by the Central Government, explicitly withdrew the approval requirements for operating educational websites and online education schools as provided by the Administrative Regulations on Educational Websites and Online Education Schools, and reiterated the principle that administrative approval requirements may only be imposed in accordance with the PRC Administrative Licensing Law.

In December 2017, Shanghai Municipal Government promulgated the Management Methods of Classified Registration of Private Schools, the Setting Standards for Private Training Institutions of Shanghai, the Management Measures for the For-profit Private Training Institutions of Shanghai, and the Management Methods for the Non-Profit Private Training Institutions of Shanghai, pursuant to which, any management measures and regulations applied to the institutions that provides training services only through the Internet will be further promulgated separately. However, such management measures and regulations have not yet been introduced as of the date hereof.

Regulations on Online Publications

On February 4, 2016, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the PRC (formerly the General Administration of Press and Publication), or the SAPPRFT and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT jointly promulgated the Internet Publishing Service Administrative Measures, or the Internet Publishing Measures, which took effect on March 10, 2016 and replaced the Tentative Internet Publishing Administrative Measures jointly promulgated by the General Administration of Press and Publication and MIIT on June 27, 2002. The Internet Publishing Measures require entities that engage in Internet publishing to obtain an Internet Publishing License for engaging in Internet publishing from the SAPPRFT. Pursuant to the Internet Publishing Measures, the definition of “Internet publishing” is broad and refers to the act of online spreading of articles, whereby the Internet information service providers select, edit and process works created by themselves or others and subsequently post such works on the Internet or transmit such works to the users’ end through Internet for the public to browse. These works include contents from books, newspapers, periodicals, audio-video products, electronic publications that have already been formally published or works that have been made public in other media.

Beijing Tarena has offered videos of lectures on its website TMOOC.cn and has not obtained an Internet Publishing License from the SAPPRFT. However, governmental authorities could determine that Beijing Tarena’s online content services fall within the scope of “internet publishing,” and therefore require Beijing Tarena to apply for an Internet Publishing License. Beijing Tarena may not be able to obtain such a license, and it may become subject to penalties, fines, legal sanctions or be ordered to suspend the video content on the website.

Regulation on Broadcasting Audio-Video Programs through the Internet or Other Information Network

The SAPPRFT promulgated the Rules for Administration of Broadcasting of Audio-Video Programs through the Internet and Other Information Networks, or the Broadcasting Rules, in 2004, which became effective on October 11, 2004. The Broadcasting Rules apply to the activities of broadcasting, integration, transmission, downloading of audio-video programs with computers, televisions or mobile phones as the main terminals and through various types of information networks. Pursuant to the Broadcasting Rules, a Permit for Broadcasting Audio-video Programs via Information Network is required to engage in these Internet broadcasting activities. On April 13, 2005, the State Council announced a policy on private investments in businesses in China that relate to cultural matters, which prohibits private investments in businesses relating to the dissemination of audio-video programs through information networks.

On December 20, 2007, the SAPPRFT and MIIT issued the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures, which became effective on January 31, 2008 and was amended on August 28, 2015. Among other things, the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures stipulate that no entities or individuals may provide Internet audio-video program services without a Permit for Broadcasting Audio-video Programs via Information Network issued by the SAPPRFT or its local counterparts and only entities wholly owned or controlled by the PRC government may engage in the production, editing, integration or consolidation, and transfer to the public through the Internet, of audio-video programs, and the provision of audio-video program uploading and transmission services. On September 15, 2009, SAPPRFT promulgated the Notice on Several Issues regarding the Permit for Broadcasting Audio-video Programs via Information Network. The Notice restates the necessity of applying for such license and sets forth the legal liabilities for those providing Internet audio-video program services without the license.

On April 1, 2010, SAPPRFT promulgated the Test Implementation of the Tentative Categories of Internet Audio-Visual Program Services, which was amended on March 10, 2017, or the Categories, which clarified the scope of Internet audio-video programs services. According to the Categories, there are four categories of Internet audio-visual program services which are further divided into seventeen sub-categories. The third sub-category to the second category covers the making and editing of certain specialized audio-video programs concerning, among other things, educational content, and broadcasting such content to the general public online.

On April 25, 2016, the SAPPRFT issued the Provisions on the Administration of Private Network and Targeted Communication Audiovisual Program Services, or Targeted Communication Rules, which replaced the Broadcasting Rules issued in 2004. The Target Communication Rules mainly focus on networks and services such as IPTV and private network mobile TV.

In the course of offering our lecture videos, we transmit our audio-video educational programs live through the Internet to enrolled course participants. If the governmental authorities determine that our provision of lecture videos falls within the Internet Audio-Video Program Measures and demand us to apply for the license, we may not be able to obtain the License for Disseminating Audio-Video Programs through Information Network. If this occurs, we may become subject to significant penalties, fines, legal sanctions or an order to suspend our use of audio-video content.

Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunications Services

Licenses for Value-Added Telecommunication Services

On September 25, 2000, the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, or the Telecom Regulations, were issued by the PRC State Council as the primary governing law on telecommunication services, which were subsequently amended in 2014 and 2016. The Telecom Regulations set out the general framework for the provision of telecommunication services by PRC companies. Under the Telecom Regulations, it is a requirement that telecommunications service providers procure operating licenses prior to their commencement of operations. The Telecom Regulations draw a distinction between “basic telecommunications services” and “value-added telecommunications services.” A “Catalog of Telecommunications Business” was issued as an attachment to the Telecom Regulations to categorize telecommunications services as basic or value-added. The Catalog was most recently updated in December 2015, and the information services are classified as value-added telecommunications services.

On March 5, 2009, the MIIT issued the Administrative Measures for Telecommunications Business Operating Permit, or the Telecom Permit Measures, which took effect on April 10, 2009 and was amended on July 3, 2017. The Telecom Permit Measures confirm that there are two types of telecom operating licenses for operators in China, namely, licenses for basic telecommunications services and licenses for value-added telecommunications services. The operation scope of the license will detail the permitted activities of the enterprise to which it was granted. An approved telecommunication services operator shall conduct its business in accordance with the specifications recorded on its value-added telecommunications services operating license, or VATS License. In addition, a VATS License’s holder is required to obtain approval from the original permit-issuing authority prior to any change to its shareholders.

On September 25, 2000, the State Council promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the Internet Measures, which was amended in January 2011. Under the Internet Measures, commercial Internet information services operators shall obtain an ICP license from the relevant government authorities before engaging in any commercial Internet information services operations within the PRC. The ICP license has a term of five years and shall be renewed within 90 days before expiration. Our consolidated VIE, Beijing Tarena, obtained an ICP license for the website www.it211.com.cn issued by Beijing Communications Administration on March 1, 2012, which will expire on September 26, 2022. Beijing Tarena has added TMOOC.cn and www.it211.com.cn to such ICP license.

Foreign Investment in Value-Added Telecommunication Services

Pursuant to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign Invested Telecommunications Enterprises promulgated by the State Council on December 11, 2001 and amended respectively on September 10, 2008 and February 6, 2016, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications services provider (except E-Commerce) may not exceed 50%. The Guidance Catalog of Industries for Foreign Investment amended in 2017 allows a foreign investor to own up to 100% of the total equity interest in an E-Commerce business. Moreover, for a foreign investor to acquire any equity interest in a value-added telecommunication business in China, it must satisfy a number of stringent performance and operational experience requirements, including demonstrating good track records and experience in operating value-added telecommunication business overseas. Foreign investors that meet these requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and the MOFCOM or their authorized local counterparts, which retain considerable discretion in granting approvals. Pursuant to publicly available information, the PRC government has issued telecommunications business operating licenses to only a limited number of foreign-invested companies, all of which are Sino-foreign joint ventures engaging in the value-added telecommunication business.

The MIIT Circular issued by the MIIT in July 2006 reiterated the regulations on foreign investment in telecommunications businesses, which require foreign investors to set up foreign-invested enterprises and obtain an ICP license to conduct any value-added telecommunications business in China. Under the MIIT Circular, a domestic company that holds an ICP license is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including providing resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business illegally in China. Furthermore, the relevant trademarks and domain names that are used in the value-added telecommunications business must be owned by the local ICP license holder or its shareholder. The MIIT Circular further requires each ICP license holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. Currently, Beijing Tarena, our consolidated VIE, owns the domain names www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn and holds the ICP license necessary to operate our www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn websites in China, while the trademarks relating to our operations are held by Tarena Tech, our WFOE. If the relevant PRC government authorities determine in the future that the current ownership of our trademarks do not comply with the relevant regulations and the trademarks relating to our operations must be held by our VIE, we may need to transfer the trademarks to our VIE, which may severely disrupt our business. The Internet Electronic Bulletin Board Service Administrative Measures promulgated by the MIIT in October 2000 require ICP operators to obtain specific approvals before providing BBS services. BBS services include electronic bulletin boards, electronic forums, message boards and chat rooms. On July 4, 2010, the approval requirement for operating BBS services was terminated by a decision issued by the PRC State Council and on September 23, 2014, such measures were repealed and annulled. However, in practice, the competent authorities in Beijing still require the relevant operating companies to obtain such approval for the operation of BBS services which we have not obtained.

In light of the aforesaid restrictions, we rely on Beijing Tarena, our consolidated VIE in China, to hold and maintain the licenses necessary to provide online education and other value-added telecommunications services in China. We operate our www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn websites and value-added telecommunications services through Beijing Tarena. Beijing Tarena, our consolidated VIE in China, holds an ICP license that is valid until September 26, 2022 for the operation of www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn. Beijing Tarena is in the process of annual inspection for ICP license.

The Discussion Draft PRC Foreign Investment Law

In January 2015, the MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for public review and comments. The draft Foreign Investment Law purports to change the existing “case-by-case” approval regime to a “filing or approval” procedure for foreign investments in China. The MOFCOM, together with other relevant authorities, will determine a catalogue for special administrative measures, or the “negative list,” which will consist of a list of industry categories where foreign investments are strictly prohibited and a list of industry categories where foreign investments are subject to certain restrictions. Foreign investments in business sectors outside of the “negative list” will only be subject to filing procedures, in contrast to the existing prior approval requirements, whereas foreign investments in the restricted industries must apply for approval from the foreign investment administration authority.

The draft Foreign Investment Law for the first time defines “foreign investor,” “foreign investment,” “Chinese investor” and “actual control.” A foreign investor is not only determined based on the place of its incorporation, but also on the conditions of the “actual control.” The draft Foreign Investment Law specifically provides that entities established in China but “controlled” by foreign investors, such as via contracts or trust, will be treated as FIEs, whereas foreign investment in China in the foreign investment restricted industries by a foreign investor may nonetheless apply for being, when approving market entry clearance by the foreign investment administration authority, treated as a PRC domestic investment if the foreign investor is determined by the foreign investment administration authority as being “controlled” by PRC entities and/or citizens. In this connection, “actual control” is broadly defined in the draft Foreign Investment Law to cover the following summarized categories: (i) holding 50% of more of the voting rights of the subject entity; (ii) holding less than 50% of the voting rights of the subject entity but having the power to secure at least 50% of the seats on the board or other equivalent decision making bodies, or having the voting power to material influence on the board, the shareholders’ meeting or other equivalent decision making bodies; or (iii) having the power to exert decisive influence, via contractual or trust arrangements, over the subject entity’s operations, financial matters or other key aspects of business operations. According to the draft Foreign Investment Law, variable interest entities would also be deemed as FIEs, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors, and be subject to restrictions on foreign investments. However, the draft Foreign Investment Law has not taken a position on what actions will be taken with respect to the existing companies with the “variable interest entity” structure, whether or not these companies are controlled by Chinese parties.

The draft Foreign Investment Law emphasizes on the security review requirements, whereby all foreign investments concerning national security must be reviewed and approved in accordance with the security review procedure. In addition, the draft Foreign Investment Law imposes stringent ad hoc and periodic information reporting requirements on foreign investors and the applicable FIEs. In addition to investment implementation report and investment amendment report that are required at each investment and alteration of investment specifics, an annual report is mandatory, and large foreign investors meeting certain criteria are required to report on a quarterly basis. Any company found to be non-compliant with these information reporting obligations may potentially be subject to fines and/or administrative or criminal liabilities, and the persons directly responsible may be subject to criminal liabilities.

The draft Foreign Investment Law is now open for public review and comments. It is still uncertain when the draft would be signed into law and whether the final version would have any substantial changes from this draft. When the Foreign Investment Law becomes effective, 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, will be abolished. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, interpretation and implementation of draft PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.”

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

The NPC adopted the Copyright Law in 1990 and amended it in 2001 and 2010, respectively. 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. The amended Copyright Law also requires registration of a copyright pledge.

To address the problem of copyright infringement related to the content posted or transmitted over the Internet, the National Copyright Administration and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Measures for Administrative Protection of Copyright Related to Internet on April 29, 2005. This measure became effective on May 30, 2005.

In order to further implement the Computer Software Protection Regulations promulgated by the State Council on December 20, 2001 and amended on January 30, 2013, the State Copyright Bureau issued the Computer Software Copyright Registration Procedures on February 20, 2002, amended in June 2004, which apply to software copyright registration, license contract registration and transfer contract registration. In compliance with, and in order to take advantage of the above rules, as of December 31, 2017, we had registered 72 software copyrights in China.

Trademarks

Trademarks are protected by the PRC Trademark Law which was adopted in 1982 and subsequently amended in 1993, 2001 and 2013 as well as the Implementation Regulation of the PRC Trademark Law most recently adopted by the State Council in 2014. The Trademark Office under the SAIC handles trademark registrations and grants a term of ten years to registered trademarks which may be renewed for consecutive ten-year periods upon request by the trademark owner. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record. The PRC Trademark Law has adopted a “first-to-file” principle with respect to trademark registration. Where a trademark for which a registration has been made is identical or similar to another trademark which has already been registered or been subject to a preliminary examination and approval for use on the same kind of or similar commodities or services, the application for registration of such trademark may be rejected. Any person applying for the registration of a trademark may not prejudice the existing right first obtained by others, nor may any person register in advance a trademark that has already been used by another party and has already gained a “sufficient degree of reputation” through such party’s use. We have registered 54 trademarks in China as of December 31, 2017.

Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange

The principal regulations governing foreign currency exchange in China are the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, or the Foreign Exchange Regulations, as amended on August 5, 2008. Under the Foreign Exchange Regulations, Renminbi is freely convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of China, unless the prior approval of the SAFE is obtained and prior registration with the SAFE is made. Though there are restrictions on the convertibility of Renminbi for capital account transactions, which principally include investments and loans, we generally follow the regulations and apply to obtain the approval of the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities.

On June 9, 2016, the SAFE promulgated Circular 16, which expands the application scope from only the capital of foreign-invested enterprises to the capital, foreign debt fund and fund from oversea public offering. Furthermore, Circular 16 allows foreign-invested enterprises to use their foreign exchange capitals under capital account to the extent permitted by the relevant laws and regulations.

These circulars may delay or limit us from using the proceeds of offshore offerings to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiaries and violations of these circulars could result in severe monetary or other penalties. See also “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of direct investment and loans by offshore holding companies to PRC entities and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or limit us from using the proceeds of offshore offering to make additional capital contributions or loans to our PRC subsidiaries.”

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company primarily relies on dividend payments from Tarena Tech, which is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise incorporated in the PRC, to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. The principal regulations governing the distribution of dividends of foreign-invested enterprises include the Foreign Invested Enterprise Law, as amended respectively on October 31, 2000 and September 3, 2016, and the Implementation Rules of the Foreign Invested Enterprise Law, as amended respectively on April 12, 2001 and February 19, 2014.

Under these laws and regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated after-tax profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. Wholly foreign-owned companies may, at their discretion, allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents

Pursuant to SAFE’s Notice on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Residents’ Investment and Financing and Round-Trip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, issued and effective on July 4, 2014, and its appendixes, PRC residents, including PRC institutions and individuals, must register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interest in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires an amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material events.

On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. In accordance with SAFE Notice 13, entities and individuals are required to apply for foreign exchange registration of foreign direct investment and overseas direct investment, including those required under the SAFE Circular No. 37, with qualified banks, instead of SAFE. The qualified banks, under the supervision of SAFE, directly examine the applications and conduct the registration.

In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making distributions of profit to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in their ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Further, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for foreign exchange evasion. These regulations apply to our direct and indirect shareholders who are PRC residents and may apply to any offshore acquisitions and share transfer that we make in the future if our shares are issued to PRC residents. We have requested PRC residents currently holding direct or indirect interests in our company to our knowledge to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and other related rules. To our knowledge, all of our shareholders who are PRC citizens and hold interests in us, have registered with the local SAFE branch and/or qualified banks as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and SAFE Notice 13. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, or otherwise expose us to liability and penalties under PRC law.”

Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Stock Option Rules. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. The participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of stock options, the purchase and sale of corresponding stocks or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. The PRC agents must, on behalf of the PRC residents who have the right to exercise the employee share options, apply to SAFE or its local branches for an annual quota for the payment of foreign currencies in connection with the PRC residents’ exercise of the employee share options. The foreign exchange proceeds received by the PRC residents from the sale of shares under the stock incentive plans granted and dividends distributed by the overseas listed companies must be remitted into the bank accounts in the PRC opened by the PRC agents before distribution to such PRC residents.

We adopted two share incentive plans, namely the 2008 Plan and the 2014 Plan. Pursuant to the 2008 Plan, we may issue options, restricted shares (or share appreciation rights or other similar awards) and rights to purchase restricted shares to our qualified employees and directors and consultants on a regular basis. Pursuant to the 2014 Plan, we may issue options, restricted shares and restricted share units to our qualified employees, directors and consultants on a regular basis. We have advised our employees and directors participating in the employee stock option plan to handle foreign exchange matters in accordance with the Stock Option Rules, and we have completed the registrations of our stock incentive plans with the local SAFE as required by PRC law.

In addition, the State Administration for Taxation has issued circulars concerning employee share options, under which our employees working in the PRC who exercise share options will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiaries have obligations to file documents related to employee share options with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay or if we fail to withhold their income taxes as required by relevant laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the PRC tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.

Regulation on Tax

PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law

On March 16, 2007, the NPC enacted the EIT Law. Both the EIT Law and its Implementing Rules, which was enacted on December 6, 2007 by the State Council, became effective on January 1, 2008. Under the EIT Law, enterprises are classified as PRC resident enterprises and non-PRC-resident enterprises. PRC resident enterprises typically pay an enterprise income tax at the rate of 25%. An enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management bodies” located within the PRC is considered a PRC “resident enterprise,” meaning that it shall be treated in a manner similar to a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. The Implementing Rules to the EIT Law defines “de facto management body” as a managing body that in practice exercises “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of an enterprise.

The SAT issued Circular 82 on April 22, 2009, as amended in December 2017. Circular 82 provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled and offshore-incorporated enterprise is located in China, which include all of the following conditions: (a) the location where senior management members responsible for an enterprise’s daily operations discharge their duties; (b) the location where financial and human resource decisions are made or approved by organizations or persons; (c) the location where the major assets and corporate documents are kept; and (d) the location where more than half (inclusive) of all directors with voting rights or senior management have their habitual residence. In addition, the SAT issued a bulletin on July 27, 2011, effective from September 1, 2011 and amended respectively in 2015 and 2016, or Bulletin 45, providing more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82. Bulletin 45 clarifies matters including PRC resident enterprise status determination, post-determination administration and competent tax authorities etc. Although both Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreign individuals like us, the determining criteria set forth in Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the PRC tax resident enterprise status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, PRC enterprise groups or by PRC or foreign individuals.

We do not believe that Tarena International, Inc. meets all of the conditions above, and thus we do not believe that Tarena International, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise despite the fact that all members of our management team as well as the management team of our offshore holding company are located in China. However, if the PRC tax authorities determine that Tarena International, Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.”

Pursuant to the Hong Kong Tax Treaty, and other applicable PRC regulations, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied the relevant conditions and requirements under such Hong Kong Tax Treaty and other applicable regulations, the 10% withholding tax on the dividends the Hong Kong resident enterprise receives from a PRC resident enterprise may be reduced to 5% upon receiving approval from in-charge tax authority. However, based on Circular 81, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including without limitation that (a) the Hong Kong enterprise must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong enterprise must directly hold at least 25% share ownership in the PRC enterprise during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt of the dividends. However, a transaction or arrangement entered into for the primary purpose of enjoying a preferential tax treatment should not be a reason for the application of the preferential tax treatment under the Hong Kong Tax Treaty. If a taxpayer inappropriately is entitled to such preferential tax treatment, the competent tax authority has the power to make appropriate adjustments. According to the Circular 9, effective from April 1, 2018, when determining the applicant’s status of the “beneficial owner” regarding tax treatments in connection with dividends, interests or royalties in the tax treaties, several factors, including without limitation whether the applicant is obligated to pay more than 50% of his or her income in twelve months to residents in a third country or region, whether the business operated by the applicant constitutes the actual business activities, and whether the counterparty country or region to the tax treaties levies any tax or grants tax exemption on relevant incomes or levies tax at an extremely low rate, will be taken into account, and such determination will be analyzed according to the actual circumstances of the specific cases. Circular 9 further provides that applicants who intend to prove his or her status of the “beneficial owner” shall submit the relevant documents to the relevant tax authority according to Circular 60. Based on Circular 60, non-resident enterprises are not required to obtain pre-approval from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead, non-resident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to post-tax filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. However, if a competent tax authority finds out that it is necessary to apply the general anti-tax avoidance rules, it may start general investigation procedures for anti-tax avoidance and adopt corresponding measures for subsequent administration. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—We may not be able to obtain certain treaty benefits on dividends paid to us by our PRC subsidiary through our Hong Kong Subsidiary.”

In January 2009, the SAT promulgated the Provisional Measures for the Administration of Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax for Non-resident Enterprises, or the Non-resident Enterprises Measures, pursuant to which, the entities which have the direct obligation to make certain payments to a non-resident enterprise shall be the relevant tax withholders for such non-resident enterprise. Further, the Non-resident Enterprises Measures provides that in case of an equity transfer between two non-resident enterprises which occurs outside China, the non-resident enterprise which receives the equity transfer payment shall, by itself or engage an agent to, file tax declaration with the PRC tax authority located at the place of the PRC company whose equity has been transferred, and the PRC company whose equity has been transferred shall assist the tax authorities to collect taxes from the relevant non-resident enterprise. On October 17, 2017, the SAT released Announcement Regarding Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Announcement 37, effect from December 1, 2017, which replaced the Non-resident Enterprise Measures. On April 30, 2009, the MOF and the SAT jointly issued the Notice on Issues Concerning Process of Enterprise Income Tax in Enterprise Restructuring Business, or Circular 59. On December 10, 2009, the SAT issued the Notice on Strengthening the Administration of the Enterprise Income Tax concerning Proceeds from Equity Transfers by Non-resident Enterprises, or Circular 698. Both Circular 59 and Circular 698 became effective retroactively as of January 1, 2008. By promulgating and implementing these two circulars, the PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise by a non-resident enterprise. On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued a Public Notice [2015] No.7, or Public Notice 7, to supersede the existing tax rules in relation to the Indirect Transfer as set forth in Circular 698. Under Public Notice 7, where a non-resident enterprise conducts an “indirect transfer” by transferring the equity interests in a PRC “resident enterprise” or other taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests in an overseas holding company, the non-resident enterprise, being the transferor, may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, if the indirect transfer is considered to be an abusive use of company structure without reasonable commercial purposes. In addition, Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and introduces safe harbor scenarios applicable to internal group restructurings. However, it also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee of the Indirect Transfer as they have to make self-assessment on whether the transaction should be subject to PRC tax and to file or withhold the PRC tax accordingly. In October 2017, the SAT promulgated the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Matters Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises at Source, or SAT Circular 37, which provides certain changes to the current withholding regime, repeals and replaces all other provisions under Circular 698 and amends certain provisions in Public Notice 7. For example, SAT Circular 37 requires that the transferor shall declare to the competent tax authority for payment of tax within seven (7) days after the tax payment obligation comes into being if the withholding agent fails to withhold the tax due or withhold the tax due in full. However, according to SAT Circular 37, if the withholding agent fails to withhold and remit the income tax payable, or is unable to perform its obligation in this regard, as long as the non-resident enterprise that earns the income voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time. There are little guidance and practical experience as to the application of Public Notice 7 or SAT Circular 37. Where non-resident investors were involved in our private equity financing, if such transactions were determined by the tax authorities to lack reasonable commercial purpose, we and our non-resident investors may become at risk of being taxed under Public Notice 7 and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Public Notice 7 or SAT Circular 37 or to establish that we should not be taxed under Public Notice 7 or SAT Circular 37. The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Circular 59, Public Notice 7 or SAT Circular 37 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the equity interests transferred and the cost of investment.

The State Administration of Taxation promulgated Administrative Measures on the General Anti-Avoidance Rule (Trial), or GAAR Measures, on December 2, 2014, which shows the authority’s intention to fight against tax avoidance scheme that is adopted to obtain unwarranted tax benefit without reasonable commercial purpose. A press release, made by the State Administration of Taxation to clarify certain issues relating to the application of the GAAR Measures, stated that the GAAR Measures may be applicable if any general tax-avoidance scheme exists in the offshore indirect transfer of equity interests. Since GAAR Measures was recently promulgated and it is unclear how this set of measures, and any future implementation rules thereof, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant governmental authorities, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operation, future acquisitions or strategy.

In addition, the EIT Law and its Implementation Rules permit certain “high and new technology enterprises strongly supported by the state” that hold independent ownership of core intellectual property and simultaneously meet a list of other criteria, financial or non-financial, as stipulated in the Implementation Rules and other regulations, to enjoy a reduced 15% enterprise income tax rate. The SAT, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the Administrative Measures on the Recognition for High and New Technology Enterprise delineating the specific criteria and procedures for the “high and new technology enterprises” certification in April 2008, which was amended in January 2016. Enterprises recognized as “high and new technology enterprises,” or HNTEs, will enjoy a reduced 15% enterprise income tax rate after they go through tax reduction application formalities with relevant tax authorities. Tarena Tech, renewed its HNTE certificate in 2012 and again in 2015, and is eligible to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15% until the end of 2017. Tarena Hangzhou was established in 2013 and is qualified as a “newly established software enterprise”, which entitles it to two years of full tax exemption followed by three years of 50% tax exemption, commencing from the year in which its taxable income is greater than zero, which was 2014. On January 25, 2016, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in Hangzhou Han Ru Education Technology Co., Ltd, which is qualified as a “newly established software enterprise”, which entitles it to two years of full tax exemption followed by three years of 50% tax exemption, commencing from the year in which its taxable income is greater than zero, which was 2016.

PRC Value-added Tax (“VAT”) in lieu of Business Tax (the “VAT Pilot Program”)

An enterprise or individual providing taxable service within the territory of China has been historically required to pay BT at the rate of 3% or 5% on the revenues generated from provision of such services in accordance with applicable PRC tax regulations. However, if the services provided are technical transfer or technical development, or technical consulting and technical service related to technology transfer or technical development, BT may be exempted subject to approval by the relevant tax authorities.

In November 2011, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT promulgated the Notice on the Pilot Program in Shanghai Replacing BT with VAT in Transportation and Some Modern Service Sectors. Pursuant to this circular and other relevant notices, VAT shall be imposed in lieu of BT in transportation and some modern service sectors firstly in Shanghai starting from January 1, 2012. On August 1, 2013, the VAT Pilot Program was implemented throughout China in transportation and some modern services sectors. On April 29, 2014, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT issued the Circular on the Inclusion of Telecommunications Industry in the Pilot Collection of Value-added Tax in Lieu of Business Tax. On March 23, 2016, the Ministry of Finance and the SAT issued the Circular on Comprehensively Promoting the Pilot Program of the Collection of Value-added Tax in Lieu of Business Tax. Effective from May 1, 2016, the PRC tax authorities will collect VAT in lieu of Business Tax on a trial basis within the territory of China, and in industries such as construction industries, real estate industries, financial industries, and living service industries. The applicable VAT rates are 6% and 3% for the entities that are general taxpayers and small-scale taxpayers, respectively.

Local Surcharges

The city construction tax and education surcharge are local surcharges imposed as a certain percentage of PRC turnover taxes (i.e., business tax, value-added tax and consumption tax). The city construction tax is charged at rates of 1%, 5% or 7% (the applicable city construction tax rate depends on the location of the taxpayer) of the turnover tax paid while the education surcharge rate is currently at 3% of the turnover tax paid. Though in the past, foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises and foreign individuals were exempted from such surcharges, these entities were required to make such payments from December 1, 2010 according to a notice issued by PRC State Council in October 2010.

In addition to the city construction tax and the education surcharge, the China Ministry of Finance issued Circular Caizong (2010) No. 98, or Circular 98, that requires all entities and individuals (including foreign-invested enterprises, foreign enterprises and foreign individuals) to pay a local education surcharge, or LES, at 2% on turnover tax paid. Local governments are required to report their implementation measures on LES to the Ministry of Finance. LES became applicable to all entities and individuals in Beijing on January 1, 2012.

Employment Laws and Social Insurance

We are subject to laws and regulations governing our relationship with our employees, including wage and hour requirements, working and safety conditions, and social insurance, housing funds and other welfare. The compliance with these laws and regulations may require substantial resources.

China’s National Labor Law, which became effective on January 1, 1995, and China’s National Labor Contract Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended on December 28, 2012, permit workers in both state-owned and private enterprises in China to bargain collectively. The National Labor Law and the National Labor Contract Law provide for collective contracts to be developed through collaboration between the labor union (or worker representatives in the absence of a union) and management that specify such matters as working conditions, wage scales, and hours of work. The laws also permit workers and employers in all types of enterprises to sign individual contracts, which are to be drawn up in accordance with the collective contract. The National Labor Contract Law has enhanced rights for the nation’s workers, including permitting open-ended labor contracts and severance payments. The legislation requires employers to provide written contracts to their workers, restricts the use of temporary labor and makes it harder for employers to lay off employees. It also requires that employees with fixed-term contracts be entitled to an indefinite-term contract after a fixed-term contract is renewed twice or the employee has worked for the employer for a consecutive ten-year period.

On October 28, 2010, the NPC promulgated the PRC Social Insurance Law, which became effective on July 1, 2011. In accordance with the PRC Social Insurance Law and other relevant laws and regulations, China establishes a social insurance system including basic pension insurance, basic medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance. An employer shall pay the social insurance for its employees in accordance with the rates provided under relevant regulations and shall withhold the social insurance that should be assumed by the employees. The authorities in charge of social insurance may request an employer’s compliance and impose sanctions if such employer fails to pay and withhold social insurance in a timely manner. Under the Regulations on the Administration of Housing Fund effective in 1999, as amended in 2002, PRC companies must register with applicable housing fund management centers and establish a special housing fund account in an entrusted bank. Both PRC companies and their employees are required to contribute to the housing funds.

Organizational Structure

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our subsidiaries and consolidated VIE and its subsidiaries, as of March 31, 2018:

Notes:

(1)

Mr. Shaoyun Han, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, owns 70% of the equity interest in Beijing Tarena. Mr. Jianguang Li, our director, owns 30% of the equity interest in Beijing Tarena.

(2)

Mr. Shaoyun Han is the principal of Weifang Tarena Professional Education School.

(3)

Beijing Tongcheng Technology Co. Ltd. , which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tarena Tech, wholly owns Wuhan Good Boy Robot Technology Co., Ltd., which holds 100% of the sponsorship interest in Wuhan Jiang'an Good Boy Robot Education and Training School and Changsha Kaifu District, The Science Kid Robot Education Training School.

(4)

Mr. Shaoyun Han is the principal of Shenyang Tarena Professional Education School, Jinan Tarena Professional Education School, Wuhan Tarena Professional Education School, Chongqing Jiulongpo Tarena Professional Education School, Kunming Guandu Tarena Professional Education School, Nanjing Tarena Professional Education School, Shenzhen Bao’an Tarena Professional Education School, Harbin Tarena Professional Education School, Zhengzhou Tarena Professional Education School, Dalian High-Tech Zone Tarena Professional Education School, Shenyang Tarena Times Professional Education School, Zhuhai Tarena Professional Education School, Chengdu High-Tech Zone Tarena Professional Education School, Chengdu Tarena Professional Education School, Wuhan Technology Tarena Professional Education School, Shenzhen Longhua Xinqu Tarena Professional Skills Education School, Chongqing Nanan Tarena Professional Education School; Changchun Tarena Professional Education School and Ningbo Tarena Professional Education School; De Xun Wang* is the principal of Guangzhou Tarena Software Professional Education School; Qian Li is the principal of Qingdao Tarena Professional Education School; Yue Qin Shen is the principal of Nanjing Weishang Tarena Professional Education School; Jing Liu* is the principal of Dalian Shahekou Tarena Accounting Professional Education School; Li Zhe* is the principal of Wuhan Jiang'an Good Boy Robot Education and Training School; Zhang Jianling is the principal of Changsha Kaifu District, the Science Kid Robot Education Training School.

* De Xun Wang, Jing Liu and Li Zhe are no longer employed by us. The principal registration for each of Guangzhou Tarena Software Professional Education School, Dalian Shahekou Tarena Accounting Professional Education School and Wuhan Jiang'an Good Boy Robot Education and Training School has not been updated.

Because of foreign ownership restriction on Internet content and other value-added telecommunication services in China, we operate our www.it211.com.cn and TMOOC.cn websites through our consolidated VIE, Beijing Tarena. Beijing Tarena is 70% owned by Mr. Shaoyun Han, our founder, chairman and chief executive officer, and 30% owned by Mr. Jianguang Li, our director. Mr. Han and Mr. Li are both PRC citizens. We entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Beijing Tarena and its shareholders, which enable us to:

exercise effective financial control over Beijing Tarena;

receive substantially all of the economic benefits and bear the obligation to absorb substantially all of the losses of Beijing Tarena; and

have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in Beijing Tarena when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

The following is a summary of the currently effective contracts by and among Tarena International, our subsidiary Tarena Tech, our VIE, Beijing Tarena, and the shareholders of Beijing Tarena.

Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement

Under the exclusive business cooperation agreement between Beijing Tarena and Tarena Tech, as amended and restated, Tarena Tech has the exclusive right to provide, among other things, technical support, business support and related consulting services to Beijing Tarena and Beijing Tarena agrees to accept all the consultation and services provided by Tarena Tech. Without Tarena Tech’s prior written consent, Beijing Tarena is prohibited from engaging any third party to provide any of the services under this agreement. In addition, Tarena Tech exclusively owns all intellectual property rights arising out of or created during the performance of this agreement. Beijing Tarena agrees to pay a monthly service fee to Tarena Tech at an amount determined solely by Tarena Tech after taking into account factors including the complexity and difficulty of the services provided, the time consumed, the seniority of the Tarena Tech employees providing services to Beijing Tarena, the value of services provided, the market price of comparable services and the operating conditions of Beijing Tarena. Furthermore, to the extent permitted under the PRC law, Tarena Tech agrees to provide financial support to Beijing Tarena if Beijing Tarena has any operating loss or suffered any critical operation adversity. The term of the agreement will remain effective unless Tarena Tech terminates the agreement in writing or a competent governmental authority rejects the renewal applications by either Beijing Tarena or Tarena Tech to renew its respective business license upon expiration. Without the consent of Tarena Tech, Beijing Tarena is not permitted to terminate this agreement in any event unless required by applicable laws.

Power of Attorney

Pursuant to the power of attorney, as amended and restated, the shareholders of Beijing Tarena each irrevocably appointed Tarena Tech as the attorney-in-fact to act on their behalf on all matters pertaining to Beijing Tarena and to exercise all of their rights as a shareholder of Beijing Tarena, including but not limited to attend shareholders’ meetings, vote on their behalf on all matters of Beijing Tarena requiring shareholders’ approval under PRC laws and regulations and the articles of association of Beijing Tarena, and designate and appoint directors and senior management members. Tarena Tech may assign its rights under this power of attorney to any other person or entity at its sole discretion without prior notice to the shareholders of Beijing Tarena. Each power of attorney will remain in force until the shareholder ceases to hold any equity interest in Beijing Tarena.

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements

Under the equity interest pledge agreements between Tarena Tech, Beijing Tarena and the shareholders of Beijing Tarena, as amended and restated, the shareholders pledged all of their equity interests in Beijing Tarena to Tarena Tech to guarantee Beijing Tarena’s and Beijing Tarena’s shareholders’ performance of their obligations under the contractual arrangements including, but not limited to the service fees due to Tarena Tech. If Beijing Tarena or any of Beijing Tarena’s shareholders breaches its contractual obligations under the contractual arrangements, Tarena Tech, as the pledgee, will be entitled to certain rights and entitlements, including receiving proceeds from the auction or sale of whole or part of the pledged equity interests of Beijing Tarena in accordance with legal procedures. Tarena Tech has the right to receive dividends generated by the pledged equity interests during the term of the pledge. If any event of default as provided in the contractual arrangements occurs, Tarena Tech, as the pledgee, will be entitled to dispose of the pledged equity interests in accordance with PRC laws and regulations. The equity interest pledge agreements became effective on the date when the agreements were duly executed. The pledge was registered with Changping Bureau of Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce in December 2013 and April 2017, respectively. The pledge will remain binding until Beijing Tarena and its shareholders discharge all their obligations under the contractual arrangements. The registration of the equity pledge enables Tarena Tech to enforce the equity pledge against third parties who acquire the equity interests in Beijing Tarena in good faith.

Exclusive Option Agreements

Under the exclusive option agreements between Tarena International, Inc., Tarena Tech, each of the shareholders of Beijing Tarena and Beijing Tarena, as amended and restated, each of the shareholders irrevocably granted Tarena International, Inc. or its designated representative(s) an exclusive option to purchase, to the extent permitted under PRC law, all or part of his equity interests in Beijing Tarena. In addition, Tarena International, Inc. has the option to acquire the equity interests in Beijing Tarena for a specified price equal to the loan provided by Tarena Tech to the individual shareholders. If the lowest price permitted under PRC law is higher than the above price, the lowest price permitted under PRC law shall apply. Tarena International, Inc. or its designated representative(s) has sole discretion as to when to exercise such options, either in part or in full. Without Tarena International, Inc.’s prior written consent, Beijing Tarena’s shareholders shall not sell, transfer, mortgage, or otherwise dispose any equity interests in Beijing Tarena. These agreements will remain effective until all equity interests in Beijing Tarena held by its shareholders are transferred or assigned to Tarena International, Inc. or Tarena International, Inc.’s designated representatives.

Loan Agreements

Pursuant to the loan agreements between Tarena Tech and each individual shareholder of Beijing Tarena, as amended and restated, Tarena Tech provided loans with an aggregate amount of RMB5 million to the individual shareholders of Beijing Tarena for the sole purpose of providing capital for Beijing Tarena. The loans can only be repaid in a manner determined by Tarena Tech at its sole discretion, which repayment may take the form of transferring the individual shareholders’ equity interest in Beijing Tarena to Tarena or its designated person pursuant to the exclusive option agreements. The loan shall be interest-free, unless the transfer price exceeds the principal of the loan when each individual shareholder of Beijing Tarena transfers his equity interests in Beijing Tarena to Tarena or its designated person(s). Such excess over the principal of the loan shall be deemed the interest of the loan to the extent permitted under PRC law. The term of each loan agreement is ten years from the date of the agreement expiring in 2026 and can be extended with the written consent of both parties before expiration.

In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Han Kun Law Offices, these contractual arrangements are valid, binding and enforceable under current PRC laws. However, these contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing control as direct ownership. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. For a description of the risks relating to our contractual arrangements, please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure.”

Property, Plants and Equipment

We have dual headquarters in China, located in Beijing and Hangzhou. Our principal executive offices in Beijing comprise of approximately 2,640 square meters and accommodate certain of our management and general and administrative activities, as well as our research and development activities. We also have approximately 26,344 square meters in leased classroom space in Beijing. Our principal executive offices and classrooms in Hangzhou comprise of approximately 17,190 square meters of leased space. Our principal executive offices in Hangzhou accommodate certain of our management and general and administrative activities.

In addition to our principal executive offices in Beijing and Hangzhou, we maintain a number of offices, classrooms and student dormitories with an aggregate of approximately 264,742 square meters in 59 cities in the PRC. For our leased facilities, we leased them from unrelated third parties. Our lease terms range from one to ten years. We purchased two office buildings in Beijing in 2016, mainly for teaching purpose, and to a lesser extent for administrative function. We paid an aggregate of RMB231.9 million for these two office buildings. We also purchased a building in Qingdao and another one in Haikou for an aggregate price of RMB50 million in 2016. The purpose of these two buildings is mainly teaching and partly for administration.

We believe that the facilities that we currently own or lease are adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future, and we believe that we will be able to obtain adequate facilities, principally through leasing of additional properties, to accommodate our future expansion plans.

ITEM 4.A.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not Applicable.

ITEM 5.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and their related notes included in this annual report on Form 20-F. This report contains forward-looking statements. See “Forward-Looking Information.” In evaluating our business, you should carefully consider the information provided under the caption “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” in this annual report on Form 20-F. We caution you that our businesses and financial performance are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties.

Operating Results

Overview

Net Revenues

We derive substantially all of our net revenues from tuition fees that we charge students. In 2015, 2016 and 2017, we generated net revenues of RMB1,178.0 million, RMB1,579.6 million and RMB1,973.8 million, respectively. We record tuition fees that we collect in advance as deferred revenues. Our net revenues are presented net of business tax and surcharges.

Number of Course and Student Enrollments

Our ability to generate and increase revenues is primarily driven by our ability to increase the number of course enrollments and student enrollments. Our total adult course enrollments increased from 78,729 in 2015 to 102,298 in 2016 and further to 120,162 in 2017. Our total adult student enrollments increased from 84,041 in 2015 to 107,493 in 2016 and further to 128,776 in 2017. Total student enrollments in kid education programs increased from 2,354 in 2016 to 9,580 in 2017.

Our total student enrollments are affected by the continuing popularity of our existing courses and programs and the number and popularity of new courses and new programs we offer. In 2017, our digital arts course was the largest course in terms of revenues and number of student enrollments. Since inception, we have developed and launched sixteen new courses, as well as four new education programs targeting kids.

Our total student enrollments are also affected by our ability to maintain our cooperative relationships with financing service providers for student loans. A significant portion of our students enrolled in 2017 relied on loans provided or arranged by Baidu Small Loan, BOC CFC, RenRenDai, CreditEase, and ShiTuDai to pay for our tuition fees. In 2017, approximately 52.4% of our students received loans provided or arranged by Baidu Small Loan, BOC CFC, RenRenDai, CreditEase, and ShiTuDai to pay for our tuition fees.

Tuition fees

Our net revenues are affected by the tuition fees for each of our courses. For our full-time classes for adult students, our standard tuition fees generally range from RMB15,800 to RMB26,800 per course. We raised the standard tuition fees on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB 2,000 per course in 2016. We also increased our tuition fees for part-time classes on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB2,000 per course in 2017. For our kid education programs, our standard tuition fees are between RMB11,400 and RMB19,000. Courses under kid education program typically are composed of four levels, with each level consisting of 120 learning hours in one year.

The actual tuition fees of our courses for adult students may vary according to the recruiting channel through which a student is enrolled. We recruit students either through our direct marketing efforts or from our network of cooperative universities and colleges. We generally offer certain discount for students enrolled through our network of cooperative universities and colleges. In 2017, we recruited approximately 16% of our students from these universities and colleges.

Our tuition fees of our courses for adult students are also affected by the payment option selected by our students. We primarily offer two payment options for our students, including one-time full payment upon enrollment and multiple payments within two months of enrollment. We also allow qualified students to pay our tuition fees within a period of time after graduation. We generally charge approximately RMB1,000 to RMB5,000 higher in tuition fees to students electing to pay in multiple payments, as compared to students who elect to pay in full upfront. Our tuition fees for TongchengTongmei education programs are required to be fully paid up-front.

For our post-graduation payment option, qualified students are given a grace period of up to six months after graduation to look for employment, during which time no repayment needs to be made. After such grace period, students are given a ten-month repayment period. In order to qualify for such payment option, students must pass our credit screening by furnishing to us a number of supporting documents, for instance a credit report from the People’s Bank of China.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues primarily consists of payroll and employee benefits for our instructors (as apportioned based on the amount of time that they devote to teaching), teaching assistants, career counselors and employer cooperation representatives, as well as rental payments for our learning centers, and to a lesser extent, depreciation relating to property and equipment used at our learning centers. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our cost of revenues in absolute amounts and as percentages of net revenues for the periods indicated:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2015				2016				2017
	RMB		% of net revenues		RMB		% of net revenues		RMB		% of net revenues
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Personnel cost and welfare		123,341		10.5		173,240		11.0		238,898		12.1
Rental cost		97,927		8.3		125,856		8.0		169,824		8.6
Others		112,291		9.5		150,008		9.4		190,477		9.7
Total cost of revenues		333,559		28.3		449,104		28.4		599,199		30.4

Our cost of revenues is primarily affected by the number of our learning centers. In terms of the professional education business, we had a total of 134, 145 and 184 learning centers as of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. We also have a total of 30 learning centers for kid students as of December 31, 2017. Our cost of revenues as a percentage of net revenues was 28.3%, 28.4% and 30.4% in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. We expect our cost of revenues to continue to increase as we plan to open more learning centers.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist primarily of selling and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and, to a lesser extent, research and development expenses. The following table sets forth our operating expenses in absolute amounts and as percentages of net revenues for the periods indicated:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2015				2016				2017
	RMB		% of net revenues		RMB		% of net revenues		RMB		% of net revenues
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Selling and marketing expenses		384,954		32.7		527,553		33.4		713,120		36.1
General and administrative expenses		251,298		21.3		307,519		19.5		392,296		19.9
Research and development expenses		50,515		4.3		65,594		4.1		100,032		5.1
Total operating expenses		686,767		58.3		900,666		57.0		1,205,448		61.1

Our selling and marketing expenses primarily consist of compensation expenses relating to our personnel involved in selling and marketing, including our enrollment advisors and our university cooperation representatives based at our learning centers, advertising expenses relating to our marketing activities, and, to a lesser extent, rental expenses relating to our selling and marketing functions. We expect our selling and marketing expenses to increase as we further expand our business.

Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of compensation expenses relating to our management and administrative personnel, including share-based compensation, and bad debt allowance associated with our post-graduation tuition installment payment option for qualified students. To a lesser extent, our general and administrative expenses include office expenses relating to administrative functions.

We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase in the future on an absolute basis as our business grows and we incur costs related to complying with our reporting obligations as a public company under U.S. securities laws.

Seasonality

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As a result of such assessment, our management identified a material weakness as of December 31, 2017, which was the insufficient review in areas subject to significant estimates and judgments. This material weakness may result in a material misstatement to our quarterly or annual consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. As a result of the material weakness, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2017.

Our management has been engaged in, and continues to be engaged in making necessary changes and improvements to the overall design of its control environment to address the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting and the ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures described above. To remediate the material weakness described above, we plan to continue to: (i) reinforce the oversight and review procedure over areas subject to significant estimates and judgments; and (ii) enhance our accounting manual to provide our accounting team with more comprehensive guidelines on the accounting policies under U.S. GAAP and SEC rules and requirements. We plan to continue to assess our standardized processes to further enhance the effectiveness of our financial review, including the analysis and monitoring of financial information in a consistent and thorough manner.

We expect that we will incur more costs in the implementation of such measures. However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. See “Item 3. Key Information – D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations or prevent fraud or fail to meet our reporting obligations, and investor confidence and the market price of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.”

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. In addition, dividend payments are not subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

Our wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, Tarena Hong Kong Limited, is subject to Hong Kong profits tax on its activities conducted in Hong Kong. No provision for Hong Kong profits tax has been made in the consolidated financial statements as Tarena Hong Kong Limited has no assessable income since its inception on October 22, 2012 to December 31, 2017.

China

Pursuant to the EIT Law and its Implementation Rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008, foreign-invested enterprises and domestic companies are subject to enterprise income tax at a uniform rate of 25%. In addition, “high and new technology enterprises,” or HNTEs, will enjoy a preferential enterprise income tax rate of 15% under the EIT Law. Tarena Tech qualified as a HNTE under the EIT Law and is eligible for a preferential enterprise income tax rate of 15% for the period from 2009 to the end of 2017. Tarena Hangzhou was established in 2013 and qualified as a “newly established software enterprise”, which entitles it to two years of full exemption followed by three years of 50% exemption, commencing from the year in which its taxable income is greater than zero, which was 2014. On Jan 25, 2016, we acquired 100% of the equity interests in Hangzhou Han Ru Education Technology Co., Ltd, which is qualified as a “newly established software enterprise”, which entitles it to two years of full tax exemption followed by three years of 50% tax exemption, commencing from 2016. Certain of our subsidiaries qualify as “Small Profit Enterprises” in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and therefore are subject to the preferential income tax rate of 20%. Subject to the approvals from the tax authorities in certain locations in the PRC, our subsidiaries and consolidated VIE that are based in these locations are required to use the deemed profit method to determine their income tax. Under the deemed profit method, these subsidiaries are subject to income tax at 25% on its deemed profit which is calculated based on revenues less deemed expenses equal to 85% to 90% of revenues.

Critical Accounting Policies

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect (i) the reported amounts of our assets and liabilities; (ii) the disclosure of our contingent assets and liabilities at the end of each reporting period; and (iii) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during each reporting period. We continually evaluate these judgments, estimates and assumptions based on our own historical experience, knowledge and assessment of current business and other conditions and our expectations regarding the future based on available information, which together form our basis for making judgments about matters that are not readily apparent from other sources. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the financial reporting process, our actual results could differ from those estimates. Some of our accounting policies require a higher degree of judgment than others in their application.

When reading our consolidated financial statements, you should consider our selection of critical accounting policies, the judgment and other uncertainties affecting the application of such policies and the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions. We believe the following accounting policies involve the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements.

Revenue recognition

We derive substantially all of our net revenues from tuition fees, a portion of which we allow qualified students to pay on installment for a period of time exceeding one year. When tuition services are sold on repayment terms that exceed one year beyond the point in time that revenue is recognized, the receivable, and therefore the revenue is recorded at the present value of the total payments. The difference between the present value of the receivable and the nominal or principal value of the tuition fees is recognized as interest income over the contractual collection period using the effective interest rate method. The interest rate used to determine the present value of the total amount receivable is the rate at which students can obtain financing of a similar nature from other sources at the date of the transaction.

We enter into arrangements with certain students that purchase multiple services, including classroom training and extended on-line case studies, or multiple-element arrangements. We treat training contracts with multiple deliverable elements as separate units of accounting for revenue recognition purposes and recognizes revenue during the contract period when each deliverable service is provided. We allocate the contract price among all the deliverables at the inception of the arrangement on the basis of their relative selling prices according to the selling price hierarchy established by Accounting Standard Update No. 2009-13, Revenue Recognition - Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements. We first use vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of selling price, if it exists, otherwise the third-party evidence of selling price is used. If neither VSOE of selling price nor third-party evidence of selling price exists, we use our best estimate of selling price for the deliverables.

Allowance for doubtful accounts

We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our students to make payments according to their respective payment plans stipulated on the arrangement. We determine the allowance by analyzing students’ accounts that have known or potential collection issues and applying historical loss rates to the aging of the remaining balances of accounts receivable. In the event that we believe an account receivable will become uncollectible, we record an additional provision to increase the allowance for doubtful accounts.

Long-lived assets

Our long-lived assets include property and equipment. We depreciate our property and equipment using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. We make estimates of the useful lives of property and equipment, including the salvage values, in order to determine the amount of depreciation expense to be recorded during each reporting period. We amortize leasehold improvements of our learning center facilities and offices over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the assets. We estimate the useful lives of our other property and equipment at the time the assets are acquired based on historical experience with similar assets, as well as anticipated technological or other changes. If technological changes were to occur more rapidly than anticipated or in a different form than anticipated, the useful lives assigned to these assets may be shortened, which would result in the recognition of increased depreciation expense in future periods. There has been no change to the estimated useful lives or salvage values of our property and equipment in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

We evaluate property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. We assess recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of a long-lived asset or asset group to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset or asset group exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, we recognize an impairment charge based on the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset or asset group. We estimate the fair value of the asset or asset group based on the best information available, including prices for similar assets, and in the absence of an observable market price, the results of using a present value technique to estimate the fair value of the asset or asset group.

No impairment on our long-lived assets was recognized in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Share-based Compensation

We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant date fair value of the award and recognize the cost over the period the employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award, which is generally the vesting period. We have elected to recognize the compensation cost for an award with only service conditions that have a graded vesting schedule on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award, net of estimated forfeitures, provided that the cumulative amount of compensation cost recognized at any date at least equals the portion of the grant-date value of such award that is vested at that date. Forfeiture rates are estimated based on historical and future expectations of employee turnover rates.

On September 22, 2008, we adopted the 2008 Plan, pursuant to which we can issue share options and other share-based awards to our key employees, directors and consultants to purchase up to 6,002,020 of our ordinary shares (being retroactively adjusted to reflect the effect of the share split). On November 28, 2012, we increased the number of our ordinary shares authorized for issuance under the 2008 Plan to 8,184,990. Share options issued before September 22, 2008 are also administered under the 2008 Plan.

In February 2014, we adopted the 2014 Plan, pursuant to which we were authorized to issue options, restricted shares and restricted share units to our qualified employees, directors and consultants. The maximum aggregate number of shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2014 Plan, or the Award Pool, is 1,833,696, provided that the shares reserved in the Award Pool shall be increased on the first day of each calendar year, commencing with January 1, 2015, if the unissued shares reserved in the Award Pool on such day account for less than 2% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on a fully-diluted basis on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, as a result of which increase the shares unissued and reserved in the Award Pool immediately after each such increase shall equal 2% of the total number of shares issued and outstanding on a fully-diluted basis on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year.

From January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017, our board of directors has granted the following options to our executive officers and employees:

	Number of Options		Exercise Price (US$)		Fair Value of Ordinary Shares (US$)
Grant date
March 1, 2015 to December 6, 2015		615,624		0.89-4.36		9.28-12.85
January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016		1,115,807		0.058-4.36		9.99-16.54
January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017		682,435		0.058-4.36		14.27-19.03

In 2015, 2016 and 2017, Mr. Shaoyun Han exercised 2,439,014, 483,816 and 1,355,730 share options respectively to purchase Class A ordinary shares.

In determining the fair value of share options granted to executive officers and certain employees, we have used the binomial option pricing model. Under this option pricing model, certain assumptions, including the risk-free interest rate, the expected dividends on the underlying ordinary shares and the expected volatility of the price of the underlying shares for the contract term of the options, are required in order to determine the fair value of the options. Changes in these assumptions could significantly affect the fair value of share options and hence the amount of compensation expense we recognize in our consolidated financial statements.

For the options granted, we used the following assumptions on the date of grant in determining the estimated fair value per option:

	Options Granted In 2015			Options Granted In 2016			Options Granted In 2017
Expected volatility		62.3%-70.9	%		63.5%-68.8	%		63.7%-67.8	%
Expected dividends yield		0	%		0	%		0	%
Exercise multiple		2.0			2.0			2.0
Risk-free interest rate per annum		2.68%-2.99	%		2.15%-3.18	%		2.88%-3.22	%
The fair value of underlying ordinary shares (per share)		US$9.28-US$12.85			US$9.99-US$16.54			US$14.27-US$19.03

The fair values of underlying ordinary shares are closing prices of our stock traded in the open market as of each grant date. For the purpose of determining the estimated fair value of our share options, we believe the expected volatility is the most critical assumption.

The expected volatility of our future ordinary share price was estimated with reference to the price volatility of the shares of the Company and comparable public traded companies engaged in the similar industry.

Income taxes

The realization of the future tax benefits of deferred income tax assets is dependent on future taxable income against which such tax benefits can be applied or utilized and any tax planning strategies. In assessing the realizability of deferred income tax assets, we consider whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred income tax assets will not be realized. All available evidence must be considered in determining the realizability of the deferred income tax assets. Such evidence includes, but is not limited to, the financial performance of subsidiaries and consolidated VIE, the market environment in which these entities operate, the utilization of past tax credits, and the length of relevant carryforward periods. Sufficient negative evidence, such as a cumulative net loss during a three-year period that includes the current year and the prior two years, may require that a valuation allowance be established with respect to existing and future deferred income tax assets. In view of cumulative losses sustained by our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated VIEs, valuation allowances of RMB20.1 million, RMB26.5 million and RMB36.9 million were provided as of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. If, in the future, taxable incomes are available for each tax-paying component, the valuation allowances against our deferred income tax assets may be adjusted.

In order to assess uncertain tax positions, we adopt a more likely than not threshold and a two-step approach for the tax position measurement and financial statement recognition. For the two-step approach, the first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon settlement. The unrecognized tax benefits were RMB53.4 million, RMB69.8 million and RMB91.5 million as of December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. No interest and penalty expenses were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Recently Issued Accounting Policies

See note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report for recently issued accounting standards that we believe may have implications on our consolidated financial statements for future periods.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated, both in absolute amounts and as percentages of our net revenues. 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 Year Ended December 31,
	2015						2016						2017
	RMB			% of Net Revenues			RMB			% of Net Revenues			RMB			% of Net Revenues
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Net revenues		1,178,008			100.0			1,579,604			100.0			1,973,806			100.0
Cost of revenues⁽¹⁾		(333,559	)		(28.3	)		(449,104	)		(28.4	)		(599,199	)		(30.4	)
Gross profit		844,449			71.7			1,130,500			71.6			1,374,607			69.6
Operating expenses⁽¹⁾:
Selling and marketing		(384,954	)		(32.7	)		(527,553	)		(33.4	)		(713,120	)		(36.1	)
General and administrative		(251,298	)		(21.3	)		(307,519	)		(19.5	)		(392,296	)		(19.9	)
Research and development		(50,515	)		(4.3	)		(65,594	)		(4.2	)		(100,032	)		(5.1	)
Operating income		157,682			13.4			229,834			14.6			169,159			8.6
Interest income		42,732			3.6			23,974			1.5			21,000			1.1
Other income		11,812			1.0			15,960			1.0			26,702			1.4
Loss on foreign currency forward		—			—			(12,898	)		(0.8	)		—			—
Foreign currency exchange gains (losses)		(29,499	)		(2.5	)		3,760			0.2			(6,284	)		(0.3	)
Income before income taxes		182,727			15.5			260,630			16.5			210,577			10.7
Income tax expense		(3,967	)		(0.3	)		(18,776	)		(1.2	)		(25,770	)		(1.3	)
Net income		178,760			15.2			241,854			15.3			184,807			9.4

Notes:

(1)

Share-based compensation expenses were allocated in cost of revenues and operating expenses as follows:

	For the Year Ended December 31
	2015		2016		2017
	RMB		RMB		RMB
	(in thousands)
Cost of revenues		664		4,124		1,285
Selling and marketing expenses		1,959		5,496		4,863
General and administrative expenses		28,274		51,154		60,491
Research and development expenses		2,022		7,050		10,776

The Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2016

Net revenues

Our net revenues increased by 25% from RMB1,579.6 million in 2016 to RMB1,973.8 million in 2017. This increase was primarily due to increased course enrollments and to a lesser extent, an increase in the standard tuition fees. The number of total student enrollments grew by 19.8% from 107,493 in 2016 to 128,776 in 2017, and we experienced a significant increase in our total student enrollments in kid education programs, a 307.0% year-over-year increase from 2,354 in 2016 to 9,580 in 2017. The number of our total student enrollments is affected by the continuing popularity of our existing courses and programs and the number and popularity of new courses and new programs we offer. In the past year, we experienced a significant increase in student enrollments for the courses, such as Java and digital arts. The number of our learning centers increased from 145 as of December 31, 2016 to 184 as of December 31, 2017 to cater to the increased demand for our courses. Our K-12 business has expanded into 24 cities by the end of 2017. In 2017, we raised the standard tuition fees on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB2,000 per course. We generally offer a discount of around RMB4,000 per person per full-time course for students enrolled through our network of cooperative universities and colleges. In 2017, we recruited approximately 16% of our students from these universities and colleges, as compared with 14.7% in 2016.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 33.4% from RMB449.1 million in 2016 to RMB599.2 million in 2017. This increase was mainly due to an increase in personnel cost and welfare expenses resulting from growing number of teaching and advisory staff at our learning centers, rental cost resulting from higher seat capacity, as well as depreciation expenses for our learning centers. Our instructors, teaching assistants, career counselors and employer cooperation representatives at our learning centers increased from 2,236 as of December 31, 2016 to 2,931 as of December 31, 2017. The increase was mainly due to the significant increase in the number of our teaching assistants and employer cooperation representatives. The number of our learning centers increased from 145 as of December 31, 2016 to 184 as of December 31, 2017. The centers exclusively for kid education programs reached 30 as of December 31, 2017.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit increased by 21.6% from RMB1,130.5 million in 2016 to RMB1,374.6 million in 2017. Our gross profit margin decreased from 71.6% in 2016 to 69.6% in 2017, which was mainly due to the expansion of our center network. We added a net of 39 learning centers and rolled out to 13 new cities during 2017.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses increased by 33.8% from RMB900.7 million in 2016 to RMB1,205.4 million in 2017 as a result of increases in our selling and marketing, general and administrative and research and development expenses.

Selling and Marketing Expenses

Our selling and marketing expenses increased by 35.2% from RMB527.6 million in 2016 to RMB713.1 million in 2017. This increase was partially due to an increase in personnel cost and welfare expenses related to the growth in our selling and marketing headcount from 2,717 as of December 31, 2016 to 4,807 as of December 31, 2017, and marketing efforts as we expanded our course offerings and network of learning centers. The amount of personnel cost and welfare expenses for our selling and marketing staff increased from RMB245.1 million in 2016 to RMB367.1 million in 2017. The increase in selling and marketing expenses was also due to expanded marketing efforts, which increased advertising expenses from RMB201.3 million in 2016 to RMB237 million, primarily as a result of increased spending on search engine advertising as we expanded our network of learning centers.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 27.6% from RMB307.5 million in 2016 to RMB392.3 million in 2017 primarily due to an increase in compensation cost for our increased number of general and administrative personnel to support our growing operations, from 1,304 as of December 31, 2016 to 1,844 as of December 31, 2017 and an increase in share-based compensation expenses from 51,154 in 2016 to 60,491 in 2017.

Since July 2015, we focused more on tracking and updating the personal information of our alumni who used the post-graduation payment option, and we began to (i) task our career counselors with accounts receivable collection from their former students in such class and (ii) add accounts receivable collection rate as a KPI for our regional managers, learning center managers and career counselors. In 2016, as we devote more resources towards accounts receivable management, we observed a decrease in the cumulative default amount of accounts receivable for students enrolled between 2014 and 2015 who used the post-graduation payment option. In 2017, our bad debt allowance continued to decrease, from RMB33.6 million in 2016 to RMB31.5 million in 2017. We believe that our stricter tracking and management of accounts receivable have been effective in generally reducing the overall delinquency risk.

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 52.5% from RMB65.6 million in 2016 to RMB100.0 million in 2017 primarily due to an increase in personnel cost and welfare expenses of our instructors and teaching assistants allocated to their system and content development activities for our courses, as well as growing number of research and development staff as we expanded our course offerings and operations, which increase from 1,548 in 2016 to 2,028 in 2017.

Interest Income

Our interest income decreased from RMB24.0 million in 2016 to RMB21.0 million in 2017. Our interest income in both periods consisted of interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and time deposits in commercial banks and interest income recognized in relation to our installment payment plan for students. The decrease in interest income in 2017 was primarily due to the lower interest rate on bank deposits.

Income Tax Expense

Our income tax expense was RMB25.8 million in 2017, compared to RMB18.8 million in 2016. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the effective tax rate.

The effective income tax rate of 12.2% in 2017 was lower than the statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily because of (i) the preferential income tax rate of 15% enjoyed by Tarena Tech, (ii) the preferential income tax rate of 12.5% enjoyed by one of our subsidiaries, (iii) the tax holiday enjoyed by one of our subsidiaries, and (iv) the effect of research and development expenses bonus deduction allowed under PRC tax regulations, partially offset by recognition of valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets of certain subsidiaries, which were at cumulative loss position. There was less taxable income entitled with preferential income tax rate which led to a higher effective income tax rate in 2017 comparing to that in 2016.

The effective income tax rate of 7.2% in 2016 was lower than the statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily because of (i) the preferential income tax rate of 15% enjoyed by Tarena Tech, (ii) the preferential income tax rate of 12.5% enjoyed by one of our subsidiaries, (iii) the tax holiday enjoyed by one of our subsidiaries, and (iv) the effect of research and development expenses bonus deduction allowed under PRC tax regulations, partially offset by recognition of valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets of certain subsidiaries, which were at cumulative loss position.

Net Income

As a result of the foregoing, our net income decreased by 23.6% from RMB241.9 million in 2016 to RMB184.8 million in 2017.

The Year Ended December 31, 2016 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2015

Net revenues

Our net revenues increased by 34.1% from RMB1,178.0 million in 2015 to RMB1,579.6 million in 2016. This increase was primarily due to increased student enrollments and, to a lesser extent, an increase in the standard tuition fees. The number of total student enrollments grew by 27.9% from 84,041 in 2015 to 107,493 in 2016. The number of our total student enrollments is affected by the continuing popularity of our existing courses and programs and the number and popularity of new courses and new programs we offer. In the past year, we experienced a significant increase in student enrollments for the courses, such as Java, digital art, and Web front. The number of our learning centers increased from 134 as of December 31, 2015 to 145 as of December 31, 2016 to cater to the increased demand for our courses. The increase in our average revenue per student was primarily a result of an increase in the standard tuition fees and the decrease in the percentage of our students recruited through our network of cooperative universities and colleges. In 2016, we raised the standard tuition fees on selected courses offered in certain large cities by RMB1,000 to RMB 2,000 per course. We generally offer a discount of around RMB4,000 per person per full-time course for students enrolled through our network of cooperative universities and colleges. In 2016, the percentage of our students recruited from our network of cooperative universities and colleges was approximately 14.7%, as compared with 16.2% in 2015.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 34.6% from RMB333.6 million in 2015 to RMB449.1 million in 2016. This increase was mainly due to an increase in personnel cost and welfare expenses resulting from growing number of teaching and advisory staff at our learning centers, rental cost resulting from higher seat capacity, as well as depreciation expenses for our learning centers. Our instructors, teaching assistants, career counselors and employer cooperation representatives at our learning centers increased from 1,729 as of December 31, 2015 to 2,236 as of December 31, 2016. The number of our learning centers increased from 134 as of December 31, 2015 to 145 as of December 31, 2016.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit increased by 33.9% from RMB844.4 million in 2015 to RMB1,130.5 million in 2016. Our gross profit margin slightly decreased from 71.7% in 2015 to 71.6% in 2016, which was mainly due to higher personnel cost and welfare expenses and higher share-based compensation expenses.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses increased by 31.1% from RMB686.8 million in 2015 to RMB900.7 million in 2016 as a result of increases in our selling and marketing, general and administrative and research and development expenses.

Selling and Marketing Expenses

Our selling and marketing expenses increased by 37.0% from RMB385.0 million in 2015 to RMB527.6 million in 2016. This increase was partially due to increased personnel cost and welfare expenses related to growth in our selling and marketing headcount from 2,300 as of December 31, 2015 to 2,717 as of December 31, 2016. The amount of personnel cost and welfare expenses for our selling and marketing staff increased from RMB182.3 million in 2015 to RMB245.1 million in 2016. The increase in selling and marketing expenses was also due to expanded marketing efforts, which increased advertising expenses from RMB151.5 million in 2015 to RMB201.3 million in 2016, primarily as a result of increased spending on search engine advertising as we expanded our network of learning centers.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses increased by 22.4% from RMB251.3 million in 2015 to RMB307.5 million in 2016 primarily due to higher personnel costs and welfare expenses for our increased headcount of general and administrative personnel, from 1,015 as of December 31, 2015 to 1,304 as of December 31, 2016 to support our growing operations, and an increase in share-based compensation expenses, which increased from RMB28.3 million in 2015 to RMB51.2 million in 2016.

In 2016, as we devote more resources towards accounts receivable management, we observed a decrease in the cumulative default amount of accounts receivable for students enrolled between 2014 and 2015 who used the post-graduation payment option. We believe that our stricter tracking and management of accounts receivable have been effective in generally reducing the overall delinquency risk.

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses increased by 29.9% from RMB50.5 million in 2015 to RMB65.6 million in 2016 primarily due to increased personnel costs and welfare expenses of our instructors allocated to their content development activities for our new courses, as well as increased number of research and development staff as we expanded our course offerings and operations.

Interest Income

Our interest income decreased from RMB42.7 million in 2015 to RMB24.0 million in 2016. Our interest income in both periods consisted of interest earned on our cash and time deposits in commercial banks and interest income recognized in relation to our installment payment plan for students. The decrease in interest income was primarily due to lower bank deposits and interest rate, as well as lower tuition interest income in relation to our installment payment plan for students.

Income Tax Expense

Our income tax expense was RMB18.8 million in 2016, compared to RMB4.0 million in 2015. The increase was mainly due to an increase in the effective income tax rate and higher taxable income.

The effective income tax rate of 2.2% in 2015 was lower than the statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily because of (i) the preferential income tax rate of 15% enjoyed by Tarena Tech, (ii) the tax holiday enjoyed by one of our subsidiaries and (iii) the effect of research and development expenses bonus deduction allowed under PRC tax regulations, partially offset by recognition of valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets of certain subsidiaries, which were at cumulative loss position.

Net Income

As a result of the foregoing, our net income increased by 35.3% from RMB178.8 million in 2015 to RMB241.9 million in 2016.

Inflation

Since our inception, inflation in China has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2015, 2016 and 2017 were increases of 1.6%, 2.1% and 1.6%, respectively.

Impact of Foreign Currency Fluctuation

See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.” and “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Foreign Exchange Risk.”

Impact of Governmental Policies

See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Government Regulations.”

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows and Working Capital

Our principal sources of liquidity have been cash generated from operating activities and proceeds from the issuance and sale of our shares. As of December 31, 2017, we had RMB1,119.7 million in cash and time deposits and we had no bank borrowings. Our cash consists of cash on hand and cash in bank, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal. Cash of our consolidated VIEs, in the amount of RMB0.3 million as of December 31, 2017, can be used only to settle obligations of our consolidated VIEs. Cash equivalents consist of interest-bearing certificates of deposit with initial term of no more than three months when purchased. Time deposits, which mature within one year as of the balance sheet date, represent interest-bearing certificates of deposit with an initial term of greater than three months when purchased, while the time deposits that mature over one year as of the balance sheet date are included in non-current assets.

We believe that our current cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs, including our cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures, for at least the next 12 months.

See Cash, cash equivalents and time deposits under Note 2(d) to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report for information regarding the currencies in which cash, cash equivalents and time deposits were held as of December 31, 2017.

The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2016			2017
	RMB			RMB			RMB
	(in thousands)
Net cash provided by operating activities		347,698			524,030			288,657
Net cash used in investing activities		(72,309	)		(156,449	)		(223,122	)
Net cash used in financing activities		(26,899	)		(78,044	)		(184,222	)
Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		4,413			7,197			(5,294	)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		252,903			296,734			(123,981	)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year		261,035			513,938			810,672
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year		513,938			810,672			686,691

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities decreased to RMB288.7 million in 2017 from RMB524.0 million in 2016, primarily due to an increase of approximately RMB141.7 million in cash collected from our students in 2017, which was offset by an increase of approximately RMB370.2 million in cash operating expenditures, an increase of approximately RMB6.5 million in income tax payment and a decrease of proceeds from tax refund of approximately RMB0.3 million in 2016.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased to RMB524.0 million in 2016 from RMB347.7 million in 2015, primarily due to an increase of approximately RMB546.3 million in cash collected from our students in 2016, which were partially offset by an increase of approximately RMB368.2 million in cash operating expenditures, an increase of approximately RMB0.9 million in income tax payment and a decrease of proceeds from tax refund of approximately RMB0.9 million in 2016.

Net cash provided by operating activities increased to RMB347.7 million in 2015 from RMB175.3 million in 2014, primarily due to an increase of approximately RMB400.2 million in cash collected from our students in 2015, a decrease of approximately RMB1.3 million in income tax payment and proceeds from tax refund of approximately RMB1.3 million in 2015, which were partially offset by an increase of approximately RMB230.4 million in cash operating expenditures.

Investing Activities

Our cash used in investing activities is primarily related to investments in time deposits, short-term financial products and other entities with a great development prospect, and purchase of buildings, property and equipment and leasehold improvements.

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB223.1 million in 2017, consisting of purchase of short-term investment of approximately RMB1,970.0 million, purchase of time deposits of approximately RMB509.7 million, purchase of property and equipment, including computers and servers, of approximately RMB176.8 million in connection with the expansion of our network of learning centers, and payment for long-term investment and long-term investment deposit of approximately RMB54.9 million, and net payment for loans to employees of approximately RMB30.0 million; and partially offset by the maturity of short-term investment of approximately RMB1,989.3 million, and maturity of time deposits of approximately RMB529.0 million.

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB156.4 million in 2016, consisting of purchase of short-term investment of approximately RMB1,937.0 million, purchase of time deposits of approximately RMB421.2 million, purchase of four office buildings, mainly for teaching purpose, and to a lesser extent, for administrative functions, with a total consideration of RMB282.0 million, purchase of property and equipment, including computers and servers, of approximately RMB100.0 million in connection with the expansion of our network of learning centers, and payment for long-term investment and acquisition of Hanru Hangzhou of approximately RMB17.0 million, and net payment for loans to employees of approximately RMB15.4 million; and partially offset by the maturity of short-term investment of approximately RMB1,937.0 million, and maturity of time deposits of approximately RMB678.7 million.

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB72.3 million in 2015, consisting of purchase of short-term investment of approximately RMB945.0 million, purchase of time deposits of approximately RMB639.0 million, purchase of property and equipment, including computers and servers, of approximately RMB100.0 million in connection with the expansion of our network of learning centers, and payment for long-term investment and acquisition of Hanru Hangzhou of approximately RMB25.0 million; and partially offset by the maturity of short-term investment of approximately RMB945.0 million, and maturity of time deposits of approximately RMB690.3 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities in 2017 was RMB184.2 million, which was primarily attributable to the payment for repurchase of treasury stock under a share repurchase plan in the amount of RMB143.4 million, payment for dividend in the amount of RMB63.1 million, and partially offset by proceeds from Issuance of Class A ordinary shares in connection with exercise of share options of RMB22.3 million.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2016 was RMB78.0 million, which was primarily attributable to the payment for repurchase of treasury stock under a share repurchase plan in the amount of RMB44.4 million, payment for dividend in the amount of RMB54.0 million, and partially offset by proceeds from Issuance of Class A ordinary shares in connection with exercise of share options of RMB20.4 million.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2015 was RMB26.9 million, which was primarily attributable to the payment for repurchase of treasury stock under a share repurchase plan in the amount of RMB49.4 million, and partially offset by proceeds from Issuance of Class A ordinary shares in connection with exercise of share options of RMB22.5 million.

Capital Expenditures

Our capital expenditures are primarily related to purchase of office building, property and equipment, leasehold improvements and investments in computers, network equipment and software. Our capital expenditures were RMB100.0 million, RMB382.0 million and RMB177.3 million in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. We have made and may continue to make acquisitions of businesses and properties that complement our operations. We purchased two buildings in Beijing, two buildings respectively in Qingdao and in Haikou for an aggregate price of RMB282 million in 2016. The purchase contracts for these two buildings are filed as exhibits to this annual report. The office buildings are mainly for teaching purpose, and to a lesser extent for administrative functions. We expect our capital expenditures will continue to be significant for the near future as we continue to expand our network of learning centers. We expect to fund our future capital expenditures with our current cash, cash equivalents, time deposits and anticipated cash flow from operations.

Holding Company Structure

We are a holding company with no material operations of our own. We conduct our operations primarily through our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China. As a result, our ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our wholly-owned subsidiaries. If our wholly-owned subsidiaries or any newly formed subsidiaries incur any debt in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly-owned 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. Under PRC law, each of our subsidiaries 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. Although the statutory surplus reserves can be used 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. As a result of these PRC laws and regulations, as of December 31, 2017, we had RMB130.3 million in statutory surplus reserves that are not distributable as cash dividends. Our PRC subsidiaries have not historically paid any dividends to our offshore entities from their accumulated profits. However, we do not expect that the statutory surplus reserve requirement will materially limit our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders or our plan to expand our business because we are only required to set aside an additional RMB243.4 million to satisfy the maximum requirement of statutory surplus reserves for all of our PRC subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017. In addition, our private schools requiring reasonable returns are required to appropriate no less than 25% of their net income to a statutory development fund, whereas in the case of private schools requiring no reasonable return, this amount shall be no less than 25% of the annual increase of their net assets. As of December 31, 2017, we had RMB23.6 million in statutory development fund that are not distributable as cash dividends.

Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

Research and Development

Building a reliable, scalable and secure technology infrastructure is crucial to our ability to support our live lecture broadcasts, online TTS, TMOOC.cn and the various services that we provide to our students. We manage our lecture delivery system, TTS and TMOOC.cn using a combination of commercially available software, hardware systems and proprietary technology. Since 2006, we have established a powerful online platform that enables thousands of students to simultaneously log onto our TTS and participate in activities online.

We developed our CRM software in-house to manage our student and corporate employer information, as well as to integrate our key administrative functions. We rely on our internal IT resources to upgrade the CRM system as needed.

Our research and development expenses primarily consist of a portion of the personnel costs of our instructors as determined based on the amount of time that they devote to research and development-related activities, as well as the personnel costs of our software engineers. Our research and development expenses were RMB50.5 million, RMB65.6 million and RMB100.0 million in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Intellectual Property

Our trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights distinguish our courses and services from those of our competitors and contribute to our ability to compete in our target markets. We rely on a combination of copyright and trademark law, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with senior executive officers and most other employees, to protect our intellectual property rights. In addition, we require certain of our senior executive officers and other employees to enter into agreements with us under which they acknowledge that all inventions, utility models, designs, know-how, copyrights and other forms of intellectual property made by them within the scope of their employment with us, pursuant to job assignments or using our materials and technology, or during the one year after their employment that relates to their employment with us, are our property and they should assign the same to us if we so require. We also regularly monitor any infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights.

Trend Information

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial conditions.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders’ equity, or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2017:

	Payment due by December 31,
	Total		2018		2019		2020		2021		2022		2023 and thereafter
	(in thousands)
Operating lease commitments⁽¹⁾		610,550		166,291		163,956		114,695		71,122		46,378		48,108

Note:

(1)

Represents our non-cancelable leases for our offices and learning centers.

Safe Harbor