Tag Archives: MLM

“Great Wall Heroes” Welcomes Future Visitors Back to Beijing with New 2020 Promotional Campaign

BEIJING, Aug. 28, 2020 — On August 28, 2020, the "Great Wall Hero 2020—Visit Beijing Again" promotional event organized by Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau was held at Fortress Square, Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area. This event was supported by Yanqing District Cultural Tourism Bureau, Badaling Special Zone Administrative Center, Air China, and China Plus. It is one of a series of events in 2020 as part of the Beijing Great Wall Cultural Festival.

Ms. Pang Wei awarded official Great Wall Heroes the Great Wall Heroes 2020 certificates
Ms. Pang Wei awarded official Great Wall Heroes the Great Wall Heroes 2020 certificates

Ms. Pang Wei, Deputy Director-General of Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, reviewed the achievements of the Visit Beijing international social media campaigns since 2013. Visit Beijing actively promotes Beijing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Each year, the "Great Wall Heroes" global marketing campaign has invited foreign influencers to Beijing to experience the latest Beijing cultural tourism tours and products, as well as promoting Beijing through global social media platforms. The event has become an annual branding event for Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau’s overseas promotion campaigns. In the wake of COVID-19, this year’s "Great Wall Heroes" campaign had the new theme of "Visit Beijing Again." Long-term Beijing expat influencers were invited to take part in a panel discussion about post-COVID-19 tourism development.

The five influencers/panelists were: Mr. Jim Spear, co-founder and designer of two award-winning tourism businesses near Mutianyu Great Wall; Ms. Sarah Keenlyside, founder of Bespoke Travel Company, which offers tailor-made, immersive travel services to foreign tourists; Mr. Hayden Opie of Beijing Hikers, a hiking club that has been popular in Beijing for more than 10 years; Mr. Ignace Lecleir, owner and founder of TRB, awarded number one fine dining restaurant in the world by TripAdvisor in 2019; and Mr. Dominic De Couto of B Electric, which offers fun new ways to discover Beijing via e-bike.

At the end of the event, Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau presented the five foreign influencers with a certificate naming them "Great Wall Heroes" in recognition of their active efforts to promote Beijing and promote international cultural exchange.

In an interview, Ms. Pang Wei said that now that the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing has been brought under control, the successful hosting of this event was of great significance to the future of cultural tourism in Beijing. Foreigners in Beijing were invited to visit the Great Wall and join the live stream, with the hope of helping people around the world to get to know China again after COVID-19 and find out how Beijing’s tourism market has recovered. The event also launched Beijing’s latest Great Wall Cultural Tours project, with the goal of laying a solid foundation for the recovery of inbound tourism after COVID-19.

After the event, the guests experienced the newly-launched Badaling Great Wall Night Tour, which was also live-streamed from Visit Beijing’s Facebook page. It is hoped that these promotional campaigns will embody and carry forward the spirit of the Great Wall, use the Great Wall culture as a link to tell Chinese stories, and promote cultural exchanges between China and the world.

Snack Video with Cassandra Lee Participated in Keluarga Asuh by Kitabisa.com and Marked the Start of Harvest Independence Program

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 28, 2020The Covid-19 pandemic has put the world in a crisis, especially in Indonesia and most importantly in Jakarta as its capital. Many families were affected because of this disease not only in their health but also economically, creating a decrease of activity and employment in the business sector and workers losing their jobs. Government suggestions for social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus also create a big impact on society. Looking at this situation Snack Video held a donation in accordance with the Harvest Independence program, to provide daily needs food in order to help informal workers who are affected economically due to Covid-19. This program is done together with Cassandra Lee and collaborated with Kitabisa.com by tapping in with the Keluarga Asuh program in Jakarta.

SNACK VIDEO WITH CASSANDRA LEE PARTICIPATED IN KELUARGA ASUH BY KITABISA.COM AND MARKED THE START OF HARVEST INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM
SNACK VIDEO WITH CASSANDRA LEE PARTICIPATED IN KELUARGA ASUH BY KITABISA.COM AND MARKED THE START OF HARVEST INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM

"On August 13th, our Indonesia team together with Cassandra Lee had the opportunity to hold our first phase of donation with the Keluarga Asuh by Kitabisa.com program. The donation was located in Koja, North Jakarta. We hope this program can ease the informal workers who have difficulties in providing their daily needs. Totals of 100 boxes have been given specifically to elders, freelancers, and others who poorly need assistance due to this pandemic", said Yumi as Head of Global Operations of Snack Video

Snack Video collaboration with Keluarga Asuh program by Kitabisa.com is donating donations for the procurement of essential daily needs such as rice, oil, sugar, canned food, instant noodles, and soy sauce. The program focuses on giving to the informal families who are severely affected by this pandemic. They are the ones who have low income and are difficult to provide for themselves. This is the first time Snack Video facilitates such a program in Indonesia. The donation marked the beginning of Snack Video’s biggest program to celebrate Indonesia’s Independence Day, which is "Harvest Independence Program". It will also last until the campaign ends at the end of August 2020.

"I’m very happy to participate with Snack Video and directly give donations to families in need. Looking at the difficult situation that we’re facing right now, I’m very thankful that we can still help each other and still spread happiness. I’m very grateful for Snack Video and Kitabisa.com who invited me to participate in Harvest Independence and Keluarga Asuh program", said Cassandra Lee.

Harvest Independence Program

Harvest Independence is Snack Video’s second-biggest program as part of their mission to make its platform an online star stage and to celebrate Indonesia’s 75th Independence Day. This program has been running since August 11 2020.

The program invites Snack users or usually called Snackers to collect as many "kerupuk"as possible. Kerupuk competition is one of the celebrations that are usually held on Independence Day. Thus, Kerupuk became the symbol for the Harvest Independence program.

Here are the easy rules for you to join, just by watching, sharing, and commenting the video on the trending page also uploads original video content with the available hashtag. All these steps above can be done by Snackers with a limit of 1 phase for only 5 times/day. Snack Video also prepared 100,000 exclusive hampers for users who collected kerupuk reaches 100 pcs, then the user can exchange for special hampers.

This program runs until August 27th 2020 in hope that Snackers can collect as many kerupuk every day and win the prizes which are; 2 Yamaha Lexi VVA motorbike, 5 smartphones, 200 gifts vouchers and 1000 special prizes. Later on, Snack Video officials will directly contact the winner via the application. Interestingly, Snack Video is available both in Google Play Store and App Store. Download the Snack Video now and collect the kerupuk!

About Snack Video

Snack Video is a popular application that offers short video content. After receiving very high enthusiasm from Android users, recently Snack Video is also available in the App Store for iOs users.

Besides being able to produce creative short videos, Snack Video also provides flexibility for users to find various videos that are very exciting. Enjoy various types of interesting content such as entertainment, comedy, news, fashion, and games. Using Snack Video is very easy, users only need to watch and enjoy existing videos, engage with what you like and skip if you don’t like. The latest technology for Snack Video will learn what users are interested in and provide you with thousands of short videos that have been personalized just for you.

This application can make its users meet and join with all of the trending stars from around the world and even become the stars. Each user can upload their original videos, like other people’s videos, and added other video creators to their friends list.

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kwai.bulldog&hl=en_US
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snack_video_indonesia/  
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK0TKePWwbxN5Zd0gxeykXw  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Snackvideoindonesia

media_enquiries@snackvideo.com 

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200828/2902247-1?lang=0

The Olive & Latte Suite presents: Olive and Latte, Dashingly Very Good Living VGD, Olive & Latte ABS, Olive & Latte Home Lounge to Engage for Moments

SINGAPORE, Aug. 28, 2020 — This year 2020 marks the year for Olive and Latte Suite that is a globeshop of stories and biographies, that features all the following sites from the main sites with Olive & Latte ABS www.oliveandlatteabs.com , to Olive and Latte http://oliveandlatte.com/, and Dashingly Very Good Living that is an affordable luxe website https://www.dashinglyverygoodliving.com/ . And the Shopify sites at: https://oliveandlatte.myshopify.com/, and https://dashinglyverygoodlivingvgd.myshopify.com/.

The Olive & Latte Suite
The Olive & Latte Suite

The new websites that were launched this year were Olive and Latte Home Lounge http://www.oliveandlattehomelounge.com/ while Engagevu, the pr and marketing collaborative outfit presents Engage for Moments https://www.engageformoments.com/ .

Sharon Vu, Founder of Olive and Latte ABS (arts, bites, shop) with #OliveandLatte suite including #DashinglyVeryGoodLiving, and PR and Marketing outfit Engagevu, Vu Marcoms says, "Thanks to our collaborators, we have manage to fulfil the Olive and Latte Suite and we will continue to update with stories and biographies and with curated items and products for the globeshop."

Markus Flamman, Senior Advisor with Engagevu, and Adjunct Lecturer at the Henan University of Economics and Law commented, "These websites supply a wealth of views on F&B, recreation, and travel from the perspective of a carefully appointed group of personalities (that you will get to see in coming years) with very different backgrounds. You can read about their experience and even buy at discounted rates a growing selection of curated items from the concierge menu or globeshops."

Markus Flamman continued by saying, "Finding the right group of individuals to deliver content has been challenging. The demands on their performance operates in a niche where they’re to share experiences that fall in the category from affordable luxury to home away from home experience during their trips.  So this group enjoys life locally and travels a lot, and at the moment virtually. While doing so, visit unique locations, avoid touristy places and demand an upscale environment that is comfortable to relax at, due to work schedules.

Not only do they bring back unique items from their travel, they also return with stories. These stories they share on the websites Engage for Moments and Olive and Latte Home Lounge in return, assist to find an easy route to these same experiences.

So head on over and be inspired for your next virtual dream trip from the comforts of your own home.  We are pleased with the launch of Olive and Latte Home Lounge and Engage for Moments and look forward to writing more of ‘Markus Anecdotes’, who knows this might go onto ebook format together with Sharon Vu."

Patwant Singh, the Guest Blogger and former Channel NewsAsia personality and ex-broadcast journalist, who is currently a media consultant and trainer comments, "Enjoyed partnering Olive and Latte Home Lounge in sharing my travel and professional experiences. The platform is ideal to reach out to targeted and like-minded individuals and looking forward to more tie-ups."

"I’ve come to know Sharon as a meticulous and conscientious partner to work with. I’m inspired by her relentless motivation to bring ‘good’ goods & services to the marketplace. A real joy working with her," ChinKar TAN, Publisher, Write Editions commented.

Ram Santhanaram a Professional Speaker/Emcee, a Masterclass Trainer and a renowned Laughter Coach is being featured on Olive and Latte Shopify, Dashingly Very Good Living, Dashingly Very Good Living VGD Shopify says, "Why feel trapped in a dungeon of worries and self-created sufferings when we can instead swim to the shores of possibilities and move to along the freeway of happiness?"

Richard, the Shanghai expat says, "Collaborating with Olive and Latte and Dashingly Very Good Living have provided an opportunity to feature the products picked from travels and to look forward to the private tours to places such as Yunnan or Tibet to be featured in the two brands."

Please reach Olive and Latte Suite at contact@oliveandlatte.com or contact@engagevusg.com for partnerships and enquiries.

To view the websites, please find at

Globeshop

(Affordable Luxe):

1.  www.dashinglyverygoodlivingVGD.com

2.  Installment payment Hoolah (3 mths interest free) is available on: https://dashinglyverygoodlivingvgd.myshopify.com

3.  http://oliveandlatte.com

4.  Installment payment Hoolah (3mths interest free) is available on: https://oliveandlatte.myshopify.com/

New Websites

5.  http://oliveandlattehomelounge.com

6.  http://engageformoments.com

About Olive and Latte Suite, Olive & Latte Home Lounge and Engage for Moments

Through Olive and Latte ABS (www.oliveandlatteabs.com), the company started in 2014 as an online content generation and sharing of stories across social networks and platforms. Olive and Latte eGlobeshop http://oliveandlatte.com http://oliveandlatte.myshopify.com, a shop around the corner, was launched on 7 Feb 2018, as an extension and an ecart to describe memorabilia and items from across the globe curated by Olive and Latte with Artists, Shoppers and Biz Innovators. The items have interesting and engaging stories behind them, or sometimes as retail therapy when people travel and getaway.  Olive and Latte Plug and Play is an engagement service where they plug into companies in functions to assist and engage, for Public Relations, Marketing and more, with their core of Publicists, Communicators and Marketers.

Dashingly Very Good Living VGD has the 3-pronged concept for the Affordable Luxury segment, and with the addition of the e-carting of Marketing to Solutioning services for the Individual and companies pre-paid, and with categories of Global Local Designers that Dashingly Very Good Living VGD will source, partner and procure and with the category of the Personality.

Olive and Latte Home Lounge http://www.oliveandlattehomelounge.com/ aims to cover everything about Home including notes on Enrichment, Deals of the Day and Week and Home recipes as a Home companion for those working remotely or at home. Engage for Moments https://www.engageformoments.com/ is a blog about the moments, the virtual Attractions, Travel and Anecdotal Moments and experiences be it in the online sphere and spaces.

For more information, please contact:

Sharon Vu
Director, Vu Marcoms, engagevu
Mobile: +65 8138 6913
Email: sharonvu@engagevusg.com

Photo – https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200828/2902266-1?lang=0

Related Links :

http://oliveandlatte.com/

LIZHI INC. Receives Recognition for being an Innovative Media and Entertainment Platform

GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 28, 2020 — LIZHI INC. ("LIZHI", "the Company" or the "LIZHI App") (NASDAQ: LIZI), a leading online UGC audio community and interactive audio entertainment platform in China was recognized as an Innovative Media and Entertainment Platform in 2020 at the Global Future Technologies Conference 2020 hosted by iMedia Research, a world-leading mobile Internet third-party data mining and analysis institution. 

The recognition followed the announcement of LIZHI’s financial performance for the second quarter of 2020, further underscoring the Company’s achievements bolstered by its technological innovation and audio-centric strategy. According to the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, LIZHI’s net revenue grew by 56% year-on-year to RMB350 million, while average mobile monthly active users increased to 55.9 million, a 29% growth compared to the same period last year. 

Fuel Creativity with Technological Innovation

Since 2013, LIZHI has been driven by its unswerving commitment to building an immersive audio-centric UGC community where users from all walks of life can showcase their talent through voice. Technology is an essential focus of LIZHI through which the Company can create easy-to-use and intuitive creation tools for content creators to produce high-quality podcasts. The audio recording and editing functions of the LIZHI app feature audio-mixing and noise reduction, background music and special sound effects. 

Powering up the platform with the latest functions, LIZHI seeks to maximize accessibility for new users to set up channels and empower experienced content creators to bring more immersive audio experience to the community. In 2016, audio live-streaming was made available on LIZHI which unlocked a new way for content creators to engage users and reach a wider audience.

LIZHI has applied AI technology with advanced algorithm to content distribution and creation to help the medium to long-tail content creators to expand audience base. On top of it, big data analytical tools across LIZHI App also allows content creators to understand audience preferences.

Uphold Content Creators to Build up a Virtuous Community Ecosystem

LIZHI also seeks to strengthen content ecosystem by upholding content creators with various supportive programs and activities. As a result, the number of monthly active content creators has reached 6.15 million in the second quarter of 2020. Podcasts uploaded on LIZHI App have exceeded 215 million which brought the monthly average total interactions to 3.1 billion.

"In this quarter, we’ve further grew exclusive content creator base in order to enhance premium content offerings on our platform. We are dedicated to growing our platform for all kinds of talent creators to showcase their voice talent, grow their audience, and consequently achieve considerable income," said Marco, Founder and CEO of LIZHI.

Rooted in creativity, the platform has seen numerous successful stories from content creators. Datong, a former staff of petrol station, has now become a talk show performer with over 310,000 followers. His success on LIZHI inspires him to establish a media company, help over 1,000 audio creators who dream of using their voices and creativity to spark inspirational careers.

In the second quarter, LIZHI continues to explore innovative commercialization models by launching of interactive and engaging activities to attract Gen Z users and has driven solid growth in paying user base. LIZHI manages to strengthen fan-based membership programs across its podcast and audio entertainment segments, further expanding user’s payment scenarios.

Looking forward, LIZHI will continue to expand its diversified UGC content library, attract, and cultivate more high-quality content creators, and build a highly interactive community that covers diversified features including social networking and audio entertainment. 

About LIZHI INC.

LIZHI INC. is a leading online UGC audio community and interactive audio entertainment platform in China, with a mission to enable everyone to showcase vocal talent. The Company is aiming to bring people closer together through voices. 

Since launching LIZHI APP in 2013, LIZHI has cultivated a vibrant and growing community encouraging audio content creation and sharing. Now LIZHI is an audio wonderland offering a wide range of podcasts and audio, social entertainment products and features, including live audio streaming and various interactive audio products, empowering users to enjoy an immersive and diversified entertainment experience through audio. 

West China’s lake city Wanzhou awaits tourists with much to offer

WANZHOU, China, Aug. 28, 2020 — Wanzhou District of west China’s Chongqing Municipality is a lake city, and it made a splash in the evening of Aug. 27 with a livestreaming show put on to promote its tourism and culture products. Livestreamed in 12 online platforms, the show gained 35.42 million views and 11.27 million likes with Wanzhou’s beautiful landscape and rich resources, according to the Publicity Department of Wanzhou District.

Located in the heart of the Three Gorges reservoir area, Wanzhou boasts a long history and profound culture, and has been the place attracting scholars to stop by for appreciation since ancient times. In the past 1800 years, the Chongqing culture, the Three Gorges culture, the immigrant culture, the Anti-Japanese War culture and the revolution culture have met and merged in Wanzhou, creating a unique local culture.

In 2006, the grand Three Gorges Dam was completed. After impoundment, Wanzhou witnessed the emergence of a string of lakes. Later 29 city parks and 26 city squares were built in Wanzhou, forming an interconnected waterfront space. A new city with lakes, mountains and tall buildings accompanying each other came into being. In 2016, Wanzhou’s lake landscape was rated as one of the top ten new tourist attractions of the new Three Gorges.

When people come to Wanzhou, they must visit the three important landmarks. The Western Hills bell tower, which has been standing on the banks of the Yangtze River for nearly a century, is an impressive combination of Chinese and Western styles. It still rings on time. The Ba Du power plant was built and then provided power support to the industrial and mining enterprises that moved in 80 years ago. The plant’s old units are still generating electricity. The ruins of Tiansheng Ancient City, which survived the Anti-Yuan War in the late Southern Song Dynasty, occupied an important position in Sichuan’s city defense system and the history of the Song and Yuan wars.

The Chongqing Three Gorges Immigrant Memorial Hall is another must-go place in Wanzhou. It keeps a complete record of the history of Three Gorges immigrants and the construction of the reservoir area. A few days ago, the museum, together with Fujian Gutian Conference Memorial Hall and Hebei Xibaipo Memorial Hall, was selected as the first batch of pilot units on revolution culture as part of a national project to preserve and promote Chinese national culture.

The Wanzhou Waterfall is also worth visiting. It is called the first waterfall in Asia. The waterfall is 151 meters wide, 64.5 meters high and covers an area of 9739.5 square meters. It is one of the few waterfalls that can be viewed from all angles.

There are three popular local food: Wanzhou noodles, steamed food and roasted fish. In 2018, Wanzhou was officially recognized as the hometown of grilled fish in China.

Besides, Wanzhou is a good place to buy gifts related with the Three Gorges. The unique climate of the lakes in the Three Gorges nourishes rich Wanzhou produce, such as the local citrus, plums and tangerines sent to the space for breeding. The wooden comb brand Carpenter Tan is well known, so are the crisp and refreshing pickled mustard tuber in Yuquan and the spicy beef jerky. The Three Gorges embroidery and stones are quite distinctive while local Tiancong tea and Shixiantaibai liquor boast a lingering aftertaste.

The water town has witnessed longstanding peace and prosperity, echoed by the loud and exciting working songs in the old days and now by arias of slow life. In Wanzhou, one can walk in the streets for a taste of the thousand-year elegance of the Xishan Monument and the Tiansheng Ancient City. A stroll by the river bank to watch the sunset in the Western Hills or the morning light shining above forests is another good choice. Sailing on the lake to enjoy the night views and rippling waves is also recommended.

Wanzhou has always prioritized ecological conservation to boost green development. By seizing the opportunity to build the ChengduChongqing economic circle, Wanzhou is making every effort to build a regional central city and an economic center in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area. It also plans to grow into a tourist distribution center and an important destination in the Great Three Gorges Reservoir Area by promoting its geographical advantages in the Three Gorges tourism as well as development prospects.

For more information, please visit http://www.wz.gov.cn/.

Related Links :

http://www.wz.gov.cn

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Announces Results of Annual General Meeting of Shareholders

BEIJING, Aug. 28, 2020 — China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced that it held its 2020 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("2020 AGM") on August 28, 2020. Each of the proposals submitted for shareholder approval at the 2020 AGM has been approved. Specifically, the shareholders have passed resolutions approving:

  1. Re-election of Carol Yu and Liankui Hu as class C directors of the Company.
  2. Approval and ratification of (i) re-appointment of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP as the Company’s independent auditor for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020; and (ii) authorization to the board of directors and its audit committee to determine the remuneration of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Certified Public Accountants LLP.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, legal and other industries. The Company also offers online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, and practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Contacts:

In China:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited
Jiao Jiao
Tel: +86-10-8231-9999 ext. 1826
Email: IR@cdeledu.com

The Piacente Group, Inc.
Xi Zhang
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: dl@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:

The Piacente Group, Inc.
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1 212-481-2050
Email: dl@tpg-ir.com

ATIF Holdings Limited Regains Compliance with NASDAQ Listing Requirements

SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 28, 2020 — ATIF Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: ATIF, the "Company"), a company providing business consulting services and multimedia services in Asia, today announced that on August 26, 2020, it received a written notice (the "Notice") from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") that the Company has regained compliance with the Nasdaq’s Listing Rules (the "Rules") regarding the annual meeting of shareholders requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

The Company was previously notified by Nasdaq on August 4, 2020 that it was not in compliance with the annual meeting requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market as a result of not having held an annual meeting of stockholders within 12 months of the end of the Company’s fiscal year on July 31, 2020. On August 13, 2020, the Company submitted to Nasdaq its intention to follow home country practice in accordance with Listing Rule 5615(a)(3) and in lieu of Nasdaq’s annual meeting requirement. Accordingly, the Company’s ordinary shares will continue to be listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market and Nasdaq considers the matter closed.

About ATIF Holdings Limited

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, ATIF Holdings Limited ("ATIF") is a company providing business consulting services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Asia, including going public consulting services, international business planning and consulting services, and financial media services. ATIF has advised several enterprises in China in their plans to become publicly listed in the U.S. Through its majority-owned subsidiary, Leaping Group Co., Ltd., ATIF also provides multimedia services and is engaged in three major businesses, including multi-channel advertising, event planning and execution, film and TV program production and movie theater operations. ATIF operates the largest pre-movie advertising network in Heilongjiang Province and Liaoning Province of China and also provides advertising services in elevators and supermarkets. ATIF is often hired to plan both online and offline advertising campaigns and to produce related advertising material. In addition, ATIF invests in films and TV programs and distributes them in movie theaters or through online platforms. ATIF is also one of majority shareholders of AeroCentury Corp. (NYSE American: ACY) which is an independent global aircraft operating lessor and finance company specializing in leasing regional jet and turboprop aircraft and related engines to airlines and commercial users worldwide. For more information, please visit https://ir.atifchina.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this release are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "projected," "expects," "anticipates," "forecasts," "plans," "intends," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "future," "propose" and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantee of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors, among others, are: future financial and operating results, including revenues, income, expenditures, cash balances and other financial items; ability to manage growth and expansion; current and future economic and political conditions; ability to compete in an industry with low barriers to entry; ability to continue to operate through our VIE structure; ability to obtain additional financing in the future to fund capital expenditures; ability to attract new clients and further enhance brand recognition; ability to hire and retain qualified management personnel and key employees; trends and competition in the financial consulting services industry; a pandemic or epidemic; and other factors listed in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions you that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements we make. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements represent our management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date such statements are made. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.

For more information, please contact Investor Relations at:
EverGreen Consulting Inc.
Janice Wang
+86-13811768559
+1-908-510-2351
IR@changqingconsulting.com

Related Links :

http://ir.atifchina.com/

Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Virtual Technical Symposium & Expo to Provide a First Look at the Future of the Vehicle-to-Human Interface

Society for Information Display (SID) Metropolitan Detroit Chapter Annual Meeting Sidelined by Pandemic to Now Take Place for a Global Engineering Virtual Only Audience October 14-15, 2020 and On Demand Until February 15, 2021

DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2020 — The Metropolitan Detroit Chapter of the Society for Information Display (SID) is pleased to announce the 27th Annual Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Symposium & Expo will take place in a virtual-only format Wednesday and Thursday October 14-15, 2020, for the benefit of multi-disciplined and multi-international OEM teams and specialists composed of designers, engineers, scientists, technologists, researchers, and system integrators of land, air, sea, and space vehicle displays.

The SID Metropolitan Detroit Chapter recognizes that in the high-tech 4th Industrial Revolution a strong technical understanding of new and emerging Display 3.0 technologies is essential to the global success of engineers, display specialists and executives who design, manufacture, sell and buy vehicle displays, display components, services, and products that integrate display and visual information technology into vehicles. 

In the 2020-decade, the rapid evolution and divergence of visual information technologies continues on pace to connect humankind with their land, air, sea and space vehicles, and their vehicles to them.

"This year’s technical program underscores how the future of electronic vehicle displays resides in the confluence of new and emerging sciences, materials, form factors and technological advances in hardware, software, sensors, systems, components and applications." – Silviu Pala, SID Symposium Chair

The two-day Vehicle Displays & Interfaces October event gives registrants an opportunity for in-depth learning and valuable insights from keynote and back-to-back technical presentations from globally recognized scientists, tech visionaries, thought leaders and researchers presenting leading-edge science and R&D, with leading value-add suppliers providing solutions to global supply chains from pandemic disruption. Registrants can conduct online Q&A with speakers in ‘chat,’ as well as move projects forward by arranging real-time ‘private chat’ sessions with expert exhibitor technical staff.

The 2020 online technical program features distinguished speaker presentations from the global display, HMI, vehicle systems, photonics, academic and vehicle OEM communities. Peer-reviewed papers provide in-depth knowledge and insights on the latest scientific advances, most recent breakthroughs, and potentially revolutionary applications.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM SEGMENTS, TOPICS AND SPEAKERS FROM US, ASIA, EUROPE

Displays and HMI Systems:

  • Reflection Properties of AR Coated Flat and AG Glass Surfaces
    Dave McLean, MAC Thin Films, Santa Rosa, CA, US
  • IOT Intelligent Display Technology
    Lingling Zhang, Tianma, Shanghai, China
  • Display Module with Integrated Driver of Multi-screen
    Liang Zhou, Tianma, Shanghai, China
  • High Precision Optical Bonding for Free-form and Curved Displays
    Gino Mariani, Henkel Surface Technologies, Madison Heights, MI, US

Head-Up Displays:

  • Diffusive Microlens Array for Head-Up Display Applications
    Jerry Wu, Dexerials Corporation, Tagajo-shi, Japan
  • Human Perception Studies of Head-Up Display Ghosting
    Steve Pankratz, 3M Display Materials and Systems Division, St. Paul, MN, US
  • Computational Holographic Displays for 3D AR HUD Using Free-Form Optics
    Hakan Urey, CY Vision, San Jose, CA, US
  • Holographic Optical Elements and Projector Design Considerations for Automotive Windshield Displays
    Michael Firth, CERES Holographics, St. Andrews, Scotland, UK

Tutorial:
Drs. Kai-Han Chang and Thomas Seder from GM R&D will deliver a presentation entitled ‘Holography and Its Automotive Applications: A Tutorial’

Display Metrology:                          

  • Understanding and Achieving Reproducible Sparkle Measurements for an Automotive Specification
    Ingo Rotscholl, TechnoTeam Bildverarbeitung GmbH, Ilmenau, Germany
  • Measuring MicroLEDs for Color Non-Uniformity Correction
    Mike Naldrett, ELDIM, Radiant Vision Systems LLC, Redmond, Washington, US

New Display Solutions:

  • Supervising (Automotive) Displays for Safe Visualization of Camera Video
    Benjamin Axmann, Mercedes-Benz Cars Group Research, Future Technologies, Boeblingen, Germany
  • Customized Local Dimming Algorithm and BLU for Automotive Application towards Low Power Consumption and High Visual Quality
    Maxim Schmidt, Institute of Microelectronics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany 
  • Automotive Smart Surfaces: Conformable HDR Displays and Smart Windows to Activate Almost Any Surface
    Paul Cain, FlexEnable, Cambridge, UK
  • The Functional Safety Designs of Vehicle Display Driver ICs
    Cheng-Chih Deno, Himax, Hsinchu City, Taiwan
  • Automotive Dual Cell microZone™LCD Development
    Paul Weindorf, Visteon Corporation, Van Buren TWP, MI, US
  • A Low-power Transflective TFT-LCD Based on IGZO TFT
    Lou Tenggang, Tianma Micro-Electronics Group, Shanghai, China
  • A Micro LED Device With 0mm Border
    TengGang Lou, Tianma Micro-Electronics Group, Shanghai, China
  • Enabling Features of VueReal MicroLED Technology for Automotive Applications
    Rexa Chaji, VueReal Inc, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • New Challenges and Testing Solutions for Flexible Vehicle Displays & Interfaces
    Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Bayflex Solutions, Alameda, CA, US
  • New Material Solutions for Automotive Displays. Interfaces and Applications
    Eisuke Tsuyuzaki, Bayflex Solutions, Alameda, CA, US 
  • An Alternative to OLED with Full-array Local Dimming in Automotive Displays
    Logan Cummins, Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX, US

Post-Event On Demand Viewing:
Registrants can view symposium presentations and virtual exhibitor booth content and videos anyplace, anytime, any time zone on demand until February 15, 2021.

Links:
To review the symposium program and exhibitor list, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org
To register, go to www.VehicleDisplay.org.
To secure a virtual exhibitor booth or sponsorship opportunity contact Joe Nemchek at jnemchek.@pcm411, or call (203) 502-8338.

About SID Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Detroit Symposium & Expo:
The SID Vehicle Displays & Interfaces Symposium & Expo Detroit is presented by the Metro-Detroit Chapter of SID (Society for Information Display) www.SID.org. SID is the only professional society focused on the advancement of electronic display and visual information technologies. By exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic display and visual information technologies, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry’s best new products. The organization’s members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales.

A Unique Art Tour — London-based V&A Museum Goes Virtual on Kuaishou

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2020 — The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), a world-renowned museum in London, launched its official account on Kuaishou on August 25th, becoming the first overseas museum to join China’s leading short-video and livestreaming platform.

The next day, the 160-year-old museum made its livestreaming debut on Kuaishou, whose livestreaming service has been embraced by over 170 million daily active users.

Before the pandemic, the V&A received over 1.5 million visitors annually, contributing more than 40% of visitor admissions in London. Renowned as the world’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts and design, the V&A houses a collection of over 2.3 million objects, with 5000 years of art and design history.

For their Chinese visitors, the V&A provided a virtual gallery-travel for Kuaishou’s millions of users, who are blocked from going abroad due to the pandemic. This 2-hour-long special exhibit tour via livestreaming attracted 3.8 million audiences, with 166 thousand users contributing likes.

"The coronavirus blocks physical communications between people from China and other countries but cannot cut the connection and emotion bonding between peoples and cultures. Artistic-cultural heritages are borderless," said Yi Xuan, Senior Director of Kuaishou’s regional cooperation.

"As the leading short-video platform in China, Kuaishou is continuously striving its best to introduce the international cultural-artistic contents via social media in China, enabling users to have a better understanding of the world without leaving home," added Yi.

Guided by Xiao Lang and Li Xiaoxin, V&A’s Chinese social media adviser and Chinese collections researcher respectively, Kuaishou users enjoyed themselves with the museum’s charms and exhibits from India and the Royal Family. Kuaishou also kicked off a Quiz Challenge about V&A to personalize the event and make it memorable for the audience.

Nick Marchand, V&A’s Director of International Business, expressed his appreciation to Kuaishou and the audience. "With the V&A’s reopening, we’re thrilled to welcome audiences back. But not everyone can travel right now, to see them. Thankfully, Kuaishou provides an invisible thread to connect us. While our worlds seem a little smaller right now, the V&A will transport you across time and geography. Step behind the doors of the museum with us, and get close to the extraordinary."

Nick Marchand, V&A's Director of International Business, addressed the online audiences in livestreaming via Kuaishou.
Nick Marchand, V&A’s Director of International Business, addressed the online audiences in livestreaming via Kuaishou.

As the leading livestream platform, Kuaishou has been putting great efforts into pushing the art sector to reach more people. On 14 February 2020, the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang gave a piano demonstration lesson to over 3 million music lovers and fans on Kuaishou via livestreaming, in honor of supporting efforts against COVID-19.

Since the first quarter of 2020, the National Museum of China has rolled out a series of cultural events on Kuaishou. On 5 March, the museum launched a short-video campaign under the hashtag of museum tour on Kuaishou, providing a chance for users to experience the museum. One of these short videos, which exhibited a 1500-year-old Celadon lotus-shape Zun from ancient China, achieved 2.5 million views and over 44,000 likes.

About Kuaishou Technology

Kuaishou Technology develops content sharing platforms and makes content production, distribution, and consumption fast and easy. Our content recommendation system is built on a deep understanding of our users and the content being shared on our platforms every day.

Our flagship product, Kuaishou, is China’s leading short video sharing and social networking platform that enables users to capture the unique and memorable moments of their everyday lives, and to interact with followers in real-time. Our technology offers users a highly personalized experience and encourages members from all communities to create and discover interesting and dynamic content.

Founded in 2011, Kuaishou Technology is headquartered in Beijing with more than 10,000 employees and offices in China, the United States, India and Brazil. Our notable investors include DCM Ventures, Morningside Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, Tencent and Baidu. For more information, please visit www.kuaishou.com.

  • March 2011 GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs
  • October 2013 GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform – Kuaishou
  • January 2015 Kuaishou’s DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million
  • September 2017 Kuaishou’s total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million
  • December 2017 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 100 million
  • June 2018 Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community
  • May 2019 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 200 million
  • March 2020 Kuaishou’s DAU exceeded 300 million
  • July 2020 Kuaishou’s Livestream DAU surpassed 170 million

To download Kuaishou, click here.

CONTACT: Zhang Chuanshi, zhangchuanshi@kuaishou.com
Han Xing, hanxing@kuaishou.com 

Related Links :

http://www.kuaishou.com

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2020

– Third Quarter 2020 Net Revenue was $50.7 Million, within Guidance Range –

– Third Quarter 2020 Gross Profit was $24.1 Million, with Gross Margin of 47.5% –

– Third Quarter 2020 Operating Income was $2.5 Million, with Operating Margin of 4.9% –

– Third Quarter 2020 Net Income Attributable to CDEL was $3.0 Million, with Net Income Margin of 5.9% –

BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2020 — China Distance Education Holdings Limited (NYSE: DL) ("CDEL", or the "Company"), a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China, today announced unaudited financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 ended June 30, 2020.

Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 Financial and Operational Highlights

  • Net revenue decreased by 17.9% to $50.7 million from $61.7 million in the prior year period.
  • Total course enrollments were 738,300, an increase of 0.5% from the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Cash receipts from online course registration were $34.6 million, a 31.3% decrease from the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Gross profit decreased by 22.8% to $24.1 million from $31.2 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] gross profit decreased by 22.7% to $24.1 million from $31.2 million in the prior year period.
  • Gross margin was 47.5%, compared with 50.5% in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 47.5%, compared with 50.5% in the prior year period.
  • Operating income decreased by 75.0% to $2.5 million from $9.9 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] operating income decreased by 69.6% to $3.2 million from $10.4 million in the prior year period.
  • Net income attributable to CDEL was $3.0 million, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $9.4 million in the prior year period.
  • Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $3.7 million, compared with non- GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $10.0 million in the prior year period.
  • Basic and diluted net income per American Depositary Share ("ADS") attributable to CDEL were $0.089 and $0.088, respectively, compared with basic and diluted net income per ADS attributable to CDEL of $0.282 and $0.281, respectively, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Each ADS represents four ordinary shares.
  • Basic and diluted non-GAAP[1] net income per ADS attributable to CDEL were $0.111 and $0.109, respectively, compared with basic and diluted non-GAAP[1] net income per ADS attributable to CDEL of $0.299 and $0.296, respectively, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
  • Cash flow from operations decreased by 59.2% to $7.2 million from $17.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

[1] For more information about the non-GAAP financial measures contained in this press release, please see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.

Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, Chairman and CEO of CDEL, said, "In the third quarter of fiscal 2020, we reported net revenue of $50.7 million, within our guidance range. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to support our students across China with high-quality online professional education at a time when offline classes were suspended, we provided free online courses to students in Hubei province and significant discounts for certain online exam preparation courses to students outside Hubei. Our socially responsive actions resulted in a surge in enrollment in our second fiscal quarter as previously disclosed, effectively pulling forward the demand for our courses and thus dampening enrollment and cash receipts growth in our third fiscal quarter."

"We believe in the long-term growth prospects of online professional education in China, and expect online education will continue to transform how knowledge is delivered and how students learn. We remain committed to serving students with our high-quality courseware and compelling online educational solutions during this challenging time. We are confident that our comprehensive lifelong learning ecosystem will enable us to reach a broad and growing student audience, and extend convenience, flexibility and engagement to their learning experience," Mr. Zhu concluded.

Mr. Mark Marostica, Co-Chief Financial Officer of CDEL, added, "As anticipated, the decrease in cash receipts for our courses due to our socially responsive actions, together with the postponement of certain professional certification examinations, negatively impacted our revenue growth for the third fiscal quarter. In addition, a delay in the publication of certain legal exam preparation books further weakened our third quarter revenue growth. Despite these headwinds, we maintained a disciplined cost structure and achieved a non-GAAP operating margin of 6.2% for the quarter. With our fourth fiscal quarter well underway, we are further impacted by the postponement of a number of core professional certification examinations held in Beijing and several other cities. We remain focused on balancing growth with a keen focus on profitability."

Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

Net Revenue. Total net revenue decreased by 17.9% to $50.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $61.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Net revenue from online education services, books and reference materials, and other sources contributed 78.9%, 12.8% and 8.3%, respectively, of total net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

Online education services. Net revenue from online education services decreased by 8.1% to $40.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $43.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily attributable to the decrease in revenue from the Company’s healthcare and accounting verticals due to the impact of COVID-19, stemming from the postponement of certain professional certification examinations across China and the aforementioned socially responsive actions the Company adopted, which resulted in a significant decline in cash receipts from online course registration in both the second and third fiscal quarters of 2020.

Books and reference materials. Net revenue from books and reference materials decreased by 33.8% to $6.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $9.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily attributable to the delay in the publication of certain Legal Professional Qualification Examination books, due to the promulgation of new laws.

Others. Net revenue from other sources decreased by 49.8% to $4.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $8.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, primarily due to a significant decrease in revenue from the sale of college-related learning simulation software, and a significant decrease in the provision of offline training courses, resulting from the impact of COVID-19.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales decreased by 12.8% to $26.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $30.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] cost of sales decreased by 13.0% to $26.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $30.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. The decrease in cost of sales was primarily attributable to a decrease in cost of books and reference materials and lecture fees.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Gross profit was $24.1 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, down 22.8% from $31.2 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross profit was $24.1 million, decreasing by 22.7% from $31.2 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 47.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with 50.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 47.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with 50.5% in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by 5.6% to $23.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $22.0 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] total operating expenses increased by 5.0% to $22.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $21.5 million in the prior year period.

Selling expenses. Selling expenses increased by 4.6% to $17.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $17.0 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] selling expenses increased by 4.5% to $17.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $17.0 million in the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by higher advertising and promotional expenses, and the increase in commission to agents.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by 8.8% to $5.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $4.9 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] general and administrative expenses increased by 7.0% to $4.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, from $4.4 million in the prior year period. The increase was mainly due to the increase in share-based compensation expenses.

Income Tax Expenses. Income tax expense decreased by 77.1% to $0.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $2.5 million in the prior year period, primarily due to the decrease in taxable income in the third quarter of fiscal 2020.

Net Income Attributable to CDEL. As a result of the foregoing, net income attributable to CDEL was $3.0 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $9.4 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $3.7 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, compared with non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $10.0 million in the prior year period.

Operating Cash Flow. Net operating cash inflow decreased by 59.2% to $7.2 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 from $17.6 million in the prior year period. The operating cash inflow was mainly attributable to net income before non-cash items generated in the third quarter of fiscal 2020. The increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities also contributed to the operating cash inflow. The operating cash inflow was partially offset by the decrease in deferred revenue and the decrease/increase in amount due to/from related parties.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Term Deposits, Restricted Cash and Short-term Investments. Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments as of June 30, 2020 increased by 2.7% to $133.7 million from $130.2 million as of March 31, 2020, mainly due to the operating cash inflow generated in the third quarter of fiscal 2020 and the drawdown of an offshore loan of $20.0 million. The increase was partially offset by (i) the dividend distribution of $19.6 million, (ii) the repayment of an onshore loan of $2.8 million, (iii) the payment of an investment of $0.7 million and (iv) the capital expenditure of $0.6 million.

First Nine Months of Fiscal 2020 Financial Results

Net Revenue. Total net revenue increased by 0.6% to $144.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $143.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Net revenue from online education services, books and reference materials, and other sources contributed 75.0%, 10.9% and 14.1%, respectively, of total net revenues for the first nine months of fiscal 2020.

Online education services. Net revenue from online education services increased by 11.9% to $107.9 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $96.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Books and reference materials. Net revenue from books and reference materials decreased by 27.2% to $15.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $21.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Others. Net revenue from other sources decreased by 18.9% to $20.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $25.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales decreased by 8.4% to $72.8 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $79.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] cost of sales decreased by 8.5% to $72.7 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $79.4 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin. Gross profit was $71.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, up 11.9% from $63.7 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] gross profit was $71.3 million, increasing by 12.0% from $63.7 million in the prior year period. Gross margin was 49.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with 44.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2019. Non-GAAP[1] gross margin was 49.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with 44.5% in the first nine months of fiscal 2019.

Operating Expenses. Total operating expenses increased by 9.7% to $69.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $63.2 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] total operating expenses increased by 9.4% to $67.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $61.7 million in the prior year period.

Selling expenses. Selling expenses increased by 15.3% to $52.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $45.3 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] selling expenses increased by 15.3% to $52.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $45.3 million in the prior year period.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses decreased by 4.7% to $17.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $17.9 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] general and administrative expenses decreased by 7.0% to $15.2 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, from $16.4 million in the prior year period.

Income Tax Expenses. Income tax expense was $1.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with income tax expense of $2.1 million in the prior year period.

Net Income Attributable to CDEL. As a result of the foregoing, net income attributable to CDEL was $5.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with net income attributable to CDEL of $7.5 million in the prior year period. Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL was $7.5 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020, compared with non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to CDEL of $9.0 million in the prior year period.

Operating Cash Flow. Net operating cash inflow decreased by 33.8% to $41.0 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2020 from $61.9 million in the prior year period.

Recent Developments Regarding the Non-binding "Going Private" Proposal

On June 8, 2020, the board of directors of the Company (the "Board") received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter (the "Proposal Letter") from Mr. Zhengdong Zhu, co-founder, chairman of the Board and chief executive officer of the Company ("Mr. Zhu"), Ms. Baohong Yin, co-founder of the Company, deputy chairman of the Board and the spouse of Mr. Zhu and their affiliated entity (collectively, the "Buyer Group") to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of the Company, including ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares (the "ADSs", each representing four ordinary shares), for $2.27 in cash per ordinary share, or $9.08 in cash per ADS (the "Proposal"). On June 22, 2020, the Company announced that the Board had formed a special committee of independent directors (the "Special Committee") consisting of Ms. Carol Yu and Ms. Annabelle Yu Long to review and evaluate the Proposal, and the Special Committee had retained Goulston & Storrs PC as its United States legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the Proposal. On July 29, 2020, the Company announced that the Special Committee had retained Duff & Phelps, LLC as its financial advisor in connection with its review and evaluation of the Proposal.

The Company cautions its shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that neither the Board nor the Special Committee has made any decision with respect to the Company’s response to the Proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made, that any agreement will be executed or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated. The Company does not undertake any obligation to provide any updates with respect to this or any other transaction, except as required under applicable law.

Outlook

For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company expects to generate total net revenue in the range of $58.4 million to $61.8 million, representing year-over-year decline of approximately 15% to 10%, respectively.

For fiscal year 2020, the Company expects to generate total net revenue in the range of $202.4 million to $205.8 million, representing year-over-year decline of approximately 4.4% to 2.8%, respectively.

The above guidance reflects the Company’s current and preliminary view, which is subject to change, particularly in consideration of uncertainties related to the impact of COVID-19, including the postponement of certain professional examinations, the schedule of reopening of schools, and the schedule of resumption of provision of offline training courses, among others.

Conference Call

Management will hold a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 27, 2020 (8:00 p.m. Beijing Time on Thursday, August 27, 2020) to discuss financial results and answer questions from investors and analysts. Details for the conference call are as follows:

Event Title:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 Earnings Conference Call

Conference ID:

9952634

Registration Link:

http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/9952634

All participants must use the link provided above to complete the online registration process at least 20 minutes in advance of the conference call. Upon registering, each participant will receive a participant dial-in number, Direct Event passcode, and a unique registrant ID, which will be used to join the conference call.

A telephone replay will be available two hours after the call until September 3, 2020 by dialing:

US Toll Free:

+1-855-452-5696

International:

+61-2-8199-0299

Mainland China:

400-632-2162

Hong Kong, China:

800-963-117

United Kingdom:

0808-234-0072

Replay Passcode:

9952634

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.cdeledu.com.

About China Distance Education Holdings Limited

China Distance Education Holdings Limited is a leading provider of online education and value-added services for professionals and corporate clients in China. The courses offered by the Company through its websites are designed to help professionals seeking to obtain and maintain professional licenses and to enhance their job skills through our professional development courses in China in the areas of accounting, healthcare, engineering & construction, legal and other industries. The Company also offers online test preparation courses for self-taught learners pursuing higher education diplomas or degrees, and practical accounting training courses for college students and working professionals. In addition, the Company provides business services to corporate clients, including but not limited to tax advisory and accounting outsourcing services. For further information, please visit http://ir.cdeledu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expect," "predict," "anticipate," "future," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "estimate" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2020 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company’s strategic and operational plans (in particular, the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses; the solutions we adopt to address such impact of COVID-19; balancing growth and profitability; the growth prospects of online professional education in China; as well as the anticipated benefits of our strategic growth initiatives, including the promotion of the Company’s life-long learning ecosystem) contain forward-looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic and annual reports to the SEC, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the potential impact of the Proposal and any transaction in connection with the Proposal, our goals and growth strategies; future prospects and market acceptance of our courses and other products and services; our future business development and results of operations; projected revenues, profits, earnings and other estimated financial information; projected enrollment numbers; our plans to expand and enhance our courses and other products and services; anticipated benefits of acquisition or disposal of businesses, competition in the education and test preparation markets; and Chinese laws, regulations and policies, including those applicable to the Internet, Internet content providers, the education and telecommunications industries, mergers and acquisitions, taxation and foreign exchange. In addition, with respect to the "going private" Proposal, there can be no assurance that the Buyer Group will make any definitive offer to the Company, that any definitive agreement relating to the Proposal will be entered into between the Company and the Buyer Group or that a transaction based on the Proposal or any other similar transaction will be approved or consummated.

Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed or furnished with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

Statement Regarding Unaudited Financial Information

The unaudited financial information set forth in this press release is preliminary and subject to adjustments. Adjustments to the financial statements may be identified when audit work is performed for the year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited financial information.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company’s consolidated financial results presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, the Company uses the following measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL, operating income, gross profit, cost of sales, selling expenses, general and administrative expenses, net income margin attributable to CDEL, operating margin, gross profit margin, and basic and diluted earnings per ADS and per share attributable to CDEL. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures" set forth at the end of this release.

The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding its performance by excluding share-based compensation expenses. However, non-GAAP financial measures may not be indicative of the Company’s operating performance from a cash perspective. The Company believes that both management and investors benefit from these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing its performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparisons to the Company’s historical performance and liquidity. The Company computes its non-GAAP financial measures using the same consistent method from quarter to quarter. The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency with respect to supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision making. A limitation of excluding share-based compensation expenses from the above-mentioned line items and presenting these non-GAAP measures is that such items may continue to be for the foreseeable future a significant recurring expense in our business. Management compensates for this limitation by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying table at the end of this release provides more detail on the reconciliations between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to non-GAAP financial measures.

Contacts:

In China:

China Distance Education Holdings Limited
Jiao Jiao
Tel: +86-10-8231-9999 ext. 1826
Email: IR@cdeledu.com

The Piacente Group, Inc. 
Xi Zhang 
Tel: +86-10-6508-0677
E-mail: dl@tpg-ir.com

In the United States: 

The Piacente Group, Inc.    
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1 212-481-2050
Email: dl@tpg-ir.com

 

 

(Financial Tables on Following Pages)

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares and per share data)

September 30, 2019

June 30, 2020

Assets:

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

67,977

83,927

Term deposits

4,954

Restricted cash

38,358

20,241

Short-term investments

22,118

24,550

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of US$1,648 and
US$1,282 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively

7,330

6,182

Inventories

4,232

5,713

Prepayment and other current assets

26,732

30,143

Amounts due from related parties

515

908

Deferred cost

1,427

2,104

   Total current assets

168,689

178,722

Non-current assets:

Property, plant and equipment, net

37,935

40,732

Operating lease right of use asset

30,074

Goodwill, net

74,829

75,704

Long term investments

25,379

25,572

Other intangible assets, net

30,113

24,318

Deposit for purchase of non-current assets

4,448

1,552

Deferred tax assets

3,865

3,713

Other non-current assets

10,092

7,579

   Total non-current assets

186,661

209,244

   Total assets

355,350

387,966

Liabilities and equity:

Current liabilities:

Bank borrowings

38,502

7,199

Accrued expenses and other liabilities (including accrued expenses and other
liabilities of the consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education
Holdings Limited of US$47,280 and US$35,491 as of June 30, 2020 and September
30, 2019, respectively)

38,267

49,950

Amount due to related parties

600

687

Income tax payable (including income tax payable of the consolidated VIE without
recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$6,942 and US$8,188
as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

10,899

8,579

Deferred revenue, current portion (including deferred revenue of the consolidated
VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$71,477
and US$93,364 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

94,202

72,253

Refundable fees – current portion (including refundable fees of the consolidated VIE
without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$24 and
US$435 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

435

24

Operating lease liability – current portion (including operating lease liability of the
consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
of US$3,614 and nil as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

3,967

   Total current liabilities

182,905

142,659

Non-current liabilities:

Deferred revenue, non-current portion (including deferred revenue of the
consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
of US$80,430 and US$33,564 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019,
respectively)

33,564

80,430

Refundable fees – non-current portion (including refundable fees of the consolidated
VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings Limited of US$3,944
and US$2,440 as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

2,440

3,944

Long-term bank borrowing

16,000

Deferred tax liabilities

12,695

6,410

Operating lease liability – non-current portion (including operating lease liability of
the consolidated VIE without recourse to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited of US$24,536 and nil as of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019,
respectively)

24,927

Total non-current liabilities

48,699

131,711

   Total liabilities

231,604

274,370

 

Equity:

Ordinary shares (par value of US$0.0001 per share; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 
135,320,433 and 134,210,745 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 and
September 30, 2019, respectively)

13

14

Additional paid-in capital

24,507

26,629

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(12,357)

(8,805)

Retained earnings

60,668

46,612

   Total China Distance Education Holdings Limited shareholder’s equity

72,831

64,450

Noncontrolling interests

50,915

49,146

   Total equity

123,746

113,596

   Total liabilities and equity

355,350

387,966

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations

(in thousands of US dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

Sales, net of business tax, value-added tax and related surcharges:

Online education services

43,529

39,996

Books and reference materials

9,826

6,507

Others

8,392

4,211

–  Sale of learning simulation software

2,665

833

–  Business start-up training services

886

175

–  Others

4,841

3,203

   Total net revenues

61,747

50,714

Cost of sales

Cost of services and others

(20,836)

(19,767)

Cost of tangible goods sold

(9,735)

(6,882)

   Total cost of sales

(30,571)

(26,649)

Gross profit

31,176

24,065

Operating expenses

Selling expenses

(17,043)

(17,828)

General and administrative expenses

(4,947)

(5,383)

   Total operating expenses

(21,990)

(23,211)

Other operating income

665

1,607

Operating income 

9,851

2,461

Interest income

526

582

Interest expense

(703)

(216)

Gain from disposal of an investment

318

Exchange gain/(loss)

1,996

(243)

Income before income taxes

11,988

2,584

Income tax expense

(2,460)

(564)

Loss from equity method investments

(656)

(570)

Net income

8,872

1,450

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

575

1,566

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

9,447

3,016

 

Net income per share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.070

0.022

Diluted

0.070

0.022

 

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.282

0.089

Diluted

0.281

0.088

Weighted average shares used in calculating net income per share
attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited:

Basic

133,037,866

134,005,063

Diluted

134,342,150

135,441,737

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements Of Operations

 (in thousands of US dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Nine Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

Sales, net of business tax, value-added tax and related surcharges:

Online education services

96,450

107,939

Books and reference materials

21,632

15,751

Others

25,049

20,322

–  Sale of learning simulation software

9,630

7,295

–  Business start-up training services

2,258

1,826

–  Others

13,161

11,201

   Total net revenues

143,131

144,012

Cost of sales

Cost of services and others

(62,461)

(57,938)

Cost of tangible goods sold

(16,997)

(14,840)

   Total cost of sales

(79,458)

(72,778)

Gross profit

63,673

71,234

Operating expenses

Selling expenses

(45,327)

(52,273)

General and administrative expenses

(17,855)

(17,016)

Total operating expenses

(63,182)

(69,289)

Change in fair value of contingent consideration payable

695

Other operating income

2,434

3,932

Operating income 

3,620

5,877

Interest income

1,714

1,952

Interest expense

(2,294)

(901)

Gain from disposal of an investment

318

Gain from deconsolidation of a subsidiary

6,869

Exchange loss

(104)

(1,154)

Income before income taxes

10,123

5,774

Income tax expense

(2,077)

(1,259)

Loss from equity method investments

(1,019)

(847)

Net income

7,027

3,668

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

457

1,897

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

7,484

5,565

 

Net income per share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.056

0.041

Diluted

0.056

0.041

 

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
Limited:

Net income attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited 
shareholders

Basic

0.224

0.165

Diluted

0.223

0.165

Weighted average shares used in calculating net income per share
attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited:

Basic

132,946,829

133,808,589

Diluted

134,072,148

135,124,141

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures

(In thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Cost of sales

30,571

26,649

Share-based compensation expense in cost of sales

45

Non-GAAP cost of sales

30,571

26,604

Selling expenses

17,043

17,828

Share-based compensation expense in selling expenses

19

Non-GAAP selling expenses

17,043

17,809

General and administrative expenses

4,947

5,383

Share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses

503

626

Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

4,444

4,757

Gross profit

31,176

24,065

Share-based compensation expenses

45

Non-GAAP gross profit

31,176

24,110

Gross profit margin

50.5%

47.5%

Non-GAAP gross profit margin

50.5%

47.5%

Operating income

9,851

2,461

Share-based compensation expenses

503

690

Non-GAAP operating income

10,354

3,151

Operating margin

16.0%

4.9%

Non-GAAP operating margin

16.8%

6.2%

Net income attributable to CDEL

9,447

3,016

Share-based compensation expense

503

690

Non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL

9,950

3,706

Net income margin attributable to CDEL

15.3%

5.9%

Non-GAAP net income margin attributable to CDEL

16.1%

7.3%

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.070

0.022

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.070

0.022

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.075

0.028

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.074

0.027

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—basic (note 1)

0.282

0.089

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—diluted (note 1)

0.281

0.088

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—basic (note 1)

 

0.299

0.111

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—diluted (note 1)

 

0.296

0.109

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic net income per share attributable
      to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

133,037,866

134,005,063

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,342,150

135,441,737

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

133,037,866

134,005,063

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,342,150

135,441,737

Note 1: Each ADS represents four ordinary shares

 

 

China Distance Education Holdings Limited

Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to comparable GAAP measures

(In thousands of US Dollars, except number of shares, per share and per ADS data)

Nine Months Ended June 30,

2019

2020

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Cost of sales

79,458

72,778

Share-based compensation expense in cost of sales

23

95

Non-GAAP cost of sales

79,435

72,683

Selling expenses

45,327

52,273

Share-based compensation expense in selling expenses

10

39

Non-GAAP selling expenses

45,317

52,234

General and administrative expenses

17,855

17,016

Share-based compensation expense in general and administrative expenses

1,482

1,795

Non-GAAP general and administrative expenses

16,373

15,221

Gross profit

63,673

71,234

Share-based compensation expenses

23

95

Non-GAAP gross profit

63,696

71,329

Gross profit margin

44.5%

49.5%

Non-GAAP gross profit margin

44.5%

49.5%

Operating income

3,620

5,877

Share-based compensation expenses

1,515

1,929

Non-GAAP operating income

5,135

7,806

Operating margin

2.5%

4.1%

Non-GAAP operating margin

3.6%

5.4%

Net income attributable to CDEL

7,484

5,565

Share-based compensation expense

1,515

1,929

Non-GAAP net income attributable to CDEL

8,999

7,494

Net income margin attributable to CDEL

5.2%

3.9%

Non-GAAP net income margin attributable to CDEL

6.3%

5.2%

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.056

0.041

Net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.056

0.041

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—basic

0.068

0.056

Non-GAAP net income per share attributable to CDEL—diluted

0.067

0.055

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—basic (note 1)

0.224

0.165

Net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited
      shareholders—diluted (note 1)

0.223

0.165

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—basic (note 1)

 

0.271

0.224

Non-GAAP net income per ADS attributable to China Distance Education Holdings
      Limited shareholders—diluted (note 1)

 

0.269

0.222

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic net income per share attributable
      to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

132,946,829

133,808,589

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,072,148

135,124,141

Weighted average shares used in calculating basic non-GAAP net income per share
      attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

132,946,829

133,808,589

Weighted average shares used in calculating diluted non-GAAP net income per
      share attributable to China Distance Education Holdings Limited

134,072,148

135,124,141

 Note 1: Each ADS represents four ordinary shares