Chapter I — General Provisions
Article 1 [Purpose and Project Positioning] Asia Cover Figure is a documentary media for business figures and a public archival project for business figures. This Standard governs the research, assessment, archive collection, admission and filing of figures under this project; it does not constitute rules for any award or ranked selection. This Standard is formulated to unify the research and assessment standards applied by the Editorial Committee, and to set out the basic prerequisites for archive admission, the grounds for exclusion, and the rules on archive administration.
Article 2 [Basic Principles]
(1) Independence. The research and assessment work of this publication is conducted independently by the Editorial Committee and is not subject to interference by any external institution, by the views of any individual, or by any commercial arrangement.
(2) Impartiality. All figures within the scope of research are researched and assessed under the conditions set out in this Standard, with uniform standards and equal treatment.
(3) Professionalism. Research and assessment take business achievement, industry contribution, public influence and personal qualities as the core dimensions; the Editorial Committee makes a comprehensive judgment as to whether a figure possesses archival preservation value.
(4) Non-commerciality. The research and assessment work of this publication is not influenced by any commercial service, sponsorship arrangement or external interest. All assessment decisions are made independently by the Editorial Committee, and no fee is charged for evaluation, shortlisting or admission. The research and assessment work of this publication is independent of the other media businesses of this publication; this Standard governs only research for admission and archive admission, and does not concern the other products and services of this publication.
Article 3 [Scope of Application]
This Standard applies to the research, assessment and archive admission of figures for the flagship publication of Asia Cover Figure and for the thematic columns established under it.
The flagship publication features Cover Figure · Visionary Leaders, open to business leaders at the ten-billion-RMB level; figures are identified solely through editorial research conducted by the Editorial Committee, and no open application channel is provided. Figures approved for archiving and admission through editorial research are assigned an ACF archive code directly.
The thematic columns include, without limitation, New Business Leaders, Contemporary Fujian Merchants, Contemporary Jiangxi Merchants, Contemporary Zhejiang Merchants, Cantonese Business Leaders, Women of Influence and others. They are open to business figures with regional influence, growth potential or benchmark significance, and are open to recommendation and self-recommendation. Figures who pass the preliminary assessment for a thematic column are placed on the annual research shortlist and brought within the scope of editorial review by the Editorial Committee; formal admission is decided independently by the Editorial Committee in the exercise of news-value judgment. The annual shortlist is reviewed once each year; removals and admissions are published periodically in the editorial monthly report. The establishment of columns is governed by the ACF Coding Charter and the latest public notices of the Editorial Committee.
Article 4 [Definitions]
(1) Admission: a figure, following assessment by the Editorial Committee, is formally entered on the cover roll of Asia Cover Figure, a Cover Archive is established, and a cover report is published.
(2) ACF Code: the unique code of an Asia Cover Figure Cover Archive. It is an internal permanent storage identifier of the archive library and is not an honor or qualification conferred externally.
(3) Editorial research: an editorial method whereby the Editorial Committee identifies, researches and invites figures on its own initiative.
(4) Recommendation / self-recommendation: the submission of materials by a third-party recommender or by the figure in person; applicable to the thematic columns.
(5) Shortlist eligibility: for the purposes of this Standard, shortlisting means only that, following preliminary verification of materials, a figure is designated as a prospective subject for subsequent on-site media research and archive collection. It does not represent honorary shortlisting and does not constitute a prior guarantee of subsequent archiving or admission.
Chapter II — Research and Admission Standards for the Flagship Publication
Article 5 [Positioning of the Flagship Publication] Cover Figure · Visionary Leaders is the flagship publication of the platform, recording the strategic thinking and contemporary insights of business leaders at the ten-billion-RMB level; it is the highest-level cover narrative of this publication.
Article 6 [Flagship Publication Threshold] Research subjects must meet all of the following conditions:
(1) Enterprise valuation or market capitalization of not less than RMB 10 billion, or annual operating revenue of not less than RMB 10 billion, or a top-three ranking in the relevant industry segment (valuations are based on public valuations by mainstream authoritative third-party institutions);
(2) Serving as a founder, co-founder or member of the core decision-making level of the enterprise (Chairman / CEO / President);
(3) At least five consecutive years of practice in the relevant industry;
(4) No major legal or regulatory violation by the enterprise or the individual;
(5) Significant public influence and industry leadership in the relevant industry.
Article 7 [Editorial Research] Figures for the flagship publication are identified by the Editorial Committee solely through editorial research, and no open application channel is provided. The Editorial Committee may initiate research on its own initiative on the basis of public information, industry research and third-party recommendations.
Article 8 [Special Contribution Exemption] For figures with exceptional industry contribution or landmark influence, the revenue or valuation threshold in Article 6 may be exempted upon special review by the Editorial Committee; the relevant review record is retained in the ACF Cover Archive.
Chapter III — Research and Admission Standards for Thematic Columns
Article 9 [Positioning of the Thematic Columns] The thematic columns pursue the mission of "chronicling the figures of our time and archiving our commercial civilization," and comprise multi-dimensional figure columns recording business figures across different tracks, regions and qualities.
Article 10 [General Conditions] Prospective research subjects for the thematic columns must meet all of the following conditions:
(1) Serving as a founder, co-founder or member of the core decision-making level (Chairman / CEO / President / core executive);
(2) Annual operating revenue of the enterprise of not less than RMB 100 million (based on the audited financial statements or officially published data of the enterprise; for non-listed enterprises, data from authoritative third-party industry reports may be accepted);
(3) At least five consecutive years of practice in the relevant industry;
(4) The enterprise represented by the prospective research subject must have been operating lawfully and continuously for not less than three years (based on the establishment date recorded in the business license);
(5) No major legal or regulatory violation by the enterprise or the individual;
(6) Significant public influence or growth potential in the relevant industry.
Article 11 [Exemptions and Special Review] A newly established enterprise that reaches the revenue threshold under this Standard within a short period through technological innovation, a business-model breakthrough or major financing, and has a verifiable growth trajectory, may, upon special review by the Editorial Committee, be exempted from Article 10(4); all other general conditions must still be satisfied. The review record is placed in the archive together with the other materials.
Article 12 [Column Categories]
(1) New Business Leaders: the research subject must be no older than 55 years of age, and the enterprise led by the subject must operate in an emerging track, possess an innovative business model or a technological breakthrough, or achieve growth in a traditional industry through a clearly differentiated approach.
(2) Merchant-community columns such as Contemporary Fujian Merchants, Contemporary Jiangxi Merchants, Contemporary Zhejiang Merchants and Cantonese Business Leaders: open to merchant communities in all parts of the world, with regional influence or growth potential in their respective segments.
(3) Women of Influence: female founders, CEOs or core executives whose enterprises have benchmark significance in social responsibility, the advancement of women or industry innovation.
(4) A newly established column comes within the scope of application only after confirmation by the Editorial Committee, and is governed by the ACF Coding Charter and the latest public notices of the Editorial Committee.
Chapter IV — Research and Assessment Procedure
Article 13 [Collection of Materials] Figures who are recommended or self-recommended must submit the following materials:
(1) Basic information about the figure and a description of the position held;
(2) The enterprise business license and the financial statements or audit reports for the most recent three years;
(3) Materials evidencing the figure's influence in the relevant industry;
(4) Other supplementary materials the Editorial Committee considers necessary.
Article 14 [Preliminary Assessment] The Editorial Committee carries out a formal verification and substantive assessment of the submitted materials and renders a decision within fifteen business days after receipt of the complete materials. Those who pass enter the research stage.
Article 15 [On-site Verification and Third-party Investigation] For figures who pass the preliminary assessment, the Editorial Committee may conduct on-site verification, third-party data verification and industry interviews, in order to confirm the authenticity of the materials and whether the figure satisfies the conditions for archiving.
Article 16 [Collective Assessment by the Editorial Committee] Based on the preliminary assessment and the verification results, the Editorial Committee carries out a collective assessment of the figure and renders a decision:
(1) Flagship publication figures: a decision to admit by establishing an archive, or not to admit;
(2) Thematic column figures: a decision to place the figure on the annual research shortlist, or not to admit.
Article 17 [Editorial Review and Archiving] The Editorial Committee will periodically initiate editorial review from the annual research shortlist and complete on-site editorial work in accordance with the editorial standards of Cover Figure · Visionary Leaders. Those who pass the review are formally admitted through the establishment of an archive and assigned an ACF Code; the level of the code is determined according to the column to which the figure actually belongs and is not automatically benchmarked against the flagship publication standard.
Article 18 [Objections] At any stage, an interested party who objects to a figure's eligibility may submit a written objection and relevant supporting materials to the Editorial Committee. Upon receipt, the Editorial Committee independently investigates the objection and handles it on the facts.
Chapter V — Exclusion and Withdrawal
Article 19 [Mandatory Exclusion] The Editorial Committee shall not admit any figure who falls under any of the following circumstances; a figure already placed on the shortlist is removed as well:
(1) The figure was sentenced to criminal punishment within the most recent five years for commercial fraud, corruption or bribery, disruption of market order, or a similar offense;
(2) As of the assessment date, the figure remains a dishonest person subject to enforcement and has not fulfilled the relevant obligations;
(3) The figure bears direct responsibility for the dishonest-enforcement status of the enterprise represented;
(4) The enterprise is involved in a major safety, environmental, food-safety or financial violation, and the figure bears direct responsibility for it;
(5) False materials are provided or material facts are concealed in order to obtain admission.
Article 20 [Removal from the Shortlist] Where a figure placed on the annual research shortlist falls under any of the following circumstances, the Editorial Committee will remove the figure from the shortlist:
(1) Any exclusion circumstance set out in Article 19 of this Standard arises;
(2) The figure refuses to cooperate with on-site verification or third-party investigation;
(3) A material adverse change in the fundamentals of the enterprise or in the public image of the figure occurs, and the Editorial Committee assesses that the figure no longer possesses archival preservation value;
(4) At the annual review of the shortlist, the figure has not entered the editorial process and the Editorial Committee decides that the figure should no longer be retained.
Removal decisions are made by the Editorial Committee; removal records are placed in the archive and published periodically through the editorial monthly report. The shortlist is reviewed uniformly once each year.
Article 21 [Discretionary Exclusion] In any of the following circumstances, the Editorial Committee may, after comprehensive consideration, decide whether to continue archive collection:
(1) The enterprise is subject to ordinary enforcement proceedings that have not been concluded;
(2) The figure or the enterprise is involved in a major civil action that has not been concluded and that may affect public evaluation or commercial reputation;
(3) Other circumstances exist concerning the figure that may impair the credibility or public image of this publication.
Article 22 [Citation of Data] The judicial, credit-reporting and enterprise-credit data involved in the exclusion and withdrawal rules of this Chapter are based on China Judgments Online, the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, the Credit Reference System of the People's Bank of China, and official public information of people's courts and administrative authorities at all levels; for non-listed enterprises, authoritative third-party industry reports may be accepted.
Chapter VI — Codes, Archives and Boundaries of Rights
Article 23 [Assignment of Codes] For figures admitted through the establishment of an archive following assessment by the Editorial Committee, an independent Cover Archive is established and an ACF archive code (ACF Code) is assigned. The format of the code is: ACF-[sequence code]-[five-digit serial number]. The code is unique for life, may not be reused, and may not be altered; it is solely an internal storage identifier of the archive library and is not an honorary title conferred externally. Code-related matters are governed by the Asia Cover Figure Coding Charter and Admission Standards (coverfigure.com/acf/archive/charter).
Article 24 [Establishment of Archives] The Editorial Committee establishes an independent Cover Archive for each admitted figure, held in the Asia Cover Figure Cover Archive. The archive contains:
(1) The figure's basic information and position;
(2) The name of the column of admission and the time of admission;
(3) The ACF Code and the date of assignment;
(4) A summary of the editorial content and publication records;
(5) Public records subsequently added as the facts warrant.
Article 25 [Updating of Archives] The Editorial Committee keeps the industry standing and public records of admitted figures under continuous review and adds them to the archives as the facts warrant. Public records mean judicial judgments that have taken effect, administrative penalties, officially published information and other publicly available information that can be independently verified.
Article 26 [Editorial Discretion] The receipt of an ACF Code signifies only the completion of archive admission. Whether an admitted figure receives subsequent content reporting, and the form of any such reporting, are decided independently by the Editorial Committee on the basis of news value, public significance and editorial resources; the admitted figure does not thereby acquire any entitlement to reporting.
Article 27 [Rights in the Code] The ACF Code is the lifelong archive identifier of an admitted figure; once assigned, the figure is included in the archival system for Asian business figures. Admitted figures may verify their own archives through official channels. Archive admission and the ACF Code do not constitute an honor or qualification conferred by this institution.
Article 28 [Powers of the Editorial Committee] The Editorial Committee is the highest decision-making body for the research, assessment and archive admission work of this publication and independently exercises the following powers:
(1) Interpreting this Standard;
(2) Deciding the admission and exclusion of research subjects;
(3) Continuously updating the archives of admitted figures and adding records;
(4) Making special review and exemption decisions in accordance with this Standard;
(5) Handling objections and other matters relating to research and assessment.
Article 29 [Assessment Conclusions] Research and assessment conclusions are rendered after collective and independent deliberation by the Editorial Committee and are final; as a principle, no reconsideration or appeal procedure is provided. The Editorial Committee may, on its own authority, conduct an internal review of obvious factual errors arising in the assessment process. This Article does not affect the submission of objections by interested parties under Article 18 of this Standard.
Chapter VII — Supplementary Provisions
Article 30 [Reference] This Standard is formulated with reference to the Asia Cover Figure Coding Charter and Admission Standards (coverfigure.com/acf/archive/charter); code-related matters are governed by that Charter.
Article 31 [Non-retroactivity] This Standard takes effect on the date of publication. The archives and codes of figures whose archives were established and to whom ACF Codes were assigned before the effective date remain valid and are not reassessed or revoked by reason of the implementation of this Standard. Figures who passed assessment before the effective date but had not completed the archiving procedure shall have the applicable path re-determined by the Editorial Committee in accordance with this Standard.
Article 32 [Effect of the Text] This Standard is interpreted by the Editorial Committee. Revisions require adoption by resolution of the Editorial Committee followed by re-publication.
Article 33 [Note on Research Shortlisting] Placement on the research shortlist is a stage record made by the Editorial Committee on the basis of editorial judgment; it does not constitute a commitment to formal admission, nor does it constitute a guarantee that an ACF Code will be assigned.