Fangdd Network (DUO) 20-F 2022 FY Annual report (foreign)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

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

OR

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

OR

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

OR

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

Date of event requiring this shell company report _______________________

For the transition period from _________________ to _______________________

Commission file number 001-39109

Fangdd Network Group Ltd.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Room 602, Unit B4, Kexing Science Park

15 Keyuan Road, Technology Park

Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Xi Zeng
Chief Executive Officer
Room 602, Unit B4, Kexing Science Park
15 Keyuan Road, Technology Park
Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518057
People’s Republic of China
Phone: +86 755 2699 8968

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

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

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
American depositary shares, each representing 375 Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0000001 per share	DUO	The Nasdaq Global Market
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0000001 per share*		The Nasdaq Global Market*

* Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on the Nasdaq Global Market of American depository shares, each representing 375 Class A ordinary shares

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

None

(Title of Class)

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

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

As of December 31, 2022, there were (i) 1,850,866,648 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, par value of US$0.0000001 per share (excluding Class A ordinary shares issued to the depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our share incentive plans), (ii) 619,938,058 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, par value of US$0.0000001 per share, and (iii) 75,000 Class C ordinary shares outstanding, par value of US$0.0000001 per share.

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

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

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes ☒  No ☐

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

Large accelerated filer    ☐	Non-accelerated filer    ☒
Accelerated filer    ☐	Emerging growth company    ☒

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

Yes ☐ No ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.       Yes ☐  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b).                 Yes ☐  No ☐

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

U.S. GAAP ☒ International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐ Other ☐

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

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

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

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

		Page
PART I		4
	ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS	10
	ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE	10
	ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION	10
	ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY	67
	ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	91
	ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS	91
	ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES	106
	ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	115
	ITEM 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION	119
	ITEM 9. THE OFFER AND LISTING.	120
	ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.	121
	ITEM 11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.	137
	ITEM 12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES.	138
PART II		140
	ITEM 13. DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES.	140
	ITEM 14. MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS.	140
	ITEM 15. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.	140
	ITEM 16A. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.	141
	ITEM 16B. CODE OF ETHICS.	142
	ITEM 16C. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.	142
	ITEM 16D. EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES.	142
	ITEM 16E. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.	142
	ITEM 16F. CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT.	142
	ITEM 16G. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.	144
	ITEM 16H. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE	144
	ITEM 16I. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS	144
	ITEM 16J. INSIDER TRADING POLICIES	145
PART III		146
	ITEM 17. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	146
	ITEM 18. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	146
	ITEM 19. EXHIBITS.	147
SIGNATURES		149
FANGDD NETWORK GROUP LTD. INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS		F-1

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INTRODUCTION

Conventions Used in this Annual Report

In this annual report, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires:

● “ADSs” refer to the American depositary shares, each of which represents 375 of our Class A ordinary shares and “ADRs” refer to the American depositary receipts that evidence our ADSs;

● “active agents” refer to real estate agents who have visited our marketplace and used one or more of its functions within a period of time;

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

● “Class A ordinary shares” refer to our class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0000001 per share;

● “Class B ordinary shares” refer to our class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0000001 per share;

● “Class C ordinary shares” refer to our class C ordinary shares, par value US$0.0000001 per share;

● “closed-loop GMV” refers to the GMV of closed-loop transactions facilitated in our marketplace during the specified period;

● “closed-loop transactions” refer to property transactions of which the major steps are completed or managed by real estate agents in our marketplace;

● “commission-based GMV” refers to the GMV of commission-based transactions facilitated in our marketplace during the specified period;

● “commission-based transactions” refer to property transactions from which we derive base commission revenue, which are currently comprised of new property transactions facilitated in our marketplace;

● “Fangdd Network,” “variable interest entity” or “VIE” refers to Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China in 2011;

● “GMV” refers to gross merchandise value, which is calculated as the total value of all transactions we facilitate on our marketplace, including the value of the new property sales and resale property transactions and the total rent of the rental property transactions;

● “new properties” refer to new residential properties, including new developments and ongoing projects from real estate developers;

● “ordinary shares” refer to our Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares;

● “resale properties” refer to previously-owned residential properties for sale;

● “RMB” and “Renminbi” refer to the legal currency of China;

● “SaaS” refers to software as a service, a cloud-based software licensing and delivery model in which software and associated data are centrally hosted;

● “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$” or “dollars” refers to the legal currency of the United States; and

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● “we,” “us,” “our company”, “our” and “Fangdd Cayman” refer to Fangdd Network Group Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company and its subsidiaries and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, also include its consolidated PRC affiliated entities, including the VIE and its subsidiaries.

Our reporting currency is Renminbi because our business is mainly conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi. This annual report contains translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from Renminbi into U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this annual report were made at the rate of RMB6.8972 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of December 30, 2022 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe-harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

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

● our mission and strategies;

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

● expected changes in our revenues, costs or expenditures;

● our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our services;

● competition in our industry;

● government policies and regulations related to our industry; and

● assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

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

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this annual report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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PART I

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please carefully consider the risks discussed under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” in this annual report.

Our Holding Company Structure and Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and Its Shareholders

Fangdd Network Group Ltd. is not an operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with operations primarily conducted by its subsidiaries and variable interest entity, or the VIE, and the VIE’s subsidiaries. Foreign ownership in the business involving value-added telecommunications service (except for e-commerce, domestic conferencing, store-and-forward, and call center services), including internet real estate services, is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws, rules and regulations. Accordingly, we operate these businesses in China through Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Fangdd Network or the VIE, in this annual report. A series of contractual arrangements were entered into among one of our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries, Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Shenzhen Fangdd or the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s nominee shareholders, which we refer to as the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements. These agreements allow the WFOE to (i) direct the activities of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries; and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interest in the VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. As a result of the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements, we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE for accounting purposes and treat it as a PRC consolidated entity under U.S. GAAP. We consolidate the financial results of the VIE and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Neither we nor our investors own any equity ownership in, direct foreign investment in, or control through such ownership/investment of the VIE. These Fangdd Network VIE Agreements have not been tested in a court of law in the PRC. As a result, investors in our ADSs are not purchasing equity interest in our operating entities in China but instead are purchasing equity interest in a Cayman Islands holding company.

As used in this annual report, (i) “Fangdd Network,” “variable interest entity” or “VIE” refers to Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the People’s Republic of China; (ii) “Shenzhen Fangdd,” or “WFOE” refers to Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd.; (iii) “Fangdd Cayman” or “our holding company” refers to Fangdd Network Group Ltd., our Cayman Islands holding company; and (iv) “we,” “us,” “our company,” or “our” refer to Fangdd Network Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, also include the VIE and its subsidiaries.

Our corporate structure is subject to risks associated with our contractual arrangements with the VIE. Our holding company that investors will own may never have a direct ownership interest in the businesses that are conducted by the VIE. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business in China do not comply with PRC laws and regulations, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in the operations of the VIE. This would result in the VIE being deconsolidated. The majority of our assets, including the necessary licenses to conduct business in China, are held by the VIE. A significant part of our revenue is generated by the VIE. An event that results in the deconsolidation of the VIE would have a material adverse effect on our operations and result in the ADSs diminishing substantially in value or even becoming worthless. Our holding company, the WFOE, the VIE and our investors face uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC government that could affect the enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIE and, consequently, significantly affect the financial performance of the VIE and our company as a whole. For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors— Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” in this annual report.

We and the VIE face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to doing business in Mainland China and Hong Kong. A significant part of our business operations in China are conducted through the VIE, and we are subject to complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we and the VIE face risks associated with regulatory approvals on offshore offerings, the use of variable interest entities, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list on a United States or other foreign exchange. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless. For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China.”

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The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines that a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be subject to inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit its securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report relaying to the SEC its determinations that the board was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first “Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act” indicating that those companies were formally subject to the delisting provisions. In May 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act due to the fact that our previous auditor was located in Mainland China and could not be inspected by the PCAOB. See https://www.sec.gov/hfcaa.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC a Statement of Protocol, which gives the PCAOB sole discretion to select the firms, audit engagements and potential violations it inspects and investigates and put in place procedures for PCAOB inspectors and investigators to view complete audit work papers with all information included and for the PCAOB to retain information as needed. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed Mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions.

We have engaged our current auditor, a Singapore-based accounting firm that is registered with the PCAOB, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, and our current auditor can be inspected under the PCAOB requirements. However, if the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, it may create uncertainties about the ability of our current auditor to fully cooperate with the PCAOB’s request for audit workpapers. Such lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would cause our ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors —Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCA Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”

Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have obtained the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities in China, including, among others, the Value-Added Telecommunication Business Operating License and the Certificate of Filing of Real Estate Brokerage Business. Given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the functions and services of our platform in the future. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks related to Our Business and Industry—If we fail to obtain or keep licenses, permits or approvals applicable to the various real estate services provided by us, we may incur significant financial penalties and other government sanctions.”

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The PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. For example, on February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated a set of new regulations, including the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines. The regulations came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Requirements for filing entities, time points and procedures are specified. Where a PRC domestic company indirectly offers and lists securities in overseas markets, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity to file with the CSRC. Companies, like us, that are already listed overseas as of March 31, 2023 are not required to make an immediate filing with the CSRC until a subsequent offering, in which case a filing should be made with the CSRC within three business days after the offering is completed. Failure to complete the filing required by the Trial Measures may result in a warning and a fine between RMB1 million and RMB10 million. Additionally, on December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, together with another twelve regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which came into effect on February 15, 2022. The Cybersecurity Review Measures require that, an online platform operator that possesses personal data of more than one million users shall declare to the Office of Cybersecurity Review for cybersecurity review before listing in a foreign country. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks related to Doing Business in China—The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”

Furthermore, in connection with our previous issuance of securities to investors, under current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we, our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, (i) are not required to obtain permissions or approvals from the CSRC, and (ii) are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the CAC, because (i) the ownership structures of our PRC subsidiaries and VIE were not established through acquisition of equity interest or assets of any PRC domestic company by foreign entities as defined under the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investor, and (ii) the Cybersecurity Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of “affect or may affect national security.” In addition, we, our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have not been asked to obtain or denied such permissions by any PRC authority, nor have we received any inquiry, notice, warning or sanctions regarding our corporate structure and contractual arrangements from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC governmental agency. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws. Accordingly, a PRC government agency may take a view that is contrary to the above conclusion.

Doing Business in China

We and the VIE face risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China in general, including, but not limited to, the following:

● Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations. The enforcement of laws and regulations in China could be uncertain and the rules and policies in China may change quickly with little advance notice, which could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. See “Item 3. Key Information— D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs;”

● The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our ADSs. Any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs;” and

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● We believe that we are not required to submit an application for the approval under the M&A Rules for an offshore offering. However, the approval and/or other requirements of the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required under future laws and regulations in connection with an offering under PRC rules, regulations or policies, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding offshore offering from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC government authorities. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining the requisite governmental approval for an offering, or a rescission of such approval, may subject us to sanctions imposed by the relevant PRC regulatory authority. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors —Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”

Since 2021, the PRC government has initiated a series of regulatory actions and guidelines to regulate business operations in China, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and strength the administration on data cross-border transfer, regulating overseas securities offering and listing, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement, which may impact our ability to conduct business, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or other foreign exchange.

● On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly made public the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies. As these opinions are recently issued, official guidance and related implementation rules have not been issued yet and the interpretation of these opinions remains unclear at this stage.

● The PRC Data Security Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of PRC National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, on June 10, 2021 and became effective on September 1, 2021, outlines the main system framework of data security protection. The Personal Information Protection Law, which was promulgated by the SCNPC on August 20, 2021 and became effective on November 1, 2021, outlines the main system framework of personal information protection and processing. Given that these laws were recently promulgated or issued, their interpretation, application and enforcement are subject to substantial uncertainties.

● The PRC government authorities have taken steps to limit the method and manner that the internet companies may apply when using the algorithms. For instance, the CAC, together with eight other government authorities, jointly issued the Guidelines on Strengthening the Comprehensive Regulation of Algorithms for Internet Information Services on September 17, 2021, which provide that daily monitoring of data use, application scenarios, and effects of algorithms must be carried out by the relevant regulators, and relevant regulators should conduct security assessments of algorithms. The guidelines also provide that an algorithm filing system should be established, and classified security management of algorithms should be promoted. In addition, on December 31, 2021, the CAC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the PRC, or the MIIT, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, the SAMR, promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Service Algorithm-Based Recommendation, which became effective on March 1, 2022. The Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Service Algorithm-Based Recommendation stipulate that algorithm-based recommendation service providers should inform users of their provision of algorithm-based recommendation services in a conspicuous manner, and publicize the basic principles, purpose intentions, and main operating mechanisms of algorithm-based recommendation services in an appropriate manner, and shall provide users with the function of selecting or deleting user tags based on their personal characteristics used for algorithm recommendation services. Regulatory requirements and enforcement regarding the Administrative Provisions on Internet Information Service Algorithm-Based Recommendation are constantly evolving, and the levels of practice in industrial implementation are not same. We will continue to take necessary measures and will closely monitor the regulatory development and adjust our business operations from time to time to comply with the regulations over algorithm-based recommendation.

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● On November 14, 2021, the CAC published the draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, for public comments until December 13, 2021. The Draft Data Security Regulations require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than one million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. As no detailed rules or implementation of the Draft Data Security Regulations have been issued, the CAC and the PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. We cannot predict the impact of the Draft Data Security Regulations, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess any development in the rulemaking process. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. If we are not able to comply with the cybersecurity and data privacy requirements in a timely manner, or at all, we may be subject to government enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, or suspension of our non-compliant operations, among other sanctions, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

● On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other PRC regulatory authorities jointly revised and issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engaged in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of “affect or may affect national security”, and the Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the impact of the Cyber Security Review Measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard.

● On July 7, 2022, the CAC issued the Measures for the Security Assessment of Data Cross-border Transfer, which became effective on September 1, 2022. The Measures for the Security Assessment of Data Cross-border Transfer require that any data processor providing important data collected and generated during operations within the territory of the PRC or personal information that should be subject to security assessment according to law to an overseas recipient shall conduct security assessment. The Measures for the Security Assessment of Data Cross-border Transfer provide four circumstances, under any of which data processors shall, through the local cyberspace administration at the provincial level, apply to the national cyberspace administration for security assessment of data cross-border transfer. These circumstances include (i) where a data processor transfers important data overseas; (ii) where a critical information infrastructure operator, or a data processor processing the personal information of more than one million individuals, who, in either case, transfers personal information overseas; (iii) where a data processor who has, since January 1 of the previous year cumulatively transferred overseas the personal information of more than 100,000 individuals, or the sensitive personal information of more than 10,000 individuals; or (iv) other circumstances under which security assessment of data cross-border transfer is required as prescribed by the national cyberspace administration. Any failure to comply with such requirements may subject us to, among others, suspension of services, fines, revoking relevant business permits or business licenses and penalties.

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● On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated a set of new regulations, including the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines. The regulations came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Requirements for filing entities, time points and procedures are specified. Where a PRC domestic company indirectly offers and lists securities in overseas markets, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity to file with the CSRC. Companies that are already listed overseas as of March 31, 2023 are not required to make an immediate filing with the CSRC until a subsequent offering, in which case a filing should be made with the CSRC within three business days after the offering is completed. Failure to complete the filing required by the Trial Measures may result in a warning and a fine between RMB1 million and RMB10 million. However, uncertainty remains as to the details of these regulations and their interpretation and implementation upon promulgation.

● The State Anti-Monopoly Bureau, the anti-monopoly enforcement agency in the PRC, has in recent years strengthened enforcement under the Anti-Monopoly Law, including conducting investigations and levying significant fines with respect to concentration of undertakings, cartel activity, monopoly agreements and abusive behavior by companies with market dominance. In February 2021, the Anti-Monopoly Committee of the State Council published the guideline that aims at specifying some of the circumstances under which an activity of internet platforms may be identified as a monopolistic act as well as setting out merger controlling filing procedures involving variable interest entities. We cannot assure you that we will not be affected, either directly or indirectly, by the strengthened enforcements actions taken by the authority. In addition, in order to comply with existing and new anti-monopoly laws, regulations and guidance which are constantly evolving, we may need to devote additional resources and efforts, which may adversely affect our business, growth prospects, and the value of our ADSs, and any incompliance or associated inquiries, investigations and other governmental actions may divert significant management time and attention and our financial resources, bring negative publicity, subject us to liabilities or administrative penalties, and materially and adversely affect our financial condition, operations and business prospects.

For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation” in this annual report on Form 20-F.

Cash Flows Through Our Organization

Under our current corporate structure, we may rely on dividend payments from our subsidiaries, to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. As of the date of this annual report, none of our subsidiaries have ever issued any dividends or made other distributions to us or their respective holding companies nor have we or any of our subsidiaries ever paid dividends or made other distributions to U.S. investors. We currently intend to retain all future earnings to finance business operations. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends to us or on the ability of the VIE to make payments to us may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements. If any of our subsidiaries incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing such debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. To the extent cash in the business is in the PRC or a PRC entity, and may need to be used to fund operations outside of the PRC, the funds may not be available due to limitations placed by the government. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—A. [Reserved]—Transfer of Cash Through Our Organization,” “Item 3. Key Information—A. [Reserved]—Impact of Taxation on Dividends or Distributions,” and “Item 3. Key Information—A. [Reserved]—Restrictions and Limitations on Transfer of Capital.”

9

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

Our Corporate Structure and Related Risks

Fangdd Network Group Ltd. is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations in China primarily through our PRC subsidiary Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shenzhen Fangdd or the WFOE, the VIE Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Fangdd Network or the VIE, and the VIE’s subsidiaries. Foreign ownership in the business involving value-added telecommunications service (except for e-commerce, domestic conferencing, store-and-forward, and call center services), including internet real estate services, is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws, rules and regulations. Accordingly, these businesses are operated by the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries. Investors in our ADSs thus are not purchasing equity interest in our operating entities in China but instead are purchasing equity interest in a Cayman Islands holding company.

The following chart illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this annual report.

(1) Shareholders of Fangdd Network are Yi Duan, Jiancheng Li, Xi Zeng, Wei Zhang, Li Zhou, Jingjing Huang, Jiaorong Pan, Wentao Bai and Ying Lu, holding 31.95%, 19.75%, 16.87%, 9.0%, 8.87%, 8.0%, 2.66%, 2.0% and 0.9%, respectively, of the equity interest in Fangdd Network. Yi Duan is our director. Xi Zeng is our chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. Jiaorong Pan is our director and chief operating officer.

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(2) As of the date of this annual report, Fangdd Network had 24 wholly owned subsidiaries.

Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and Its Shareholders

Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any equity interest in the VIE. The equity interest in the VIE is legally held by individuals who act as nominee shareholders of the VIE on behalf of the WFOE. A series of contractual arrangements were entered into between the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders, which we refer to as the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements. The Fangdd Network VIE Agreements were originally entered into in March 2014 and subsequently amended to include registration of the Equity Interest Pledge Agreements with the relevant registration authority and amended when three nominee shareholders transferred equity interest in Fangdd Network to other nominee shareholders in 2017. The Fangdd Network VIE Agreements allow the WFOE to (i) direct the activities of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries; and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interest in the VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC law. As a result of the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements, we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE for accounting purposes and treat it as a PRC consolidated entity under U.S. GAAP. We consolidate the financial results of the VIE in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The Fangdd Network VIE Agreements include Business Operation Agreement, Powers of Attorney, Equity Interest Pledge Agreements, Option Agreements, Operation Maintenance Service Agreement and Technology Development and Application Service Agreement. The following is a brief description of the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements:

● Business Operation Agreement. Pursuant to the business operation agreement, Fangdd Network and its shareholders undertake that without the Shenzhen Fangdd’s prior written consent, Fangdd Network shall not (i) enter into any transactions that may have material effects on Fangdd Network’s assets, obligations, rights or business operations, (ii) sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of any rights associated with their equity interest in Fangdd Network, (iii) approve any merger or acquisition of Fangdd Network, (iv) take any actions that may have a material adverse effect on Fangdd Network’s assets, businesses and liabilities, or sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose or impose other encumbrances of any assets, businesses or income of Fangdd Network, (v) request Fangdd Network to declare dividend or make other distribution, (vi) amend Fangdd Network’s articles of association and (vii) increase, decrease or otherwise change Fangdd Network’s registered capital. Shenzhen Fangdd may request Fangdd Network to transfer at any time all the intellectual property rights held by Fangdd Network to Shenzhen Fangdd or any person designated by the Shenzhen Fangdd. Fangdd Network and certain of its shareholders, including Yi Duan, Jiancheng Li and Xi Zeng, shall be jointly and severally responsible for the performance of their obligations under this agreement.

● Powers of Attorney. Each shareholder of Fangdd Network has issued a power of attorney, irrevocably appointing Mr. Jiancheng Li, the director of Shenzhen Fangdd, or any person designated by Shenzhen Fangdd, as such shareholder’s attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights.

● Equity Interest Pledge Agreements. Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements, Fangdd Network’s shareholders have pledged all of his or her equity interest in Fangdd Network to Shenzhen Fangdd to guarantee the performance by Fangdd Network and its shareholders of their obligations under the master agreements, which include technology development and application service agreement, the operation maintenance service agreement, the business operation agreement and the option agreements.

● Option Agreements. Pursuant to the option agreements, Fangdd Network’s shareholder has irrevocably granted Shenzhen Fangdd an exclusive option, to the extent permitted by PRC law, to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion all or part of the shareholder’s equity interest in Fangdd Network or all or part of Fangdd Network’s assets.

● Operation Maintenance Service Agreement. Pursuant to the operation maintenance service agreement, Shenzhen Fangdd has the exclusive right to provide Fangdd Network with operation maintenance services and marketing services.

● Technology Development and Application Service Agreement. Pursuant to the technology development and application service agreement, Shenzhen Fangdd has the exclusive right to provide Fangdd Network with technology development and application services.

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For a summary of the material provisions of the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements, please refer to “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure” in this annual report on Form 20-F.

The contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over Fangdd Network, and we may incur substantial costs to enforce the terms of the arrangements. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability, as a Cayman Islands holding company, to enforce these contractual arrangements and doing so may be quite costly. There are also substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules regarding the status of the rights of our Cayman Islands holding company with respect to its contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws, rules or regulations related to VIE structures will be adopted or if adopted, what effect they may have on our corporate structure. If, as a result of such contractual arrangements, we or Fangdd Network is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or such contractual arrangement is determined as illegal and invalid by the PRC court, arbitral tribunal or regulatory authorities, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, please refer to risks disclosed under “Item 3.D. Key Information—Risk Factors— Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” in this annual report on Form 20-F.

We and the VIE are also subject to risks and uncertainties related to our corporate structure, including, but not limited to, the following:

● We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, based on the opinion of our PRC legal counsel, we believe that our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE are not subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, the CAC, nor any other entity to approve these contractual arrangements. However, PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the view of our PRC counsel. There can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT, or other authorities that regulate our business and other participants in the telecommunications industry, would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding our corporate structure and contractual arrangements from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC government authorities. If we inadvertently conclude that approvals are not required, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently and we are required to obtain approval in the future, our shares may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of our PRC subsidiaries that conduct all or substantially all of our operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations;”

● We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders for our business operations, and these contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIE. We rely on the performance by the VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over the VIE. The shareholders of the VIE may not act in the best interests of us or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with the VIE. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to exercise control over our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control;”

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● Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material adverse effect on our business. If the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure you will be effective under PRC law. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business;” and

● The shareholders of the VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition. The shareholders of the VIE may breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to effectively control the VIE and receive economic benefits from them. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—The shareholders of the VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.”

A.[Reserved]

Financial Information Related to the VIE and Parent

Set forth below are the condensed consolidating schedules showing the results of operations, financial position and cash flows for our holding company, the VIE and its subsidiaries and our other subsidiaries, eliminating adjustments and consolidated totals for the periods and as of the dates presented.

Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Results of Operations

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2022
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Results of Operations	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Revenue(1)	—	6,906	239,879	(837)	245,948
Cost of revenue(1)	—	(7,585)	(213,628)	—	(221,213)
Gross profit	—	(679)	26,251	(837)	24,735
Operating expenses	(167,076)	(63,587)	(58,251)	14,786	(274,128)
Loss from operations	(167,076)	(64,266)	(32,000)	13,949	(249,393)
Other income (expenses)(1)	10,204	14,925	(8,580)	743	17,292
Equity loss of subsidiaries and the VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries(2)	(111,344)	—	—	111,344	—
Loss before income tax	(268,216)	(49,341)	(40,580)	126,036	(232,101)
Income tax expense	—	(4,345)	(3,142)	—	(7,487)
Net loss	(268,216)	(53,686)	(43,722)	126,036	(239,588)

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	For the Year Ended December 31, 2021
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Results of Operations	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Revenue(1)	—	41,251	905,284	(4,155)	942,380
Cost of revenue(1)	—	(5,880)	(829,993)	—	(835,873)
Gross profit	—	35,371	75,291	(4,155)	106,507
Operating expenses	(13,058)	(190,134)	(891,441)	30,831	(1,063,802)
Loss from operations	(13,058)	(154,763)	(816,150)	26,676	(957,295)
Other income (expenses)(1)	2,462	(25,652)	(206,935)	(6,670)	(236,795)
Equity loss of subsidiaries and the VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries(2)	(626,570)	—	—	626,570	—
Loss before income tax	(637,166)	(180,415)	(1,023,085)	646,576	(1,194,090)
Income tax credit (expense)	—	1,854	(8,854)	(1,907)	(8,907)
Net loss	(637,166)	(178,561)	(1,031,939)	644,669	(1,202,997)

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Results of Operations		Other	VIE and its	Eliminating	Consolidated
	Parent	Subsidiaries	subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Revenue(1)	—	351	2,450,937	(1)	2,451,287
Cost of revenue(1)	—	(101)	(2,036,664)	(56)	(2,036,821)
Gross profit	—	250	414,273	(57)	414,466
Operating expenses	(13,607)	(20,291)	(606,740)	152	(640,486)
Income from operations	(13,607)	(20,041)	(192,467)	95	(226,020)
Other income (expenses)(1)	3,366	3,097	125,320	(112,473)	19,310
Equity loss of subsidiaries and the VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries(2)	(115,964)	—	—	115,964	—
Loss before income tax	(126,205)	(16,944)	(67,147)	3,586	(206,710)
Income tax credit (expense)	—	98	(16,138)	1,375	(14,665)
Net loss	(126,205)	(16,846)	(83,285)	4,961	(221,375)

Notes:

(1) Intercompany provision of services of promotion, entrusted loan services, sales of software copyright were eliminated at the consolidation level.

(2) It represents the elimination of the investment in the VIE and its subsidiaries by Fangdd Network Group Ltd.

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Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Financial Position

	As of December 31, 2022
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidating Schedule of Financial Position	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents	22,710	64,374	56,850	—	143,934
Restricted cash	—	—	38,811	—	38,811
Short-term investments	—	—	2,000	—	2,000
Accounts receivable, net	—	4,728	466,269	—	470,997
Prepayments and other current assets	—	4,747	188,144	(895)	191,996
Amounts due from subsidiaries and VIE(2)	1,666,630	1,952,730	600,557	(4,219,917)	—
Others(1)	—	113,713	227,075	(111,847)	228,941
Total assets	1,689,340	2,140,292	1,579,706	(4,332,659)	1,076,679
Short-term bank borrowings	—	—	72,500	—	72,500
Accounts payable	—	20,920	638,295	—	659,215
Customers’ refundable fees	—	—	30,747	—	30,747
Accrued expenses and other payables	27,224	12,813	145,088	(3,985)	181,140
Amounts due to subsidiaries and VIE(2)	—	2,355,022	1,535,076	(3,890,098)	—
Others	—	5,899	31,784	—	37,683
Total liabilities	27,224	2,394,654	2,453,490	(3,894,083)	981,285
Total equity (deficit)	1,662,116	(254,362)	(873,784)	(438,576)	95,394

	As of December 31, 2021
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidating Schedule of Financial Position	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents	162,974	101,391	227,742	—	492,107
Restricted cash	—	—	24,131	—	24,131
Short-term investments	—	—	6,150	—	6,150
Accounts receivable, net	—	5,637	879,103	—	884,740
Prepayments and other current assets	—	11,437	206,689	2,045	220,171
Amounts due from subsidiaries and VIE(2)	1,764,671	1,859,354	627,140	(4,251,165)	—
Others(1)	—	127,902	284,624	(126,842)	285,684
Total assets	1,927,645	2,105,721	2,255,579	(4,375,962)	1,912,983
Short-term bank borrowings	—	—	134,780	—	134,780
Accounts payable	—	21,371	1,154,572	—	1,175,943
Customers’ refundable fees	—	—	30,997	—	30,997
Accrued expenses and other payables	28,207	29,254	171,725	9,012	238,198
Amounts due to subsidiaries and VIE(2)	—	2,107,528	1,569,400	(3,676,928)	—
Others	—	1,404	27,984	—	29,388
Total liabilities	28,207	2,159,557	3,089,458	(3,667,916)	1,609,306
Total equity (deficit)	1,899,438	(53,837)	(833,879)	(708,045)	303,677

Notes:

(1) Intercompany provision of services of promotion, entrusted loan services, sales of software copyright were eliminated at the consolidation level.

(2) It represents the elimination of intercompany balances among the parent, the VIE and its subsidiaries and our other subsidiaries.

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Condensed Consolidated Schedule of Cash Flows

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2022
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidating Schedule of Cash Flows	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities(1)	(5,064)	(24,555)	(77,162)	(20,202)	(126,983)
Net cash used in investing activities(1)	(149,372)	(2,838)	(8,355)	1,297	(159,268)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(1)	3,136	(10,000)	(70,695)	18,905	(58,654)
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	11,036	376	—	—	11,412
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(140,264)	(37,017)	(156,212)	—	(333,493)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year	162,974	101,391	251,873	—	516,238
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the year	22,710	64,374	95,661	—	182,745

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2021
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidating Schedule of Cash Flows	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Net cash used in operating activities(1)	(18,400)	(22,052)	(20,162)	(4)	(60,618)
Net cash used in investing activities(1)	(128,192)	(55,004)	(43,725)	183,196	(43,725)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(1)	—	43,426	(167,363)	(183,192)	(307,129)
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	—	(8,320)	—	—	(8,320)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(146,592)	(41,950)	(231,250)	—	(419,792)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year	309,566	143,341	483,123	—	936,030
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the year	162,974	101,391	251,873	—	516,238

	For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
		Other	VIE and Its	Eliminating	Consolidated
Condensed Consolidating Schedule of Cash Flows	Parent	Subsidiaries	Subsidiaries	Adjustments	Totals
	(in RMB thousands)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities(1)	(5,894)	606,356	(312,630)	(612,827)	(324,995)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities(1)	(115,569)	(803,000)	14,500	909,917	5,848
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities(1)	—	115,569	134,964	(297,090)	(46,557)
Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	—	(32,138)	—	—	(32,138)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(121,463)	(113,213)	(163,166)	—	(397,842)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year	431,029	256,554	646,289	—	1,333,872
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the year	309,566	143,341	483,123	—	936,030

Note:

(1) It represents the cash flows that have occurred among the parent, the VIE and its subsidiaries and our other subsidiaries, including bank entrusted loan, equity investment and other operating activities.

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Roll-Forward of the Amounts Due From Subsidiaries and VIE

	For the Year Ended December 31,
Amounts Due From Subsidiaries and VIE	2020	2021	2022
	(in RMB thousands)
As of January 1	2,145,325	2,219,626	1,764,671
Cash paid to other subsidiaries	648,202	128,192	457
Cash received on behalf of other subsidiaries	(553,449)	—	(8,358)
Equity loss of subsidiaries and the VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries	(115,964)	(626,570)	(111,344)
Share based compensation	102,750	47,067	16,724
Effect of foreign currency translation	(7,238)	(3,664)	4,479
As of December 31	2,219,626	1,764,671	1,666,629

Transfer of Cash Through Our Organization

Fangdd Network Group Ltd. is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own. We currently conduct our operations primarily through Fangdd Network, the VIE, and its subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB182.7 million (US$26.5 million) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and RMB2.0 million (US$0.3 million) in short-term investments that consisted of investments in wealth management products which are redeemable by us at any time. Although we consolidate the results of the VIE and its subsidiaries, we only have access to the assets or earnings of the VIE and its subsidiaries through our contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. The cash flows that have occurred between our holding company, its subsidiaries and the VIE are summarized as follows:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020	2021	2022
	(in US$millions)
Cash received by Fangdd Network Group Ltd. as equity investment	80.2	—	0.5
Cash paid by Fangdd Network Group Ltd. to Fangdd Network Holding Ltd. (Hong Kong) to invest in WFOE, Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd.(1)	95.6	21.5	—
Cash paid by Fangdd Network Holding Ltd. (Hong Kong) to contribute to the payment to WFOE as paid-in capital	113.2	12.8	—
Cash paid by WFOE to VIE, Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., through bank entrusted loan (2)	118.5	69.0	5.7

Notes:

(1) Part of Fangdd Network Holding Ltd. (Hong Kong)’s cash used to invest in Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd. was from its bank balance of previous years’ equity financing before 2016.

(2) Part of Shenzhen Fangdd Information Technology Co., Ltd.’s cash used to loan to the VIE was from its bank balance of previous years’ equity financing before 2016.

Pursuant to the operation maintenance service agreement, Shenzhen Fangdd has the exclusive right to provide the VIE with operation maintenance services and marketing services. Fangdd Network agrees to pay service fees on an annual basis and at an amount determined by the WFOE after taking into account factors such as the labor cost, facility cost and marketing expenses incurred by the WFOE in providing the services. Pursuant to the technology development and application service agreement, Shenzhen Fangdd has the exclusive right to provide Fangdd Network with technology development and application services. Fangdd Network agrees to pay service fees on an annual basis and at an amount determined by Shenzhen Fangdd after taking into account multiple factors, such as the labor and time consumed for the provision of the service, the type and complexity of the services provided, the difficulties in providing the service, the commercial value of services provided and the market price of comparable services. Since Fangdd Network has incurred and accumulated losses historically, there was no service fee payable by Fangdd Network to Shenzhen Fangdd.

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Impact of Taxation on Dividends or Distributions

Fangdd Network Group Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and conducts business in China through its PRC subsidiaries and the VIE. Neither our subsidiaries nor the consolidated VIE has declared or paid any dividend or distribution to us. We have never declared or paid any dividend on our ordinary shares and we have no current intention to pay dividends to shareholders. We currently intend to retain all future earnings to finance our operations and to expand our business. Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, Fangdd Network Group Ltd. is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. Upon payments of dividends to our shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed.

For purposes of illustration, the following discussion reflects the hypothetical taxes that might be required to be paid in Mainland China and Hong Kong, assuming that: (i) we have taxable earnings, and (ii) we determine to pay a dividend in the future:

Hypothetical pre-tax earnings(1)	100.00
Tax on earnings at statutory rate of 25% at Shenzhen Fangdd level	(25.00)
Amount to be distributed as dividend from Shenzhen Fangdd to Hong Kong subsidiary(2)	75.00
Withholding tax at tax treaty rate of 5%	(3.75)
Amount to be distributed as dividend at Hong Kong subsidiary level and net distribution to Fangdd Network Group Ltd.	71.25

Notes:

(1) For purposes of this example, the tax calculation has been simplified. The hypothetical book pre-tax earnings amount is assumed to equal Chinese taxable income.

(2) China’s Enterprise Income Tax Law imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by a foreign invested enterprise to its immediate holding company outside of Mainland China. A lower withholding income tax rate of 5% is applied if the foreign invested enterprise’s immediate holding company is registered in Hong Kong or other jurisdictions that have a tax treaty arrangement with Mainland China, subject to a qualification review at the time of the distribution. There is no incremental tax at Hong Kong subsidiary level for any dividend distribution to Fangdd Network Group Ltd. If a 10% withholding income tax rate is imposed, the withholding tax will be 7.5 and the amount to be distributed as dividend at Hong Kong subsidiary level and net distribution to Fangdd Network Group Ltd. will be 67.5.

Restrictions and Limitations on Transfer of Capital

We face various restrictions and limitations on foreign exchange, our ability to transfer cash between entities, across borders and to U.S. investors, and our ability to distribute earnings from our businesses, including our subsidiaries and/or the consolidated VIE, to the parent company and U.S. investors as well as the ability to settle amounts owed under the VIE agreements.

Our offshore holding company is permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions, subject to the approval of government authorities and limits on the amount of capital contributions and loans. This may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds from our initial public offering to make loans or capital contribution to our PRC subsidiaries. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.”

Under our current corporate structure, Fangdd Cayman’s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by its Hong Kong subsidiary, which in turn depends on dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries, which further depend on payments from the VIE under the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements.

● Although we consolidate the results of the VIE and its subsidiaries, we only have access to the assets or earnings of the VIE and its subsidiaries through the Fangdd Network VIE Agreements. If the PRC authorities determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure do not comply with PRC regulations, or if current regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, our ability to settle amounts owed by the VIE under the VIE agreements may be seriously hindered.

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● Our wholly owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC laws, each of our subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, after making an allocation to the statutory reserve funds from their after-tax profits, our wholly owned subsidiaries in China, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at their discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends.

● In addition, if our wholly owned subsidiaries incur debts on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debts may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us.

● Remittance of dividends by our wholly owned subsidiaries out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Approvals by or registration with appropriate government authorities are required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, our PRC subsidiaries may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us and our access to cash generated from its operations will be restricted. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.”

● Our Hong Kong subsidiary may be considered a non-resident enterprise for tax purposes, so any dividends our PRC subsidiaries pay to our Hong Kong subsidiary may be regarded as China-sourced income and, as a result, may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our subsidiaries in China, or if our Hong Kong subsidiary is determined by PRC government authority as receiving benefits from a reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, it would materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders.

● If the PRC tax authorities determine that our Cayman Islands holding company is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders, including our ADS holders, may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders, including our ADS holders, and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

Since Fangdd Network has incurred and accumulated losses historically, there was no service fee payable by Fangdd Network to Shenzhen Fangdd. As of the date of this annual report, Shenzhen Fangdd has not made any dividend payments or distributions to us, and no dividends or distributions have been made by us. We intend to keep future earnings to re-invest in and finance the expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness.

Not applicable.

C.Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds.

Not applicable.

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D.Risk Factors.

Summary of Risk Factors

Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

● We have a history of losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.

● We may face financial risks as a result of increases in doubtful accounts.

● We have a limited operating history, and we may not be able to effectively implement our business strategies.

● Our business is susceptible to fluctuations in China’s real estate market, its overall economic growth and government measures aimed at China’s real estate industry.

● The COVID-19 coronavirus has had and may continue to have adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

● We may fail to compete effectively with existing and new industry players, which could significantly reduce our market share and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

● If our marketplace is unable to offer comprehensive, authentic, accurate and up-to-date property listings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

● If we are unable to retain and attract real estate professionals or fail to continue to develop and promote our marketplace, service offerings and features, and develop the technologies that cater to their needs, our business and operating results would be harmed.

● Our reliance on a limited number of property developers may materially and adversely affect us.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

● If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

● We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to exercise control over our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

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

● Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

● Our contractual arrangements with the VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or the VIE owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

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Risks Related to Doing Business in China

● The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.

● The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.

● Changes in PRC government policies or political or social conditions could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth in China, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

● The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including a higher level of government involvement, the ongoing development of a market-oriented economy, a higher level of control over foreign exchange, and a less efficient allocation of resources.

● The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

● The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our former auditor in relation to their audit work.

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

Risks Related to The ADSs

● The market price movement of the ADSs may be volatile.

● We may be unable to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements of Nasdaq.

● The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs or ordinary shares could adversely affect their market price.

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

● If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

● Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We have a history of losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and we may not achieve profitability in the future.

We incurred a net loss of RMB221.4 million, RMB1.2 billion and RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million) in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. We had negative cash flows from operating activities of RMB325.0 million, RMB60.6 million and RMB127.0 million (US$18.4 million) in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

21

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We have experienced recurring losses from operations. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of RMB4.6 billion (US$660.8 million). For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a significant decline in our revenue, resulted a net loss of RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million) and had negative cash flows from operating activities of RMB127.0 million (US$18.4 million). As of December 31, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents balance were RMB143.9 million. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on, among other things, our ability to generate cash flows from operations and our ability to arrange adequate financing arrangements, which in turn are subject to various factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, our revenues depend on the number of active agents who establish online shops in our marketplace and the number of transactions they are able to complete within a given period using the resources offered by our marketplace. Agents’ willingness to subscribe to and pay for our premium services depends on the quality and breadth of our service offerings. As we continue to take new business initiatives to introduce more SaaS solutions, we expect our operating costs and expenses to increase in the future. We plan to devote substantial financial resources to develop real estate transaction digitalization services, including product development, sales and marketing, technology infrastructure, and strategic opportunities that may not result in increased revenue or growth in our business.

We expect that we will continue to incur losses at least in the near term as we strategically reduce the scale of our property transaction services and actively explore opportunities from other real estate transaction digitalization services. We may also incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including possible changes in general economic conditions and regulatory environment, the continued downturn status of China’s real estate market, the heightened credit risks of developers, as well as other risks described in this annual report, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays in generating revenues or profitability. Our revenue declined from 2021 to 2022, and if this trend continues, we may not be able to reduce costs in a timely manner. In addition, if we reduce variable costs to respond to losses, this may limit our ability to acquire customers and grow our revenues. Accordingly, we may not achieve or maintain profitability and may continue to incur significant losses in the future.

If our estimates relating to our allowance for doubtful accounts prove to be wrong, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our allowance for doubtful accounts decreased to a negative of RMB67.6 million (US$9.8 million) in 2022 from RMB612.7 million in 2021. We reduced our allowance for doubtful accounts due to our estimates of increased collectability of our accounts receivable from real estate developers, given that (i) a series of preferential policies were promulgated to spur the recovery of Chinese real estate market, such as greater access to credit and funding for real estate developers, mortgage interest rate cuts and lower down payments for home buyers, loosening restrictions on secondhand housing sales and purchases, and (ii) the ease of COVID-19 related restrictions in China. However, There remains uncertainty as to the effects of these preferential factors on real estate developers in repaying debts and our company in collecting accounts receivable when they become due. If our estimates relating to the allowance for doubtful accounts prove to be wrong, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We have been taking measures to protect our accounts receivable. For accounts receivable that are seriously overdue, we have initiated lawsuits and applied for injunctive relief. We enhance credit risk management by conducting periodic reviews of the credit status of the real estate developers and terminating cooperation relationships with real estate developers with poor credit conditions to ensure the collectability of our accounts receivable. If we fail to collect our accounts receivable on time or if real estate developers fail to satisfy their financial obligations towards us, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected and we may face liquidity constraints as a result.

We have a limited operating history, and we may not be able to effectively implement our business strategies.

We have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to assess our future prospects or forecast our future results of operations. While we have experienced rapid growth in 2018 and 2019 with our total revenue growing from RMB2.3 billion in 2018 to RMB3.6 billion in 2019, our total revenue dropped to RMB2.5 billion in 2020, RMB942.4 million in 2021 and RMB245.9 million (US$35.7 million) in 2022. In 2022, our growth was impacted by various factors, including the continued downturn status of China’s real estate market, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened credit risks of developers. In response to these challenges, we strategically reduced the scale of our property transaction services and actively explore opportunities from other real estate transaction digitalization services. We may fail to regain our historical growth rates or achieve profitability. You should not consider our historical growth and financial performance as indicative of our future financial performance.

22

You should consider our future operations in light of the challenges and uncertainties that we may encounter. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among other things:

● attract and retain real estate agents who conduct closed-loop transactions in our marketplace and who subscribe to our products and services;

● strengthen our cooperation with high-quality real estate developers and secure accounts receivable in light of the heightened credit risks of real estate developers;

● obtain timely, authentic and accurate property listing information and enhance our property database;

● develop and deploy new products and services and improve our real estate transaction digitalization capabilities;

● increase the number of real estate buyers and other market participants using our website and mobile applications;

● successfully compete with other companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, the business of providing residential real estate information and facilitating real estate transactions online and on mobile applications, as well as with companies that provide this information and services offline;

● successfully manage our exclusive selling business;

● effectively implement our business strategies;

● control costs and expenses associated with our business, including agents’ commission, sales and marketing expenses and salaries and benefits;

● navigate an uncertain and evolving regulatory environment and adjust our business to the changing real estate market condition; and

● maintain our regional coverage and expand geographically.

If the demand for online residential real estate transaction services does not develop as we expect, or if we fail to continue to address the needs of real estate agents, real estate sellers, real estate buyers and other market participants or attract additional marketplace users, our business and financial conditions may be materially adversely affected.

Our business is susceptible to fluctuations in China’s real estate market, its overall economic growth and government measures aimed at China’s real estate industry.

We conduct our real estate services business primarily in China. Our business depends substantially on conditions in China’s real estate industry. Demand for private residential real estate in China has grown steadily in recent years but such growth is often coupled with volatility and fluctuations in real estate transaction volume and prices. Fluctuations of supply and demand in China’s real estate industry are caused by economic, social, political, environmental and other factors. The Chinese economy has shown slower growth since 2012 compared to the previous decade and this trend is likely to continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in China’s economy may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there may be situations in which China’s real estate industry is so active that real estate developers see a reduced need for collaborating with real estate agents and reduce their spending on such initiatives, which could potentially adversely affect our results of operations. To the extent fluctuations in China’s real estate industry adversely affect spending on real estate sales and marketing, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

23

The real estate industry in China is also subject to government regulations on primary and resale property transactions, including measures that are intended to control real estate prices. In recent years, PRC governmental authorities have issued a number of restrictive rules on the real estate market. For instance, major cities in China rolled out regulatory measures to regulate the real estate market and restrict debt financing to real estate developers. For homebuyers, it takes more time than before to obtain housing bank loans under the tightened bank borrowing policies, such as the newly-implemented real estate loan concentration management system. Impacted by the macroeconomic regulation and the tightening of mortgage loans, the real estate market has rapidly cooled off and credit risk for developers has been intensifying. While these measures and policies remain in effect, they may continue to depress the real estate market, dissuade potential purchasers from making purchases, reduce transaction volume, cause a decline in average selling prices, prevent developers from raising the capital they need and increase developers’ costs to start new projects. The general trend of tightening government regulation over the real estate industry may result in lower growth rates in the real estate industry.

In recent years, PRC government authorities and certain cities also have issued a number of restrictive rules on the real estate agencies, requiring that real estate agencies shall check the ownership information of the property and the identification for the client before publication of the property information and the property information published shall be authentic, comprehensive and accurate. Recently, some of the largest and most affluent cities in China have introduced new measures to administer the price of real estate. For instance, on February 23, 2021, the Shenzhen Municipal Housing and Construction Bureau issued a work plan on a special inspection of the reference price of second-hand residential property transactions to promote stable development of the local real estate market. On March 3, 2021, governmental authorities in Shanghai announced the notice on further strengthening the administration of the real estate market in Shanghai, according to which certain restrictions are imposed on real estate newly purchased in Shanghai.

The PRC government may continue to adopt new measures in the future that may result in lower growth rates in the real estate industry. Frequent changes in government policies may also create uncertainty that could discourage investment in real estate. Our business may be materially and adversely affected as a result of decreased transaction volumes or real estate prices that may result from government policies.

The COVID-19 coronavirus has had and may continue to have adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was first reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, the COVID-19 coronavirus has spread globally. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Chinese government to take unprecedented measures to contain the virus, such as lock-down of cities, nationwide travel restrictions and compulsory quarantine requirements. After the initial outbreak in late 2019, from time to time, especially since late 2021 and throughout 2022, there were outbreaks of COVID-19 in many areas of China, particularly due to the Delta and Omicron variants. During the outbreaks, we had to temporarily close our office facilities, restrict employee travel, switch to online virtual meetings or even cancel meetings with partners. Also, we observed a significant drop in the number of real estate transactions completed in our marketplace, mainly because commercial activities, including those of real estate developers and agents, paused as a result of the outbreak.

In late 2022, China began to modify its COVID-19 policy, and most of the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements were lifted in December 2022. There were significant surges of COVID-19 cases across the country during this time, which disrupted our operations and adversely affected our operational and financial performance. There remains uncertainty as to the future impact of the virus, especially in light of this change in policy. Future lockdowns or other restrictive measures once imposed if reinitiate may have a material impact on our operations and financial condition. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other factors such as the continued downturn status of China’s real estate market, we suffered a fall in our financial results. Our total revenue decreased from RMB942.4 million in 2021 to RMB245.9 million (US$35.7 million). It is uncertain as to how long and how far the coronavirus outbreak may continue to impact our financial results. The real estate industry is affected by all of the factors that affect the economy in general. The full impact of the coronavirus is unknown at this time. If the outbreak continues and lasts for a prolonged period in the regions where we operate, the economy could suffer substantially from the measures and restrictions taken to combat the virus, which would in turn have adverse impact on the real estate industry, including our business prospects. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those relating to our high level of indebtedness, our need to generate sufficient cash flows to service our indebtedness.

24

A severe or prolonged downturn in the Chinese or global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

COVID-19 had a severe and negative impact on the Chinese and the global economy in 2021 and 2022. Due to the impact of COVID-19 and other factors, the world economy has suffered a noticeable slowdown. Whether this will lead to a prolonged downturn in the economy is still unknown. Commercial activities throughout the world could continue to be curtailed with decreased consumer spending, business disruptions, interrupted supply chains and difficulties in travel. Our business has been adversely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, the global macroeconomic environment was facing numerous challenges. The growth rate of the Chinese economy had already been slowing since 2010. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies which had been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China, even before 2021. The conflict in Ukraine and the imposition of broad economic sanctions on Russia could raise energy prices and disrupt global markets. Unrest, terrorist threats and the potential for war may increase market volatility across the globe. There have also been concerns about the relationship between China and other countries, including the surrounding Asian countries, which may potentially have economic effects. In particular, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, as well as changes in domestic economic and political policies and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may fail to compete effectively with existing and new industry players, which could significantly reduce our market share and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face competition in each of our primary business activities. At the national level, we compete primarily with other online real estate service providers in China, as well as with traditional real estate brokerage companies. In addition, we have faced, and may continue to face, competition from regional players. Our competitors may have more established brand names, larger visitor numbers and more extensive distribution channels than we do, either overall, or in specific regions in which we operate.

The business of providing online real estate services in China is becoming increasingly competitive. As the online real estate services industry in China is relatively new and constantly evolving, our current or future competitors may be able to better position themselves to compete as the industry matures. As our platform is transaction-oriented, our main competitors primarily focus on providing real estate listings, transaction services and home renovation services. To a lesser extent, we also compete with traffic-oriented platforms, which primarily focus on attracting online traffic and providing listing and advertising services.

We also face competition from other companies that offer e-commerce, listing and similar services. Any of these competitors may offer products and services that provide significant advantages over those offered by us in terms of performance, price, scope, creativity or other advantages. These products and services may achieve greater market acceptance than our service offerings, and thus weaken our brand. Increased competition in the online real estate services industry in China could make it difficult for us to retain existing agents and real estate buyers and attract new agents and real estate buyers, and could lead to a reduction in our revenues.

Any of our current or future competitors may also receive investments from or enter into other commercial or strategic relationships with larger, well-established and well-financed companies and obtain significantly greater financial, marketing and content licensing and development resources than us. Furthermore, some of our competitors receive support from local governments, which may place us at a disadvantage when competing with them in their local markets. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against our current or future competitors. Any failure to compete effectively in the real estate internet services market in China would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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If our marketplace is unable to offer comprehensive, authentic, accurate and up-to-date property listings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

One of the key reasons for real estate agents to come to our marketplace is our comprehensive and authenticated property listings. We believe having a large number of high-quality listings attracts agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers to our marketplace and increases the volume of potential transactions. Although we have developed a comprehensive verification procedure to ensure the timeliness, reliability, authenticity and accuracy of listing information, we cannot assure you that all information listed in our marketplace is authentic, accurate and up to date. Despite our verification procedures, information posted by agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers may not be accurate and up to date in all aspects. To the extent we are unable to continue to offer and expand the sources of listing information, or we fail to ensure the timeliness, authenticity and accuracy of our listings, our marketplace could become less attractive to users and transaction volumes may decrease. In such an event, our competitive position could be significantly weakened and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we are unable to retain and attract real estate professionals or fail to continue to develop and promote our marketplace, service offerings and features, and develop the technologies that cater to their needs, our business and operating results would be harmed.

As we generate a substantial portion of our revenues from sharing commission fees with real estate agents who complete transactions in our marketplace, our business relies heavily on the total number of active agents. Our ability to attract and retain real estate professionals depends on a number of factors, including:

● the size, accuracy and timeliness of our listings;

● the number and quality of services that we provide to our agents;

● the efficiency of our sales and marketing efforts;

● the competition for real estate professionals from various online real estate agent service platforms;

● the number of real estate buyers using our website and mobile applications; and

● the strength of the real estate market.

If we fail to attract and retain the number of total agents in our marketplace, our revenue may not grow and our business as well as operating results could suffer materially.

We have invested, and will need to continue to dedicate, significant time, efforts and resources to advertising and market promotion initiatives. Historically, our sales and marketing expenses fluctuated from quarter to quarter based on our advertising and marketing plans and due to the seasonality we experienced. We may need to devote a greater portion of our resources to continue to attract listings and strengthen our brand recognition, which may impact our profitability. We cannot guarantee that our marketing efforts will ultimately be successful, as it is affected by numerous factors, including our level of investment in, and the effectiveness of, our sales and marketing campaigns, our ability to provide consistent, high quality products and services, customer satisfaction with our products, as well as supports and services we provide, among others.

Our reliance on a limited number of property developers may materially and adversely affect us.

Our revenues from transactions rely heavily on our continued relationship with real estate developers. In the future, these property developers, all of which are independent third parties, may not continue to engage our services at the same level, or at all. If these property developers terminate or substantially reduce their business with us and we fail to engage with new property developers to provide us with new properties, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

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In addition, a part of new properties transacted through our platform are pre-sold prior to meeting delivery conditions. Under the current PRC laws and regulations, property developers must fulfill certain conditions before they can commence pre-sales of real estate properties. On September 21, 2018, the Guangdong Real Estate Association issued an “Emergency Notice on the Relevant Opinions on Providing the Pre-sale Permit for Commodity Houses” asking for opinions on the prohibition of residential property pre-sales. On March 7, 2020, the General Office of Hainan Provincial Committee and the General Office of the People’s Government of Hainan Province issued the Notice on Establishing the System of Municipal Governments’ Responsibility for the Steady and Healthy Development of the Real Estate Market (the “Hainan Notice”) promulgating that the commercial houses constructed on the land newly assigned since the date of issuance of the Hainan Notice can only be sold after the completion of construction. We cannot assure you that the relevant authorities in China will continue to allow pre-sales of properties or will refrain from imposing additional or more stringent requirements on property pre-sales. In the event that the relevant authorities prohibit pre-sales of properties or impose additional or more stringent requirements, our real estate developer partners may be required to suspend the sales of certain projects listed on our platform or encounter delays in providing us with additional primary listings, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flow, and financial condition.

We have entered into sales commitment arrangements with real estate developers and funding partners to sell new properties, which may expose us to financial and regulatory risks and may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Since the beginning of 2018, we have entered into tri-party agreements with developers and funding partners which are limited partnerships formed by certain investors, including us, and are treated as our equity method investees, pursuant to which the funding partners, rather than us, are required to advance developers the deposits and undertake to purchase any unsold properties from the developers. As a limited partner of these funding partners, our maximum exposure to the losses arising from our investments in these limited partnerships is the aggregate amount of (i) the carrying amounts of our investments in these limited partnerships and (ii) the maximum amount of additional capital that we are committed to providing under the respective partnership deeds. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Material Cash Requirements” for more information about our capital commitment obligations. As of December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, our maximum exposure to the losses arising from our investments in these limited partnerships was RMB796.2 million, RMB745.9 million and RMB754.8 million (US$109.4 million), respectively. Under certain tri-party agreements entered into in 2019 and 2020, there has been added a withdrawal mechanism allowing our funding partners to withdraw from the agreement with a penalty not more than 10% of the transaction price of the properties under the agreement or of the unsold properties as of the withdrawal date, as the case may be. If our equity method investee funding partners are required to purchase the unsold units or otherwise compensate developers in the circumstances where we fail to sell the properties within the agreed upon period, we will be exposed to downside risks due to our investments in such funding partners. Considering current real estate market conditions and the operating performance of these limited partnerships, we recognized other-than-temporary impairment loss of RMB62.6 million (US$9.1 million) to the investment in certain limited partnerships in 2022.

We have also entered into sales commitment arrangements relating to certain parking space projects with real estate developers in 2021. Pursuant to such arrangements, we are obligated to pay an advance deposit of 50% of the retail price of the property in exchange for an exclusive right to sell their parking spaces for a limited period of time. The deposit will be refunded as we sell the corresponding parking spaces. As of December 31, 2022, we were refunded RMB5.0 million and the balance of the advanced deposits was RMB40.1 million. There is no guarantee that we will be able to sell all the parking spaces under the sales commitment arrangements. If we fail to sell all parking spaces, there is no guarantee that we will be able to reach amicable solutions with developers to obtain the advanced deposits, in which case our financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

In addition, some local government authorities have implemented regulations that prohibit real estate agencies from entering into cooperation agreements with firm-commitment clauses. Although we have not been subject to such regulations in the past, cities in which we operate currently or in the future may implement relevant regulations to which we may be subject in the future. In such cases, we may be found to be in violation of relevant regulations and be subject to fines or other penalties, and our operation, business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

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We depend significantly on the strength of our brand and reputation. If we, our employees, real estate agents, real estate developers, financial institutions, or other business partners on our platform engage, or are perceived to engage, in misconduct, fraudulent acts or wrongdoing, our business or reputation could be harmed and we could be exposed to regulatory investigations, costs and liabilities.

We believe our “Fangdd” brand is considered a leading online and mobile real estate platform that provides a consistent offering of high-quality products and services. Our continued success in maintaining and enhancing our brand and image depends to a large extent on our ability to satisfy the needs of agents, real estate buyers and other market participants by further developing and maintaining quality of services across our operations, as well as our ability to respond to competitive pressures.

We rely on our employees to provide digital housing transaction services and various other services. Our employees may not fully comply with our internal policies and relevant laws or regulations, and may engage in misconduct or illegal actions, which may result in negative publicity and adversely impact our reputation and brand image.

We attract real estate agencies to our platform to conduct sales of properties. We cannot assure you that each real estate agency using our platform holds the required licenses, has made all necessary filings with relevant authorities or that all actions taken by real estate agents will meet applicable legal standards and real estate buyers’ expectations, especially since it is difficult for us to effectively monitor the actions of the agents at all times. We may be found liable and subject to monetary and other penalties for the failure of real estate agencies using our platform to hold the required licenses or to make required filings with relevant authorities. In addition, real estate agents operating through our platform have in the past been the subject of various allegations, including allegations of failure to refund commission fees and other fraudulent acts or wrongdoing. Although we do not believe that we are directly responsible for real estate agents’ wrongdoings, Chinese media have reported certain incidents and negatively implicated our brand. These incidents and any similar incidents, or true or untrue claims of such incidents could harm our reputation and impair our ability to attract and retain real estate agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers.

We partner with real estate developers to provide quality services related to new properties transactions. Any inappropriate actions taken by real estate developers as platform participants during the sales process or otherwise, may materially and adversely affect our reputation, which may result in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In particular, the developers we cooperate with may breach contracts or otherwise violate laws and regulations, which may expose us to potential legal liabilities and subject us to real estate buyers’ claims for indemnifications and other remedies.

We also rely on other business partners on our platform and ecosystem. For example, we work with financial institutions to provide effective and affordable financial solutions to customers. To the extent they are unable to provide satisfactory services to real estate buyers and real estate agents, or they engage in any inappropriate or illegal actions, which may be due to factors that are beyond our control, we may suffer actual or reputational damage as a result. Any of the failure to provide satisfactory services, potential misconduct or illegal actions discussed above could materially and adversely impact our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to maintain a good reputation, further enhance our brand recognition, continue to cultivate user trust and increase the positive awareness of our website, our reputation, brand, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our initiatives to develop new products and services, introduce new technologies and improve existing products and services may not succeed, which may limit our future growth.

We have invested and plan to continue investing in the research and development of new products and services, as well as improving existing products and services. In particular, we spend great efforts in improving the features, functionalities and effectiveness of our existing websites, mobile applications and WeChat mini program. However, positive research results may not lead to commercially successful products. The new products and services we develop may not be commercially viable and may not reach the industry standards or meet platform participants’ needs. In addition, radical technological changes may not be well received by the market or lead to a long-term success. Similarly, there is no guarantee that our investment in product improvement will bring commercial return. If we are unable to continue offering high-quality and innovative products and services, we may be unable to retain and attract real estate buyers, agents, real estate sellers and other business partners, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. As a result, we cannot assure you that our efforts in research and development will translate into commercial success.

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Our outstanding and future indebtedness may adversely affect our available cash flow and our ability to operate our business. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional capital when desired, on favorable terms or at all.

As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB72.5 million (US$10.5 million) short-term bank borrowings from certain Chinese banking institutions. Recent interest rates in China have been at historically low levels, and any increase in these rates would increase our interest expense and reduce our funds available for operations and other purposes. Our current level of indebtedness increases the possibility that we may be unable to pay the principal amount of our indebtedness and other obligations when due. Our outstanding and future loans, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have negative consequences on our business and financial conditions.

We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on hand will be sufficient to meet our current and anticipated needs for general corporate purposes for at least the next 12 months. However, we need to make continued investments in facilities, hardware, software and technological systems, and to retain talents to remain competitive. Due to the unpredictable nature of the capital markets and our industry, there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise additional capital on terms favorable to us, or at all, if and when required, especially if we experience disappointing operating results. If adequate capital is not available to us as required, our ability to fund our operations, take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, develop or enhance our infrastructure or respond to competitive pressures could be significantly limited. If we do raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our shareholders could be significantly diluted. These newly issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing shareholders.

Our results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate due to seasonal variations in the real estate market, the non-recurring nature of our real estate transactions, billing cycles and unpredictable development cycles.

Our revenues have historically been substantially lower during the first quarter than during other quarters, due to reduced real estate transactional activity in the PRC real estate industry during and around the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, which generally occurs in January and February of each year. In contrast, the third and fourth quarters of each year generally contribute a majority of our annual revenues. For this reason, our results of operations may not be comparable from quarter to quarter.

Moreover, we typically enter into agreements with developers shortly before they are expected to obtain permits to sell their newly developed properties. However, the timing for obtaining these sales permits varies from project to project and is subject to uncertain and potentially lengthy delays as developers need to obtain a series of other permits and approvals related to the development before obtaining a sales permit. It is therefore difficult to predict the interval between the time we sign these agency agreements and the time we launch the sale of projects. In addition, as we typically settle the payment of our commissions with developers at the end of a sales period based on successful sales achieved during the period, which typically lasts several months, our working capital levels are affected by the time lag between the time we actually make sales, bill developers and collect the commissions owed to us.

Failure to attract and retain qualified personnel at a reasonable cost could jeopardize our competitive position. We also depend on the continued efforts of our senior management. If one or more of our key executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business may be severely disrupted.

Our industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent. As a result, we may need to offer higher compensation and other benefits in order to attract and retain quality sales, technical and other operational personnel in the future. We compete with other companies engaged in online real estate services and internet-related businesses for qualified personnel. We have, from time to time in the past, experienced, and we expect in the future to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. There may be a limited supply of qualified individuals in some of the cities in China where we have operations and other cities into which we intend to expand. We must hire and train qualified managerial and other employees on a timely basis to meet our business needs while maintaining consistent quality of services across our operations in various geographic locations. We must also provide continued training, through our various training programs, including Fangduoduo University, to our managerial and other employees so that they are equipped with up-to-date knowledge of various aspects of our operations and can meet our demand for high-quality services. If we fail to do so, the quality of our services may decline in one or more of the markets where we operate, which in turn, may cause a negative perception of our brand and adversely affect our business. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain the quality personnel that we need to achieve our business objectives.

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In addition, we place substantial reliance on the real estate industry experience and knowledge of our senior management team as well as their relationships with other industry participants. We do not carry key person insurance on any member of our senior management team. The loss of one or more members of our senior management team, in particular if any of them joins our competitors, could hinder our ability to effectively manage our business and implement our growth strategies. Finding suitable replacements for our current senior management could be difficult as competition for such talent is intense.

If we fail to successfully attract new personnel, retain and motivate our current personnel, or retain our senior management, we may lose competitiveness and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, share options and other forms of share-based incentive awards, which will adversely affect our results of operations and you will incur immediate and substantial dilution.

We adopted the 2018 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2018 Plan, in December 2018 and amended it in September 2019. Under the 2018 Plan, as amended, the maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards is 356,514,660 ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2023, awards to purchase 69,094,125 ordinary shares were granted and outstanding under the 2018 Plan.

In 2022, we incurred RMB16.7 million (US$2.4 million) share-based compensation expenses relating to awards granted under the 2018 Plan. We believe the granting of share incentive awards is critical to our ability to attract and retain employees and promote the success of our business, and we will continue to grant share incentive awards in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with the grant of share-based incentive awards may increase, which will have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, issuance of ordinary shares underlying the outstanding awards will cause you to experience an immediate and substantial dilution of your shareholding.

We use internet search engines, WeChat, and other social media to direct traffic to our website and application. If we fail to successfully implement these initiatives, our traffic would decline and our business would be adversely affected.

We use internet search engines, WeChat, and other social media to direct traffic to our website and application. For example, when a user types a physical address into a search engine, we rely on a high organic search ranking of our webpages in these search results to refer the user to our website. However, our ability to maintain high organic search result rankings through internet search engines is not within our control. Our competitors’ search engine optimization, or SEO, efforts may result in their websites receiving a higher search result ranking than ours, or internet search engines could revise their methodologies in a way that would adversely affect our search result rankings. If internet search engines modify their search algorithms in ways that are detrimental to us, or if our competitors’ SEO efforts are more successful than ours, overall growth in our user base could slow. Search engine providers could provide listings and other real estate information directly in search results or choose to align with our competitors. Our website has experienced fluctuations in search result rankings in the past, and we anticipate similar fluctuations in the future.

In addition, we integrate our platform with WeChat and other social media applications to help drive traffic to our website and mobile applications, and promote our brand and products. WeChat and other social media may make changes to their policies, which could hinder or impede audiences from being directed to our platform. Any reduction in the number of visitors directed to our website and apps through WeChat and other social media could also harm our business and operating results.

Our services and solutions and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical, and if it contains undetected errors or we fail to properly maintain or promptly upgrade our technology, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical and complex. In addition, our platform and internal systems depend on the ability of such software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data. The software on which we rely has contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected errors or bugs. Errors or other design defects within the software on which we rely may result in a negative experience for our platform users, delay introductions of new features or enhancements, result in errors or compromise our ability to protect user data or our intellectual property. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which we rely could result in harm to our reputation, loss of platform users or investors or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Any failure to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights could have a negative impact on our business.

We believe our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights are critical to our success. Any unauthorized use or misuse of our trademarks and other intellectual property rights could harm our business. Historically, China’s protection of intellectual property rights has been less stringent and robust compared to other countries such as the United States. Infringement of intellectual property rights continues to pose a serious risk of doing business in China. Monitoring and preventing unauthorized use is difficult and the measures we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. For example, copyright registration by itself may not be adequate protection from potential misuse, infringement or other challenges from third parties claiming rights on our intellectual property.

Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China and abroad is uncertain and evolving, and could expose us to risks. If we are unable to adequately protect our brand, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, we may lose these rights and our business may suffer materially. We typically impose contractual obligations on employees and consultants and have taken other precautionary measures to maintain the confidentiality of our proprietary information and restricted the use of the proprietary information other than for our company’s benefit. However, if our employees and consultants do not honor their contractual obligations or misappropriate our database and other proprietary information, our business would suffer as a result.

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims by third parties, which may force us to incur substantial legal expenses and, if determined adversely against us, could materially disrupt our business.

We cannot be certain that our services and information provided on our website do not or will not infringe patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims alleging infringement of patents, trademarks or copyrights, or misappropriation of creative ideas or formats, or other infringement of proprietary intellectual property rights.

The validity, enforceability and scope of intellectual property rights protection in internet-related industries, particularly in China, are uncertain and still evolving. For example, as we face increasing competition and as litigation is more frequently used to resolve disputes in China, we face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims. Pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, internet service providers may be held liable for damages if such providers have reason to know that the works uploaded or linked infringe the copyrights of others. Any such proceeding could result in significant costs to us and divert our management’s time and attention from the operation of our business, as well as potentially adversely impact our reputation, even if we are ultimately absolved of all liability.

Actual or alleged failure to comply with data privacy and protection laws and regulations could have a serious adverse effect on our reputation, and discourage current and potential clients from doing business with us.

Concerns about our practice of accessing, storing, processing and using the data from platform users, as well as collecting and processing the personal information published on other third parties’ websites, even if unfounded, could damage our reputation, business and results of operations. The data or information we collect primarily consists of personal mobile numbers and information on the housing unit for-sale or for-rent. We are subject to various data privacy and protection laws and regulations in China, including, without limitation, the PRC Cyber Security Law. To protect personal information, these laws and regulations regulate data collection, storage, use, processing, disclosure and transfer of personal information. Pursuant to these laws and regulations, an internet service provider is required to obtain a user’s consent to collect the user’s personal information, and is prohibited from gathering personal information that is unrelated to the services it provides, and the internet information service provider must also inform the user of the purposes, the means and the scope of the information collection and uses. The Civil Code of the PRC stipulates that: (i) natural persons’ personal information shall be protected by law; (ii) any organizations and individuals who need to obtain personal information of others shall obtain such information in accordance with the law and shall ensure the confidentiality of such information; and (iii) organizations and individuals are not allowed to illegally collect, use, process or transfer the personal information of others. It is illegal to buy and sell, supply or publish the personal information of others. The PRC Cyber Security Law also prohibits individuals or entities from obtaining personal information through theft or other illegal ways or selling or otherwise illegally disclosing personal information. The PRC Criminal Law prohibits entities and their employees from selling or otherwise illegally disclosing a citizen’s personal information or obtaining personal information through theft or other illegal ways in serious circumstances. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulation on Information Security and Privacy Protection.”

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The PRC Data Security Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of PRC National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, on June 10, 2021 and became effective on September 1, 2021, outlines the main system framework of data security protection. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law, which integrates the scattered rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection and took effect in November 2021. The draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, published by the CAC on November 14, 2021 for public comments until December 13, 2021 require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than 1 million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other PRC regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engaged in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of “affect or may affect national security”, and the Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the impact of the Cyber Security Review Measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard. Nonetheless, given that the aforementioned draft measures or draft regulations were released for public comment only or the laws and regulations were recently promulgated or issued, their interpretation, application and enforcement are subject to substantial uncertainties and the CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. We may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with the data privacy and protection laws and regulations. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. If we are not able to comply with the data privacy and protection requirements in a timely manner, or at all, we may be subject to government enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, or suspension of our non-compliant operations, among other sanctions, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been involved in any investigations on cybersecurity review made by the Cyberspace Administration of China on such basis, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions in such respect.

Our mobile apps and websites only collect basic user personal information that is necessary to provide the corresponding services. We do not collect any sensitive personal information or other excessive personal information that is not related to the corresponding services. We update our privacy policies from time to time to meet the latest regulatory requirements of Cyberspace Administration of China and other authorities and adopt technical measures to protect data and ensure cybersecurity in a systematic way. While we have taken these measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations in China, we cannot guarantee their effectiveness. The activities of third parties such as business partners are beyond our control. If our business partners, including financial institutions, violate the PRC Cyber Security Law and related laws and regulations related to the protection of personal information, or fail to fully comply with the service agreements with us, or if any of our employees fail to comply with our internal control measures and misuse the information, we may be subject to penalties. For further information, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulation on Information Security and Privacy Protection.” Any failure or perceived failure to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, or any failure or perceived failure of our business partners to do so, or any failure or perceived failure of our employees to comply with our internal control measures, may result in negative publicity and legal proceedings or regulatory actions against us, and could damage our reputation, discourage current and potential agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers from using our services and subject us to fines and damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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Furthermore, the interpretation and application of data privacy and protection laws and regulations and standards are still uncertain and evolving. We cannot assure you that relevant governmental authorities will not interpret or implement the laws or regulations in ways that negatively affect us. In addition, it is possible that we may become subject to additional or new laws and regulations regarding the protection of personal information or privacy-related matters in connection with the data we have access to. Complying with additional or new regulatory requirements could force us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices. In addition to the regulatory requirements, user attitudes towards data privacy are also evolving, and user concerns about the extent to which personal information is accessible to, used by or shared with agents or other platform users may adversely affect our ability to gain access to data. Any occurrence of the abovementioned circumstances may negatively affect our business and results of operations.

If we fail to obtain or keep licenses, permits or approvals applicable to the various real estate services provided by us, we may incur significant financial penalties and other government sanctions.

The internet information services industries in China are highly regulated by the PRC government. We are required to obtain a value-added telecommunications license in order to provide internet information services. Fangdd Network has renewed in November 2020 its value-added telecommunications service license for the operations of internet content services. The regulations related to value-added telecommunication licenses also provide that a value-added telecommunication license holder must first obtain approvals from, or make filings with, competent counterparts of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, in connection with subsequent updates to its shareholding structure or certain other matters relating to such value-added telecommunication license holder. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully keep value-added telecommunication licenses or complete the updating and renewal of the filing records of our value-added telecommunication licenses with local MIIT counterparts on a timely basis.

Pursuant to the relevant regulations regarding real estate agents and brokerage businesses, a company active in the real estate brokerage business is required to make a filing with the real estate administrative authority within 30 days after the issuance of its business license. The requirements of the local real estate administrative authorities for such filings may vary in different cities and we cannot assure you that, if we are required to complete such filings, we will be able to do so in a timely manner or at all. In addition, we may be required to obtain additional licenses. For example, the provision of real estate market news on our platform may be viewed as providing internet news information services, which could require us to obtain an internet news information license. If we are required to apply for such licenses, we can provide no assurance that we will procure and maintain such additional licenses.

One of our subsidiaries is a small loan company permitted to operate as an online small loan lending business. Its operations are subject to the inspections and examinations of relevant government authorities from time to time. Depending on the inspection results, these local regulatory authorities may require the online small loan companies they inspected to take rectification measures within specified periods of time, may revoke the operation approvals of non-compliant companies and may order non-compliant companies to cease business operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain all the licenses, permits or approvals required to conduct our online small loan business in China or maintain our existing licenses, permits and approvals. Any failure or significant delay to obtain or renew, or any suspension or revocation, of these licenses, permits and approvals, may have a material adverse impact on our online small loan lending businesses and results of operations.

Under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, the failure to obtain and/or maintain the licenses and permits required to conduct our business may subject us to various penalties, including confiscation of revenues, imposition of fines and/or restrictions on their business operations, or the discontinuation of their operations. Any such disruption in the business operations of the consolidated VIE could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We are exposed to potential liabilities for information in our marketplace and for services sold over the internet and we may incur significant costs and suffer from reputational damage as a result of defending against such potential liabilities.

We source content from third party sources and list them in our marketplace, including the information collected and processed from other third parties’ websites, on our websites such as real estate listings. In certain circumstances, we do not have the authorization from owners of listed properties in our marketplace. According to relevant PRC laws and regulations, a real estate agency shall not publish information on properties without the prior written authorization of the owner. We may be exposed to liability with respect to such third-party information or the products and services sold through our website or mobile applications. Among other things, we may face allegations that, by directly or indirectly providing such third-party content, we should be liable for defamation, negligence, copyrights, trademark infringement, unfair competition or other actions by parties providing such content. We may be subject to fines or legal sanctions according to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law or other PRC laws. We may also face allegations that content on our websites, including statistics or other data we compile internally, contains false information, errors or omissions, and real estate buyers and other marketplace users could seek damages for losses incurred as a result of their reliance upon or otherwise relating to incorrect information. We may also be subject to fines and other sanctions by the PRC government for publication of information without prior written authorization or incorrect information. In addition, our websites could be used as a marketplace for fraudulent transactions. We have adopted a rigorous listing verification process that includes owner verification and cross-agent verification to ensure the listings posted in our marketplace are authentic. However, we cannot assure you that the measures we take to guard against liability for third-party content or information will be adequate to protect us from relevant civil and other liabilities. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming to defend and result in litigation and significant diversion of management’s attention and resources. Even if these claims do not result in liability to us, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending against these claims and suffer damage to our reputation. Our general liability insurance may not cover all potential claims to which we are exposed to and may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liabilities that may be imposed.

We provide recommendation services for financial institutions, which may constitute provision of intermediary service, and our agreements with these financial institutions may be deemed as intermediation contracts under the Civil Code of the PRC.

Under the Civil Code of the PRC, if an intermediary conceals any material fact intentionally or provides false information in connection with the conclusion of a proposed transaction, which results in harm to a client’s interests, the intermediary may not claim service fees and is liable for any damages caused. We provide recommendation services for financial service providers as part of our real estate financial services, which may constitute provision of intermediary services, and our agreements with these financial service providers may be deemed intermediation contracts under the Civil Code of the PRC. If we intentionally conceal material information or provide false information to financial service providers, or if we fail to identify false information received from users or any third party and in turn provide such information to financial service providers, we could be held liable for damages caused to financial service providers as an intermediary pursuant to the Civil Code of the PRC. Due to the lack of detailed regulations and guidance in this area of financial product recommendation services and the possibility that the PRC government authorities may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating financial product recommendation services in the future, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations for financial product recommendation services, and there can be no assurance that the PRC government authority will share our views.

In addition, if the transactions, in which we provide intermediary service, violate the PRC laws and regulations on the real estate financial services, we may not continue to provide the intermediary service for such transactions and our business of provision of intermediary service may be adversely affected.

Regulatory uncertainties relating to real estate-related financial services in China could harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Since we historically provided real estate-related financial services, our business may continue to be subject to a variety of PRC laws and regulations governing financial services for such historical practices. The application and interpretation of these laws and regulations are ambiguous and may be interpreted and applied inconsistently between different government authorities. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been subject to any material fines or other penalties under any PRC laws or regulations on our real estate financial services operations. However, if the PRC government adopts a stringent regulatory framework for the real estate-related financial services market in the future, and imposes specific requirements (including licensing requirements) on market participants, our business, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. If our historical practice is deemed to violate any existing laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties as determined by the relevant government authorities.

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The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.

Our business depends on the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure in China. Substantially all access to the internet is maintained through state-controlled telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of MIIT. In addition, the national networks in China are connected to the internet through international gateways controlled by the PRC government. These international gateways are generally the only websites through which a domestic user can connect to the internet. We cannot assure you that a more sophisticated internet infrastructure will be developed in China. We may not have access to alternative networks in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure. In addition, the internet infrastructure in China may not support the demands associated with continued growth in internet usage.

We also rely on China Unicom and China Telecom to provide us with data communications capacity primarily through local telecommunications lines and internet data centers to host our servers. We do not have access to alternative services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with the fixed telecommunications networks of China Unicom or China Telecom, or if China Unicom or China Telecom otherwise fails to provide such services. Any unscheduled service interruption could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation and result in a decrease in our revenues. Furthermore, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by China Unicom and China Telecom. If the prices that we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our gross margins could be significantly reduced. In addition, if internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decrease, which in turn may cause our revenues to decline.

Historically there have been occurrences of unexpected network interruptions and security breaches, including “hacking” or computer virus attacks. Such disruptions in the future would cause delays or interruptions of service, damage our reputation and result in a loss of users of our products, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our business depends heavily on the performance and reliability of China’s internet infrastructure, the continued accessibility of bandwidth and servers on our service providers’ networks and the continuing performance, reliability and availability of our technology platform. We have in the past and are likely again in the future to be subject to unexpected interruptions and security breaches, although to date no such attack has resulted in any material damages or remediation costs. Any failure to maintain the satisfactory performance, reliability, security and availability of our computer and hardware systems may cause significant harm to our reputation and our ability to attract and maintain platform users and visitor traffic. Major risks related to our network infrastructure include:

● any breakdown or system failure resulting in a sustained shutdown of our servers, including failures which may be attributable to sustained power shutdowns, or efforts to gain unauthorized access to our systems causing loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware;

● any disruption or failure in the national network infrastructure, which would prevent our platform users from accessing our website;

● any damage from fire, flood, earthquake and other natural disasters; and

● computer viruses, hackings and similar events.

Computer viruses and hacking attacks may cause delays or other service interruptions and could result in significant damage to our hardware, software systems and databases, disruptions to our business activities, such as to our e-mail and other communication systems, breaches of security and inadvertent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information, inadvertent transmissions of computer viruses and interruptions of access to our website through the use of denial-of-service or similar attacks. In addition, the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could expose us to a material risk of loss or litigation and possible liability. All of our servers and routers, including back-up servers, are currently hosted by third-party service providers in Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai and all information on our website is backed up in real time and daily. Any hacking, security breach or other system disruption or failure which occurs in between our weekly backup procedures could disrupt our business or cause us to lose, and be unable to recover, data such as real estate listings, contact information and other important transaction-related information.

We also do not maintain insurance policies covering losses relating to our systems and do not have business interruption insurance.

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Any significant cybersecurity incident or disruption of our information technology systems or those of third-party partners could materially damage our user relationships and subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal and operational consequences.

We depend on our information technology systems, as well as those of third parties, to develop new products and services, host and manage our services, store data and process transactions. For example, all of our cloud storage is provided by Huawei Cloud. Any material disruption or slowdown of our systems or those of third parties whom we depend upon could cause outages or delays in our services, which could harm our brand and adversely affect our operating results. If changes in technology cause our information technology systems, or those of third parties whom we depend upon, to become obsolete, or if our or their information systems are inadequate to handle our growth, we could lose users, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We are subject to risks relating to our leased properties.

Currently, most of our offices are on leased premises. We may not be able to successfully maintain, extend or renew our leases upon the expiration of the current term on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and may therefore be forced to relocate to new offices.

In addition, we have entered into certain lease agreements with parties who have not provided evidence of proper legal title to the leased premises or authorization from the legal owners for sublease of the premises. If such parties are not the legal owners, or if they have not obtained the proper authorization from the legal owners of the premises, we might be forced to relocate. We also have not registered certain of our lease agreements with the relevant government authorities. Under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to register and file with the relevant government authority executed leases. Failure to register the lease agreements for our leased properties will not affect the validity of these lease agreements, but housing authorities may order us to register the lease agreements in a prescribed period of time and impose a fine ranging from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each non-registered lease if we fail to complete the registration within the prescribed timeframe.

Potential strategic investments, acquisitions or new business initiatives may disrupt our ability to manage our business effectively.

Strategic investments, acquisitions or new business initiatives and any subsequent integration of new companies or businesses will require significant attention from our management, in particular to ensure that such changes do not disrupt any existing collaborations, or affect our users’ opinion and perception of our products and services. In addition, in the case of acquisitions or new business initiatives our management will need to ensure that the acquired or new business is effectively integrated into our existing operations. The diversion of our management’s attention and any difficulties encountered during integration could have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. In addition, strategic investments, acquisitions or new business initiatives could expose us to potential risks, including:

● risks associated with the assimilation of new operations, services, technologies and personnel;

● unforeseen or hidden liabilities;

● the diversion of resources from our existing businesses and technologies;

● implementation or remediation of controls, procedures and policies at the acquired company;

● the inability to generate sufficient revenues to offset the costs and expenses of the transaction; and

● potential loss of, or harm to, relationships with employees and platform users as a result of the integration of new businesses or investment.

Our failure to address these risks or other problems encountered in connection with our past or future acquisitions and investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions or investments, incur unanticipated liabilities and harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations and increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

China’s overall economy and the average wage in China have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our users by increasing commission fees we charge and prices for our products or services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and childbearing insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the PRC Labor Contract Law, as amended, or the Labor Contract law, and its implementation rules, employers are subject to various requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Fund, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing funds, employers are required, together with their employees or separately, to pay the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees and employers that fail to make adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions may be subject to fines and legal sanctions. We could be deemed to have failed to pay certain social insurance and housing fund contributions under the relevant PRC laws and regulation. If the relevant PRC authorities determine that we shall make supplemental contributions, that we are not in compliance with labor laws and regulations, or that we are subject to fines or other legal sanctions, such as order of timely rectification, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

In addition, pursuant to the Labor Contract Law, dispatched labor is only intended to be a supplementary form of employment. The Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch, which became effective on March 1, 2014, further provides that the number of dispatched workers an employer may use must not exceed 10% of its total labor force. We use dispatched workers from employment agents in the PRC from time to time for provision of services to agents. We cannot assure you that the number of dispatched workers we use has not exceeded 10% of the total number of our employees in the past as we continue to develop and expand our business. If we are deemed to have violated the foregoing limitations, we could be ordered by the relevant labor administrative authorities to rectify within a specified period of time, and could be subject to fines if the rectification is not completed in time to the satisfaction of the labor administrative authorities.

Moreover, as the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practice do not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our results of operations are susceptible to fluctuations due to changes of, significant reduction in or discontinuation of government grants.

We received government grants in the amount of RMB22.9 million in 2020, RMB22.3 million in 2021 and RMB14.9 million (US$2.2 million) in 2022. These government grants were extended to support the development of technology companies in China and we are not subject to any specific performance obligations or other terms as a condition of receiving these grants. Although we expect to continue to receive government grants from time to time in the future, the extensions of future grants are at the local governments’ sole discretion. The government incentives grants may be increased, significantly reduced or discontinued for any reasons, which may cause our financial condition and results of operations to fluctuate.

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We have identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in failure to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, or result in material misstatements in our financial statements which could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the price of the ADSs.

We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, adopted rules requiring every public company to include a management report on such company’s internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, we were not subject to the requirement to provide attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm on effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting for the year ended December 31, 2022 as we qualified as an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, as of December 31, 2022. Once we cease to be an “emerging growth company,” our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, unless we qualify for other exemptions.

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and financial controller, has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2022 due to one “material weakness” in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

The material weakness identified related to the lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate understanding of U.S. GAAP to implement formal period-end financial reporting policies and procedures, to address complex U.S. GAAP technical accounting issues, and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting requirements set forth by the SEC. Following the identification of the material weakness, we have taken measures and plan to continue to take measures to remedy these deficiencies. For details of these remedies, see “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weakness and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct the material weakness and other control deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other material weakness could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs, may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.

In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in the future, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us.

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We have been and may continue to be subject to legal and administrative proceedings from time to time. If the outcomes of these proceedings are adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We have been, and may from time to time in the future, be subject to various legal and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. As we routinely enter into business contracts with real estate developers, sellers, agencies and agents, housing buyers, and other marketplace participants, we have been and may continue to be involved in legal proceedings arising from contract disputes. In response to the heightened credit risks of real estate developers amid the downturn status of China’s real estate market in 2021 and 2022, we have initiated an increased number of lawsuits against real estate developers to protect our accounts receivable. In the meantime, as commissions are payable to real estate agencies by us after we have collected payments from real estate developers, we have also seen an increased number of lawsuits initiated by real estate agencies against us. We believe these lawsuits are immaterial to our company on an individual basis or a collective basis. However, regardless of the outcome, litigations or other legal or administrative proceedings may result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources and attention.

In addition, we may also receive formal and informal inquiries from government authorities and regulators regarding our compliance with laws and regulations, many of which are evolving and subject to interpretation. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law could be asserted against us by developers and real estate sellers, agents, real estate buyers, competitors, or governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings or by other entities. These claims could be asserted under a variety of laws in different jurisdictions, including but not limited to internet information services laws, intellectual property laws, unfair competition laws, data protection and privacy laws, labor and employment laws, securities laws, real estate laws, tort laws, contract laws, property laws and employee benefit laws.

There is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in legal and administrative actions or in asserting our rights under various laws. Even if we are successful in our attempt to defend ourselves in legal and administrative actions or to assert our rights under various laws, enforcing our rights against the various parties involved may be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately futile. These actions could expose us to negative publicity and to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including but not limited to suspension or revocation of licenses to conduct business.

We are subject to changing laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.

We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and the various regulatory authorities in China and the Cayman Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address or comply with these regulations or any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

The insurance industry in China is still in an early stage of development and PRC insurance companies offer only limited business insurance products. While we maintain some insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or litigation insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any business disruption, litigation or natural disaster may cause us to incur substantial costs and result in the diversion of our resources, as well as significantly disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. Moreover, to improve our performance and to prevent disruption of our services, we may have to make substantial investments to deploy additional servers or create one or more copies of our website to mirror our online resources, either of which could increase our expenses and reduce our net income.

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In addition to COVID-19, we face risks related to other health epidemics and natural disasters, which could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.

In addition to the impact of COVID-19, our business could be adversely affected by the effects of Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, or other epidemics. Our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of having any of these epidemics, since it could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, to the extent that any of these epidemics harms the Chinese economy in general, our results of operations and financial performance could be adversely affected.

We are also vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities. Fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events may give rise to server interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide products and services on our platform.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

Foreign ownership in the business involving value-added telecommunications service (except for e-commerce, domestic conferencing, store-and-forward, and call center services), including internet real estate services, is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our holding company is a Cayman Islands company, and one of its wholly owned subsidiaries in PRC, Shenzhen Fangdd, which we refer to as our WFOE, is considered a foreign-invested enterprise. Since our business involves provision of the value-added telecommunications service, we conduct our business in China, including our online business for new and resale properties transaction services, our rental services, and other services, primarily through Fangdd Network, and its subsidiaries. We have gained control over Fangdd Network through a series of contractual arrangements by and between our WFOE, Fangdd Network and its shareholders, and we refer to Fangdd Network as the VIE. The VIE and its subsidiaries have the licenses, approvals or fillings with relevant authorities that are essential for our business operations.

We have entered into, through our WFOE, a series of contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. These contractual arrangements enable us to (i) direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and its subsidiaries; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the VIE and its subsidiaries in consideration for the services provided by the WFOE; and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interest in the VIE or to all or part of the assets of the VIE, when and to the extent permitted by PRC law, or request any existing shareholder of the VIE to transfer all or part of the equity interest in the VIE to another PRC person or entity designated by us at any time in our discretion.

These agreements make us their “primary beneficiary” for accounting purposes under U.S. GAAP. For descriptions of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Agreements with the VIE and its Shareholders.” We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC legal counsel, based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that each of the contracts among our WFOE, the consolidated VIE and the VIE’s shareholders is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including the Foreign Investment Law (2019), Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules and the Telecommunications Regulations and the relevant regulatory measures concerning the telecommunications industry. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. There can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities, such as the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT, or other authorities that regulate our business and other participants in the telecommunications industry, would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.

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We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, based on the opinion of our PRC legal counsel, we believe that our WFOE and the VIE are not subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, CAC, nor any other entity to approve these contractual arrangements. However, PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the view of our PRC counsel. There can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT, or other authorities that regulate our business and other participants in the telecommunications industry, would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding our corporate structure and contractual arrangements from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC government authorities. If we inadvertently conclude that approvals are not required, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently and we are required to obtain approval in the future, our shares may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the VIE and its subsidiaries that conduct all or substantially all of our operations. If the PRC government determines that these contractual arrangements do not comply with its restrictions on foreign investment in the internet business, if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, or if the PRC government otherwise finds that we, the VIE, or any of its subsidiaries is in violation of PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, including but not limited to the MIIT, which regulates internet information service companies, would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

● revoking our business and operating licenses;

● discontinuing or restricting our operations;

● imposing fines or confiscating any of our income that they deem to have been obtained through illegal operations;

● requiring us, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE and its subsidiaries to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations;

● placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues;

● restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds from our initial public offering to finance the business and operations of the VIE; and

● taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.

The imposition of any of these penalties could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these penalties results in our inability to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from the VIE, we may not be able to consolidate the financial results of the VIE and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, our shares may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the VIE and its subsidiaries that conduct all or substantially all of our operations.

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We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to exercise control over our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

Since the applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations restrict foreign ownership in the value-added telecommunications services, we conduct our online real estate service and derive related revenues through the contractual arrangements with the VIE. We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders for our business operations, and these contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIE. We rely on the performance by the VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over the VIE. The shareholders of the VIE may not act in the best interests of us or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with the VIE. As we have no direct or indirect ownership interest in the VIE, these contractual arrangements, including the voting proxies granted to us, may not be as effective in providing us with control over these companies as direct or indirect ownership. If we were the controlling shareholder of the VIE with direct or indirect ownership, we would be able to exercise our rights as shareholders to effect changes in the board of directors, which in turn could effect change, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. Since we control the VIE through contractual arrangements, if the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may be forced to (i) incur substantial costs and resources to enforce such arrangements, including the voting proxies, and (ii) rely on legal remedies available under PRC law, including exercising our call option right over the equity interest in the VIE or the assets of the VIE, seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming monetary damages. See “—Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.” In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant time delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

The equity and asset transfer and foreclosure of pledge in accordance with our contractual arrangements shall be subject to procedures required by relevant PRC authorities. In addition, the equity and asset transfer price may be subject to review and tax adjustment by the relevant tax authority.

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

The VIE is currently 31.95% owned by Yi Duan, 19.75% owned by Jiancheng Li, 16.87% owned by Xi Zeng, 9.0% owned by Wei Zhang, 8.87% owned by Li Zhou, 8.0% owned by Jingjing Huang, 2.66% owned by Jiaorong Pan, 2.0% owned by Wentao Bai and 0.9% owned by Ying Lu, respectively. Yi Duan, Xi Zeng and Jiancheng Li are our co-founders. Jiaorong Pan is our director and chief operating officer. However, we cannot assure you that these shareholders would not have potential conflicts of interest with us. If they breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, our ability to effectively control the VIE and receive economic benefits from the VIE and its subsidiaries would be materially and adversely affected. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with the VIE to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. For the shareholders who are also our directors and executive officers, we rely on them to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands and China, which provide that the directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company and not to use their position for personal gain. There is currently no specific and clear guidance under PRC laws that address any conflict between PRC law and Cayman Islands law in respect of any conflict relating to corporate governance. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of the VIE, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

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Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

We refer to the shareholders of the VIE as its nominee shareholders because although they are the holders on record of equity interest in the VIE, pursuant to the terms of the relevant power of attorney, each such shareholder has irrevocably authorized Jiancheng Li, a director of our WFOE, or another person designated by our WFOE in case Jiancheng Li ceases to be the WFOE’s director, to exercise his or her rights as a shareholder of the VIE. However, if the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming damages, which we cannot assure will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of the VIE refuse to transfer their equity interest in the VIE to us or our designee when we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they otherwise act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

All of the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration or litigation. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved through arbitration in Hong Kong or litigation in PRC. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us.” Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.

Our contractual arrangements with the VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or the VIE owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law effective as of January 1, 2008, every enterprise in China must submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The PRC tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm’s length principles and we may face material and adverse tax consequences. If the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between our WFOE, the VIE and its shareholders were not entered into on an arm’s-length basis in such a way resulting in an impermissible reduction in taxes, they may adjust the VIE’ income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, reduce expense deductions recorded by the VIE for PRC tax purposes, which could, in turn, increase its tax liabilities without reducing the WFOE’ tax expenses. In addition, if the WFOE requests the VIE’s shareholders to transfer their equity interest in VIE at nominal or no value, or the WFOE requests the VIE to transfer its assets at nominal or no value pursuant to the contractual agreements, such transfer could be viewed as a gift and subject the WFOE to PRC income tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on the VIE for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if the VIE’ tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

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Any unauthorized use of indicia of corporate power or authority would have a material adverse effect on our business.

In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and its subsidiaries are generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safe, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so.

We may lose the ability to utilize assets held by the VIE that are important to the operation of our business if the VIE goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

Our WFOE is considered foreign-invested enterprise in China and is, therefore, not permitted under the current PRC laws, rules and regulations to hold the ICP license that are critical to our operations. The VIE, therefore, holds the ICP License required for operating our website and our mobile applications in China. Under our contractual arrangements, the shareholders of the VIE may not approve the VIE to sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business in any manner without our prior consent. However, in the event that the shareholders breach this obligation and voluntarily liquidate the VIE, or the VIE declares bankruptcy, or all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if the VIE or its subsidiaries undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets, hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law (2019) and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations.

The value-added telecommunications services that we conduct through the VIE and its subsidiaries are subject to foreign investment restrictions set forth in the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment issued by MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission, effective January 2022.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, or the Foreign Investment Law (2019), which became effective on January 1, 2020 and replaced the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law to become the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) mainly focuses on foreign investment promotion, foreign investment protection and foreign investment management. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) does not mention the concept of “actual control,”, nor does it specify the regulation on controlling via contractual arrangements. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, under the Foreign Investment Law (2019), “foreign investment” refers to the investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities in China. Though it does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangements would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities in the future. In addition, the definition of foreign investment contains a catch-all provision that includes investments made by foreign investors through other means stipulated in laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. If further actions shall be taken under future laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions. Failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations.

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Risks Related to Doing Business in China

The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.

We conduct our business in China primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government’s significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our ADSs. Any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our and the VIE’s business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with the VIE. These laws and regulations may be subject to change, the enforcement of laws and regulations in China could be uncertain and the rules and policies in China may change quickly with little advance notice, which could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. Due to the uncertainty and complexity of the regulatory environment, we cannot assure you that we and the VIE would always be in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the violation of which may have an adverse effect on our and the VIE’s business and our reputation. Also, the PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. Any such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. In addition, implementation of industry-wide regulations directly targeting our operations could cause our securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless. Therefore, investors of our company face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business.

The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated a set of new regulations, including the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines. The regulations came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Requirements for filing entities, time points and procedures are specified. Where a PRC domestic company indirectly offers and lists securities in overseas markets, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity to file with the CSRC. Companies, like us, that are already listed overseas as of March 31, 2023 are not required to make an immediate filing with the CSRC until a subsequent offering, in which case a filing should be made with the CSRC within three business days after the offering is completed. Failure to complete the filing required by the Trial Measures may result in a warning and a fine between RMB1 million and RMB10 million. However, uncertainty remains as to the interpretation and implementation of the Trial Measures and five supporting guidelines upon promulgation.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, among other things, requires offshore special purpose vehicles formed for the purpose of an overseas listing and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the CSRC approval prior to listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear. Our PRC legal counsel has advised us that, based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, the CSRC approval is not required under the M&A Rules for our offshore offerings because the ownership structures of our PRC subsidiaries and VIE were not established through acquisition of equity interest or assets of any PRC domestic company by foreign entities as defined under the M&A Rules. However, we have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the PRC law, and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. If it is determined that the CSRC approval is required for our offshore offerings, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to seek the CSRC approval for such offerings.

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Furthermore, relevant PRC governmental authorities promulgated the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities, which provided that the administration and supervision of overseas-listed China-based companies will be strengthened, and the special provisions of the State Council on overseas issuance and listing of shares by such companies will be revised, clarifying the responsibilities of domestic industry competent authorities and regulatory authorities. However, the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities were only issued recently, leaving uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of these opinions. It is possible that any new rules or regulations may impose additional requirements on us.

The draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, published by the CAC on November 14, 2021 for public comments until December 13, 2021 require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than 1 million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. As no detailed rules or implementation of the Draft Data Security Regulations have been issued, the CAC and the PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engage in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of “affect or may affect national security”, and Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the impact of the Cyber Security Review Measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding offshore offering from the CAC or any other PRC governmental authorities.

If it is determined in the future that a filing with the CSRC or other procedural requirements are required to be met for and prior to an offering, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to complete such filing or procedures and any such filing could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such filing or completing such procedures for an offering, or a rescission of any such filing, may subject us to sanctions by the relevant PRC governmental authorities. The governmental authorities may impose restrictions and penalties on our operations in China that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The PRC governmental authorities may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt an offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the PRC governmental authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for filings, registrations or other kinds of authorizations for an offering, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the approval, authorizations, or complete required procedures or other requirements in a timely manner, or at all, or obtain a waiver of the requisite requirements if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver.

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Changes in PRC government policies or political or social conditions could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth in China, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business and operations are primarily conducted in China. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations have been, and are expected to continue to be, affected by the economic, political and social developments in relation to the internet, online marketing and real estate industries in China. A slowdown of economic growth in China could reduce sales of real estate and related products and services, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the increased global focus on social, ethical and environmental issues may lead to China’s adoption of more stringent standards in these areas, which may adversely impact the operations of China-based companies including us. See “—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Our business is susceptible to fluctuations in China’s real estate market, its overall economic growth and government measures aimed at China’s real estate industry.” for more information.

The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including a higher level of government involvement, the ongoing development of a market-oriented economy, a higher level of control over foreign exchange, and a less efficient allocation of resources.

While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth since the late 1970s, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. These measures are intended to benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by PRC government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.

The PRC economy has been transitioning from a centrally-planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although the PRC government has implemented measures since the late 1970s which emphasize the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. These PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign-invested enterprises in China. In particular, they are subject to PRC laws, rules and regulations governing foreign companies’ ownership and operation of Internet information services as well as of the real estate sector. Such laws and regulations are subject to change, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to us and our investors. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement of such laws, or the preemption of local regulations by PRC laws, rules and regulations.

Moreover, China has a civil law system based on written statutes, which, unlike common law systems, is a system in which decided judicial cases have little precedential value. Furthermore, interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to government policies reflecting domestic political changes. The relative inexperience of China’s judiciary in many cases creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of litigation. In addition, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing laws may be uncertain and sporadic, and it may be difficult to obtain swift and equitable enforcement within China. All such uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We may be deemed to operate a financing guarantee business by the PRC regulatory authorities.

In August 2017, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Rules which became effective on October 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Financing Guarantee Rules, “financing guarantee” refers to the activities in which guarantors provide guarantee to the guaranteed parties as to loans, bonds or other types of debt financing, and “financing guarantee companies” refer to companies legally established and operating financing guarantee business. According to the Financing Guarantee Rules, the establishment of financing guarantee companies is subject to the approval by the relevant governmental authority, and unless otherwise stipulated, no entity may operate financing guarantee business without such approval. If any entity violates these regulations and operates financing guarantee business without approval, the entity may be subject to penalties including ban or suspension of business, fines of RMB500,000 (US$78,461) to RMB1,000,000 (US$156,922), confiscation of illegal gains if any, and criminal liability if the violation constitutes a criminal offense.

Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact definition and scope of “operating financing guarantee business” under the Financing Guarantee Rules is unclear. It is uncertain whether we would be deemed to operate financing guarantee and loan businesses because of our current arrangements with certain financial institutions. Furthermore, pursuant to a notice jointly issued by the People’s Bank of China, or the PBOC, and the China Banking Regulatory Commission, or the CBRC, on December 1, 2017, a bank participating in loan facilitation transactions may not accept credit enhancement service from a third party which is not a financing guarantee company, including credit enhancement service in the form of a “buy-back” commitment. If the relevant regulatory authorities determine that such prohibition is applicable to the financing arrangements we facilitate/participate in, we may be required to obtain approval or license for financing guarantee and loan businesses to continue our collaboration arrangement with certain financial institutions. If we are no longer able to maintain our current arrangement with these financial institutions, or become subject to penalties, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for information displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our websites and mobile applications.

The PRC government has adopted regulations governing internet access and the distribution of information over the internet. Under these regulations, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet content that, among other things, impairs the national dignity of China, contains terrorism or extremism content, or is reactionary, obscene, superstitious, fraudulent or defamatory, or otherwise violates PRC laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the revocation of licenses to provide internet content and the closure of the concerned websites and applications. The website operator may also be held liable for such censored information displayed on or linked to the website.

In addition, the MIIT has published regulations that subject website operators to potential liability for content displayed on their websites and for the actions of users and others using their systems, including liability for violations of PRC laws prohibiting the dissemination of content deemed to be socially destabilizing. The Ministry of Public Security has the authority to order any local internet service provider to block any internet website at its sole discretion. From time to time, the Ministry of Public Security has stopped the dissemination over the internet of information which it believes to be socially destabilizing. The State Administration for the Protection of State Secrets is also authorized to block any website it deems to be leaking state secrets or failing to meet the relevant regulations related to the protection of state secrets in the dissemination of online information.

Although we attempt to monitor the illicit content posted by users on our platform, we may not be able to effectively control or restrict illicit content (including comments as well as pictures, videos and other multimedia content) generated or placed on our platform by our users. To the extent that PRC regulatory authorities find any content displayed on our platform inappropriate, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination of such information on our platform. Failure to do so may subject us to liabilities and penalties and may even result in the temporary blockage or complete shutdown of our online operations. If this were to happen, our business and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

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

We currently enjoy certain preferential tax treatment in the PRC. For example, Fangdd Network was qualified as a “high and new technology enterprise” and entitled to a reduced enterprise income tax rate of 15% in 2022. However, under the Administrative Rules for the Certification of High and New Technology Enterprises issued in January 2016, the qualification of a “high and new technology enterprise” is subject to annual evaluation and a review every three years by the relevant authorities in China. There is no assurance that Fangdd Network will continue to meet the applicable criteria for such qualification or enjoy the preferential tax rate at the same level in the future. Moreover, Fangdd Network currently enjoys preferential tax treatment with regard to its research and development expenses, and we cannot assure you that such treatment will continue at the current level, or at all. If we are not able to continue to enjoy our current preferential tax treatment, our financial condition and results of operations can be adversely affected.

Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax, which could materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay our shareholders.

The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law classifies enterprises as resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that an income tax rate of 20% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-resident investors, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or (ii) have an establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council of the PRC reduced such rate to 10% through the implementation regulations of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law. Further, pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement between Hong Kong and Mainland China, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, and the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued in February 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC, or the SAT, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in a company in China at all times during the 12-month period immediately prior to obtaining a dividend from such company, the 10% withholding tax on dividends is reduced to 5% provided certain other conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws are satisfied at the discretion of relevant PRC tax authority.

If our Cayman Islands holding company and our Hong Kong subsidiary are considered as non-resident enterprises and our Hong Kong subsidiary is considered as a Hong Kong resident enterprise under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied relevant conditions and requirements, then the dividends paid to our Hong Kong subsidiary by its PRC subsidiaries may be subject to the reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. However, based on the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. In addition, based on the Announcement on Certain Issues Concerning the Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties issued on February 3, 2018 by SAT, comprehensive analysis shall be conducted based on the factors listed and the actual circumstances of the specific cases to recognize the “beneficial owner.” If we fail to be recognized as beneficial owner, we will not be entitled to the abovementioned reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our subsidiaries in China, or if our Hong Kong subsidiary is determined by PRC government authority as receiving benefits from reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, it would materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders.

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If we are classified as a “resident enterprise” of China under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we and our non-PRC shareholders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, SAT issued a circular, known as SAT Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of board members with voting rights or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe that our Cayman Islands holding company, Fangdd Cayman, is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that our Cayman Islands holding company is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders, including our ADS holders, may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders, including our ADS holders, and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

In addition to the uncertainty as to the application of the “resident enterprise” classification, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not amend or revise the taxation laws, rules and regulations to impose stricter tax requirements or higher tax rates. Any of such changes could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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

Currently, the Renminbi cannot be freely converted into any foreign currency. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under our current structure, our income will be primarily derived from dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and our affiliated entity to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency dominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, for most capital account items, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of bank loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.

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

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions in China and by China’s foreign exchange policies. Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, or IMF, completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive from our initial public offering into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency or to convert foreign currency into Renminbi.

PRC regulations related to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and enterprises may increase our administrative burden and restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activity. If our PRC resident and enterprise shareholders fail to make any required applications and filings under such regulations, we may be unable to distribute profits to such shareholders and may become subject to liability under PRC law.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, which replaces the previous SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities, to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future.

Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.

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We may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. We do not have control over our beneficial owners and there can be no assurance that all of our PRC resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, and there is no assurance that any required registration under SAFE Circular 37 and any amendment will be completed in a timely manner, or at all. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our Company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations are relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.

As an offshore holding company of our PRC operating subsidiaries, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, or may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, subject to satisfaction of applicable governmental registration and approval requirements.

Any loans we extend to our PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, cannot exceed the statutory limit and must be registered with the local counterpart of the SAFE.

We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, these capital contributions are subject to registration with or approval by the MOFCOM or its local counterparts. In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into Renminbi and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. On October 23, 2019, SAFE issued the Circular to Further Promote Cross-border Trade and Investment to further ease cross-border trade and investment, according to which foreign non-investment enterprises are allowed to carry out domestic equity investment provided that such investment will not violate applicable special administrative measures (negative list) for foreign investment access and the investment projects shall be authentic and legitimate. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. If the VIE requires financial support from us or our wholly owned subsidiaries in the future and we find it necessary to use foreign currency-denominated capital to provide such financial support, our ability to fund the VIE’s operations will be subject to statutory limits and restrictions, including those described above. These circulars may limit our ability to transfer the net proceeds from our initial public offering to the VIE and our PRC subsidiaries, and we may not be able to convert the net proceeds from our initial public offering into Renminbi to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies in China. Despite the restrictions under these SAFE circulars, our PRC subsidiaries may use their income in Renminbi generated from their operations to finance the VIE through entrustment loans to the VIE or loans to the VIE’s shareholders for the purpose of making capital contributions to the VIE. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries can use Renminbi funds converted from foreign currency registered capital to carry out any activities within their normal course of business and business scope, including to purchase or lease servers and other relevant equipment and fund other operational needs in connection with their provision of services to the relevant VIE under the applicable exclusive technical support agreements.

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In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiaries or the VIE or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from our initial public offering and to fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to make investments or acquisitions, pay dividends or otherwise fund our business.

We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any debt we may incur. Current PRC regulations permit our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside a certain amount of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserves. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require us to adjust our taxable income under the contractual arrangements we currently have in place in a manner that would materially and adversely affect our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

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

Under the applicable regulations and SAFE rules, PRC citizens who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rules, which replaced the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies issued by SAFE in March 2007. Pursuant to the Stock Option Rules, if a PRC resident participates in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent must, among other things, file on behalf of such participant an application with SAFE to conduct the SAFE registration with respect to such stock incentive plan and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options or stock such participant holds. Such participating PRC residents’ foreign exchange income received from the sale of stock and dividends distributed by the overseas publicly-listed company must be fully remitted into a PRC collective foreign currency account opened and managed by the PRC agent before distribution to such participants. We and our PRC resident employees who have been granted stock options or other share-based incentives of our Company are subject to the Stock Option Rules. If we or our PRC resident participants fail to comply with these regulations, we and/or our PRC resident participants may be subject to fines and legal sanctions. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Related to Stock Incentive Plans.”

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The M&A Rules and relevant regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. The M&A Rules require that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security; or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. The approval from MOFCOM shall be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies.

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The Anti-Monopoly Law, or the AML, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which became effective in August 2008, requires that when a concentration of undertakings occurs and reaches statutory thresholds, the undertakings concerned shall file a prior notification with MOFCOM. Without the clearance from MOFCOM, no concentration of undertakings shall be implemented and effected. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the MOFCOM when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 is triggered. If such prior notification is not obtained, MOFCOM may order the concentration to cease its operations, dispose of shares or assets, transfer the business of the concentration within a time limit, take any other necessary measures to restore the situation as it was before the concentration, and may impose administrative fines.

In addition, the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on the Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises, issued by the MOFCOM in August 2011, specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors involved in “an industry related to national security” are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and prohibit any activities attempting to bypass such security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions.

We cannot preclude the possibility that the MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security reviews in the future, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.

We and our shareholders face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises, assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company or immovable properties located in China owned by non-PRC companies.

In February 2015, SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interest of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of Shares of ADSs acquired and sold on public markets may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interest in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Public Notice 7 or Bulletin 37, or both.

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You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in this annual report based on foreign laws.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. We conduct substantially all of our operations in China and a substantial portion of our assets are located in China. In addition, many of our senior executive officers and directors reside within China for a significant portion of the time and some of them are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors. In addition, the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC are unlikely to (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC to impose liabilities against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature.

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

The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our former auditor in relation to their audit work.

Our former auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit reports on our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our former auditor is located in the PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was historically unable to conduct inspections and investigations completely before 2022, our former auditor was not inspected by the PCAOB in relation to their audit work for our company. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed Mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections in China in the past made it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our former auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that were subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements. As part of our continued efforts to ensure accuracy of our financial reporting, our audit committee periodically communicates with our independent auditor to oversee and evaluate the audit procedures and status. However, we cannot assure you that the measures our audit committee has taken or will take in the future will be effective. We have dismissed our former auditor that is located in Mainland China and engaged our current auditor, a Singapore-based accounting firm that is registered with the PCAOB and meets the PCAOB inspection requirements, as our company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

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

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines that a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit its securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report relaying to the SEC its determinations that the board was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first “Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act” indicating that those companies were formally subject to the delisting provisions. In May 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act due to the fact that our previous auditor was located in Mainland China and could not be inspected by the PCAOB. See https://www.sec.gov/hfcaa.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC a Statement of Protocol, which gives the PCAOB sole discretion to select the firms, audit engagements and potential violations it inspects and investigates and put in place procedures for PCAOB inspectors and investigators to view complete audit work papers with all information included and for the PCAOB to retain information as needed. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed Mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions.

We have engaged our current auditor, a Singapore-based accounting firm that is registered with the PCAOB, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, and our current auditor can be inspected under the PCAOB requirements. However, if the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, it may create uncertainty about the ability of our current auditor to fully cooperate with the PCAOB’s request for audit work papers. Such lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would cause our ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.

If additional remedial measures are imposed on the “big four” PRC-based accounting firms, including our former independent registered public accounting firm, in administrative proceedings brought by the SEC alleging such firms’ failure to meet specific criteria set by the SEC with respect to requests for the production of documents, we could fail to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the “big four” PRC-based accounting firms (including our former auditor). The Rule 102(e) proceedings initiated by the SEC relate to these firms’ inability to produce documents, including audit work papers, in response to the request of the SEC pursuant to Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as the auditors located in China are not in a position lawfully to produce documents directly to the SEC because of restrictions under PRC laws and specific directives issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC. The issues raised by the proceedings are not specific to our auditors or to us, but affect equally all audit firms based in China and all China-based businesses with securities listed in the United States.

In January 2014, the administrative judge reached an initial decision that each of these firms should be barred from practicing before the SEC for six months. Thereafter, the accounting firms filed a petition for review of the initial decision, prompting the SEC commissioners to review the initial decision, determine whether there had been any violation and, if so, determine the appropriate remedy to be placed on these audit firms.

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In February 2015, “big four” PRC-based accounting firms (including our former auditor) each agreed to censure and pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S. listed companies. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to the Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CSRC. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four China-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019.

While we cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four China-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions, if the accounting firms are subject to additional remedial measures, our ability to file our financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could be impacted. A determination that we have not timely filed financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs or the termination of the registration of our ADSs under the Exchange Act, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in China, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and could result in delisting. Moreover, any negative news about the proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our shares may be adversely affected.

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

Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanisms. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretations of or implementation rules under Article 177 are yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties you may face in protecting your interests.

Risks Related to The ADSs

The market price movement of the ADSs may be volatile.

The trading prices of the ADSs are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation in the market prices or the underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in China. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings, including Internet companies, online retail and mobile commerce platforms and consumer finance service providers, may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States, which consequently may impact the trading performance of the ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, such as the large decline in share prices in the United States, China and other jurisdictions in late 2008, early 2009, the second half of 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2022, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of the ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:

● regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;

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● announcements of studies and reports relating to the quality of our service offerings or those of our competitors;

● changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other real estate service providers;

● actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;

● changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;

● conditions in the market for real estate services;

● announcements by us or our competitors of new product and service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;

● additions to or departures of our senior management;

● fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar; and

● release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares or ADSs, and sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs.

We may be unable to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements of Nasdaq.

ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares are currently listed on Nasdaq. In order to maintain this listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards. On January 4, 2022, we received a notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, notifying that we were not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) because the bid price of our ADSs closed below US$1.00 per ADS for the 30 consecutive business days from November 19, 2021 to January 3, 2022. We were granted a grace period of 180 calendar days, expiring on July 5, 2022, in which to regain compliance. In order to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, we changed the ratio of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares from one (1) ADS representing twenty five (25) Class A ordinary shares to one (1) ADS representing three hundred seventy-five (375) Class A ordinary shares. The change became effective on June 7, 2022. On June 22, 2022, Nasdaq confirmed in a compliance notice that for the ten consecutive business days, from June 7 through June 21, 2022, the closing bid price of our ADSs had been at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, we regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), and the matter was closed.

On October 20, 2022, we received another notice from Nasdaq, stating that we were not in compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirement to maintain a minimum market value of publicly held shares, or MVPHS, of at least US$5 million for a period of 30 consecutive business days, as required under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(1)(C). We were provided 180 calendar days, or until April 18, 2023, to regain compliance with the MVPHS requirement. On March 24, 2023, based on our company’s MVPHS for a period of 11 consecutive business days, from March 9 to March 23, 2023, Nasdaq confirmed that our company’s MVPHS had been greater than US$5 million. Accordingly, we regained compliance with the MVPHS requirement and this matter was closed. In the future, if we were unable to comply with any applicable listing requirements of Nasdaq, our ADSs would be subject to delisting. In the event that our ADSs are delisted from Nasdaq and are not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our ADSs could be conducted only in the over-the-counter market established for unlisted securities such as OTC Markets. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for our ADSs, which could cause the price of our ADSs to decline further.

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

Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs. As of March 31, 2023, we had 21,351,086,319 ordinary shares outstanding, comprising of 20,854,967,959 Class A ordinary shares, 490,418,360 Class B ordinary shares outstanding and 5,700,000 Class C ordinary shares outstanding, including 1,792,471,025 Class A ordinary shares represented by approximately 4,779,923 ADSs, which are freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The remaining Class A ordinary shares outstanding and Class A ordinary shares converted from the Class B ordinary shares or the Class C ordinary shares will be available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. Certain holders of our ordinary shares may cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares. Sales of these registered shares in the form of ADSs in the public market could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs.

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

Our ordinary share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares shall vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the shareholders. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while (i) holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share and (ii) holders of Class C ordinary shares are entitled to 10,000 votes per share, except that we shall only amend, alter, modify or change the rights, restrictions, preferences or privileges of Class C ordinary shares with the written consent of the holders holding a majority of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares.

Each Class B ordinary share or Class C ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time at the option of the holder thereof, or subject to automatic and immediate conversion into one Class A ordinary share once certain conditions are met, while neither Class A ordinary shares nor Class C ordinary shares are convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances, neither Class A ordinary shares nor Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class C ordinary shares under any circumstances.

Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these three classes, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares have significant voting power over matters requiring shareholders’ approval. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades the ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

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Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

We may need additional capital, and the sale of additional ADSs or other equity securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders, while the incurrence of debt may impose restrictions on our operations.

We believe that our current cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the foreseeable future. We may, however, require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If these resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of equity securities would result in dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

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

We qualify as a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that permit less detailed and frequent reporting than that of a U.S. domestic public company.

We report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their annual report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from Regulation FD, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of the above, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers.

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If we lose our status as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply with the Exchange Act reporting and other requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, which are more detailed and extensive than the requirements for foreign private issuers. We may also be required to make changes in our corporate governance practices in accordance with various SEC and Nasdaq rules. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws if we are required to comply with the reporting requirements applicable to a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher than the cost we would incur as a foreign private issuer. As a result, we expect that a loss of foreign private issuer status would increase our legal and financial compliance costs and would make some activities highly time-consuming and costly. We also expect that if we were required to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, it would make it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we have elected to, rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, including the requirement that a majority of an issuer’s directors consist of independent directors. This may afford less protection to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.

As a Cayman Islands exempted company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, we are subject to the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. For example, Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules requires listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of its board members to be independent, and to have independent director oversight of executive compensation and nomination of directors.

However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. For example, under Cayman Islands law we are not required to (i) have a majority of independent directors serve on our board of directors, (ii) have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors, (iii) have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors, and (iv) hold annual meeting of shareholders within one year after the end of a fiscal year. With respect to the foregoing corporate governance requirements, we have elected to follow home country practice. See “Item 16G. Corporate Governance.” As a majority of our board of directors are currently not independent directors, fewer board members will be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our Company may decrease as a result. Since we have chosen to follow certain home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

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The concentration of our share ownership among our directors and executive officers will likely limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transaction that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

As of March 31, 2023, our directors and executive officers and their affiliated entities together beneficially own approximately 2.6% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing 74.9% of our total voting rights. As a result of the concentration of voting power, these directors and executive officers will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of the ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

There can be no assurance that we were not a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for 2022 or that we will not be a PFIC for 2023 or any other taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares.

A non-United States corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income for such year is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on a weighted quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. A separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether a non-United States corporation is a PFIC for that year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we intend to treat the VIE (and its subsidiaries) as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we direct the activities of the VIE (and its subsidiaries) that most significantly impact the economic performance of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated financial statements. Assuming that we are treated as the owner of the VIE (and its subsidiaries) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based upon our current and expected income and assets, including goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, and the market value of the ADSs), we do not believe we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2022.

The determination of our PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis and the applicable law is subject to varying interpretation. The value of our assets for purposes of the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs, fluctuations in the market price of the ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in our initial public offering. If we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes or if it were determined that we do not own the stock of the VIE for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our risk of being a PFIC may substantially increase. In light of the foregoing, there can be no assurance that we were not, or will not be, a PFIC for any taxable year, and our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for any prior, current or future taxable year.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Taxation) holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. See “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation—U.S. Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

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Since shareholder rights under Cayman Islands law differ from those under U.S. law, you may have difficulty protecting your shareholder rights.

We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Register of Mortgages and Charges and special resolutions of our shareholders) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States.  Since we have chosen to follow certain home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.  See “—As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we have elected to, rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, including the requirement that a majority of an issuer’s directors consist of independent directors. This may afford less protection to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.”

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

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions based on United States or other foreign laws against us or our management.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands (As Revised) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

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

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these non-PRC jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible.

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

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of the ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which are carried by the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs, in accordance with your instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you cancel and withdraw such shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A Ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

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We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, or to terminate the deposit agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders.

We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment may prejudice a substantial existing right of ADS holders, ADS holders will only receive 30 days’ advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADS holders is required under the deposit agreement. At the time an amendment becomes effective, ADS holders are considered, by continuing to hold their ADSs, to have agreed to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility, when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction, or when we incur the insolvency event. If the ADS facility terminates, ADS holders will receive at least 90 days’ prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign and we have not appointed a new depositary within 60 days. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that may prejudice a substantial existing right of ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders’ choices will be limited to selling their ADSs or surrendering their ADSs and becoming direct holders of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever. No assurance can be given that a sale of ADSs could be made at a price satisfactory to the holder in such circumstances.

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

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

The depositary for the ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.

Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders’ meetings if:

● we have timely provided the depositary with notice of meeting and related voting materials; and

● we confirm to the depositary that we reasonably do not know of any substantial shareholder opposition to a particular question and the particular question is not materially adverse to the interests of shareholders.

The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not vote at shareholders’ meetings, you cannot prevent our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

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You may not receive distributions on ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.

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

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

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

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiffs in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.

If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before entering into the deposit agreement.

If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against either or both of us and the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiffs in any such action.

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Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

Our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. It is possible that, had our independent registered public accounting firm conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, such firm might have identified additional material weaknesses and deficiencies. We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, which impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.235 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also permits an emerging growth company to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.

We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. We also expect that operating as a public company will make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A.History and Development of the Company.

We commenced operations in October 2011 through Shenzhen Fangdd Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Fangdd Network, a company incorporated in China. Since its inception, Fangdd Network has focused on providing online real estate services. In September 2013, we incorporated Fangdd Cayman, in the Cayman Islands as our holding company. In October 2013, Fangdd Cayman established a wholly owned subsidiary, Fangdd BVI, in the British Virgin Islands, which in turn established Fangdd HK, a wholly owned subsidiary in Hong Kong in November 2013. In March 2014, Shenzhen Fangdd, was incorporated as a PRC subsidiary wholly owned by Fangdd HK.

Due to restrictions imposed by PRC laws and regulations on foreign ownership of companies engaged in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses, Shenzhen Fangdd entered into a series of contractual arrangements, as amended and restated, with Fangdd Network and its shareholders, through which we obtained control over Fangdd Network and its subsidiaries. As a result, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of Fangdd Network and its subsidiaries. We treat them as our consolidated affiliated entities under U.S. GAAP, and have consolidated the financial results of these entities in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We refer to Shenzhen Fangdd as our WFOE, and to Fangdd Network as the VIE in this annual report. We depend on these contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to conduct most aspects of our operation. For more details and risks related to the VIE, please see “—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Agreements with the VIE and its Shareholders” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

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On November 1, 2019, ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “DUO.” We raised approximately US$71.6 million in net proceeds from the issuance of new shares from our initial public offering after deducting underwriting commissions and the offering expenses payable by us. In November 2019, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option and we raised approximately US$6.1 million in net proceeds from the issuance of new shares after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses payable by us.

In December 2022, we sold and issued 1,000,000 ADSs at a price of US$0.6976 per ADS in a registered direct offering and raised approximately US$470,708 in net proceeds after deducting the placement agent fees and offering expenses. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes.

On February 12, 2023, we issued a convertible promissory note due on August 12, 2023 in a principal amount of US$21 million pursuant to a convertible note purchase agreement dated January 13, 2023. The note bore an interest rate of 8% per annum, payable on the maturity date. At any time before the maturity date, the note was convertible in whole into Class A ordinary shares at the option of the noteholder. On March 9, 2023, the noteholder elected to convert the note into an aggregate of 18,750,000,000 Class A ordinary shares at an amended conversion price of US$0.00112 per share. After the issuance of the conversion shares, the note was cancelled and no amount of the note remains outstanding.

On March 3 2023, we sold and issued 322,164 ADSs at a price of US$0.6208 per ADS in a registered direct offering and raised approximately US$82,460 in net proceeds after deducting the offering expenses. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes.

Our board of directors approved the creation of Class C ordinary shares in November 2022 for the purpose of enhancing our ability to execute long-term business strategies and enabling new equity financing while maintaining a stable corporate structure and senior management team. Holders of Class C ordinary shares have certain special voting rights and conversion rights. In particular, each Class C ordinary share entitles the holder thereof to 10,000 votes on all matters subject to a shareholder vote and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at the option of the holder thereof. Please refer to “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association” in this annual report on Form 20-F for a summary of the rights of Class C ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2023, we had issued 5,700,000 Class C ordinary shares to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD, a company controlled by Mr. Xi Zeng, our chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. See “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions—Share Issuance to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD and Mr. Xi Zeng” for more information.

Our principal executive offices are located at Room 602, Unit B4, Kexing Science Park, 15 Keyuan Road, Technology Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 755 2699 8968. Our registered office is situated at Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711.

SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC on www.sec.gov. You can also find information on our website www.fangdd.com. The information on our website should not be deemed a part of this annual report.

B.Business Overview.

We are a customer-oriented PropTech company in China, focusing on providing real estate transaction digitalization services. We operate a real estate-focused online marketplace for real estate transactions and related services in China. Our marketplace connects real estate sellers, agents, buyers, financial institutions and other service providers as part of a vibrant ecosystem and a self-reinforcing network, enabling marketplace participants to transact real estate assets with efficiency at lowered costs. We provide all participants with one-stop digital real estate transaction services and seamless transaction experience through our reliable and extensive property listings, SaaS solutions and intelligent matching algorithms.

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We started by providing agencies and agents with innovative products and SaaS solutions to improve the way they conduct business and manage their day-to-day operations, making them increasingly reliant on our tools and services. This enables us to build a huge agent network, thereby accumulating the service resources of real estate transactions on our marketplace. By providing real estate sellers with innovative and diversified digital marketing solutions as well as access to our extensive agent network, we help real estate sellers to move their traditional offline business online and improve transaction efficiency, thereby gathering the property resources of real estate transactions on our marketplace. In addition, we continue to attract real estate buyers and other participants to our marketplace by leveraging the service resources and property resources we have and continually improve the efficiency of transactions on our marketplace with unique market insights, underpinned by our proprietary artificial intelligence, algorithms and data. In 2022, the gross merchandise value, or the GMV, of closed-loop transactions facilitated in our marketplace was RMB22.5 billion (US$3.3 billion).

Our Online Marketplace

We build an open online marketplace for real estate transactions and related services. Our marketplace connects real estate sellers, agents, buyers, financial institutions and other service providers as part of a vibrant ecosystem and a self-reinforcing network. We provide all participants with one-stop digital real estate transaction services and seamless transaction experience through our reliable and extensive property listings, SaaS solutions and intelligent matching algorithms.

The foundation of our marketplace is transaction digitalization. Through our diversified SaaS products and solutions, we help real estate sellers and agents to identify effective sales leads and potential home buyers, achieve efficient online interactions and improve marketing efficiency while providing superior customer experience and better quality at lower customer acquisition costs. By building the rules and tools required for transactions, we move the components of real estate transactions online, including, among other things, communication, commission settlement. Based on the rich data generated by our marketplace and our big data analysis capabilities, we improve the transparency and efficiency of real estate transactions on our marketplace by, among others, monitoring transactions on the marketplace, matching property listings to the most suitable agents, recommending agents to real estate developers and filtering out inaccurate property information. We provide all marketplace participants with basic management systems and tools for online operations, encompassing SaaS solutions for agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers, respectively, as well as financial solutions, agent and developer services, to name a few.

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Our marketplace is driven by the following core attributes:

● Technological Expertise. We have built a real-time data warehouse, utilizing data analysis and cloud computing to provide visualized data services. We provide targeted recommendations to marketplace participants through artificial intelligence algorithms. We also offer customized products to all participants in the real estate industry, enabling them to boost operational efficiency.

● A Strong and Trustworthy Brand. We have been deeply involved in the real estate industry for over a decade, during which we have developed favorable brand recognition. As real estate sellers in China tend to partner with companies with a long operating history, extensive agent resources and diversified product and service offerings, we gain competitive advantages in attracting real estate sellers to post listings on our marketplace. As such, our brand name as well as product and service capabilities facilitate effective online transactions.

● Amicable relationship among platform participants. All participants on our marketplace are indispensable in successful real estate transactions. As an online marketplace that facilitates these transactions, we understand the importance of building and maintaining amicable relationships among all marketplace participants, especially real estate buyers and agents, which contributes to our ability to obtain sufficient property resources and service resources and grow our business.

● Profound industry insights. With our focus on China’s real estate industry, we draw on our extensive knowledge of this industry, in-depth understanding of real estate transaction services and digital operations, and profound insights into industry trends. We are therefore well-positioned to provide value-added services and products catering to the diverse and ever-changing needs of marketplace participants, and seize market opportunities.

Marketplace Participants

Real Estate Sellers

Real estate sellers who put their assets, such as new properties, existing parking spaces and apartments on our marketplace can utilize our digital marketing services and vast agent network to expand their potential customer base in order to boost sales. Our massive agent database, comprehensive agent profiles and advanced matching capabilities allow us to recommend the most suitable agents to real estate sellers based on their specific experience, expertise and client bases. We have established robust business relationships with high-quality real estate developers in China. Our cooperation with developers covers various of their properties and we receive from them preferable terms from time to time, such as above-market commission rates. Our typical commission rates before paying the agents for their services range from 2% to 4% and there were 1,613 new property projects on our marketplace in 2022.

Real Estate Agents

We have developed a rigorous set of rules to effectively regulate and manage agent activities in our marketplace. Our onboarding procedures ensure that we engage with capable and trustworthy agents. After agents set up their online shops in our marketplace, we continuously guide them and monitor the quality of their services. For example, we customarily sign a strategic cooperation agreement with agencies and require agencies and their agents to follow our guidance in their sales and commission process. We also develop specific sales strategies based on our research and data analysis results, and closely follow agents’ performance in serving real estate buyers. If agents are found to be non-compliant with our policies and instructions, we provide further guidance and issue warnings or take punitive measures for significant violations in certain cases. Agents are also required to report the status of each transaction so that we can offer in-time and customized strategies, such as asking them to follow up with real estate buyers at regular intervals. In 2022, we had over 143.7thousand active agents on our marketplace.

Real Estate Buyers

We attract real estate buyers to our marketplace mainly through our reliable and extensive property listings, transparent agent information and online transaction experience in our marketplace. We provide a verified and continuously updated database with our core management system to help real estate agents serve real estate buyers efficiently and effectively. In 2022, our marketplace facilitated total closed-loop transactions of RMB22.5 billion (US$3.3 billion) in GMV, due to the continued downturn status of China’s real estate market, the impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures, and the heightened credit risks of developers.

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Other Service Providers

We also expand our partnership with other service providers to further enhance our ecosystem. Our marketplace assists financial institutions in making informed lending decisions by providing them with analysis based on agents’ historical transactions and operational data to complement their traditional credit-assessing models. We also connect real estate service providers through our marketplace with real estate buyers, tenants and landlords who have formulated needs for other home services such as decorations and maintenance, facilitating home service providers’ promotion efforts on relevant services.

Our Product and Service Offerings

Building on the real estate transaction digitalization capabilities integrated into our marketplace, we offer innovative value-added products and services including access to extensive listings and rich property-related data tailoring to the needs of different marketplace participants. For example, we have rolled out a suite of SaaS solutions to facilitate the digitalization of real estate transactions for real estate sellers, agents and real estate buyers, respectively. With these comprehensive SaaS solutions, together with our easy-to-use website, advanced data analysis capabilities, diversified financial solutions as well as agent-oriented training and guidance, our marketplace have changed the traditional way of transacting, thereby increasing real estate transactions transparency, efficiency and experience.

Products and Services for Real Estate Sellers

The products and services we provide to real estate sellers mainly include:

● Property Cloud

We launched Property Cloud, a SaaS solution for real estate sellers, in December 2020. By interfacing with Duoduo Sales, Property Cloud connects real estate sellers with agents directly. Developers can list properties, publish commission rates and set other terms in connection with sales on Property Cloud. Once posted on Property Cloud, all of such information will be automatically pushed to agents and those who are interested can directly contact developers through Duoduo Sales. As such, developers could access a large number of agents online at low costs, while agents can conduct commission settlement online. At the same time, developers have access to a variety of functionalities on Property Cloud, including online sales office management, online customer management, online channel management, online cost control, thereby breaking the traditional barriers of channel marketing, reducing marketing costs, improving transaction matching efficiency and achieving the transformation to digital marketing.

● Marketplace services

We partner with real estate sellers to list their properties on our marketplace. Upon receiving the property information, we create digital portraits for the properties by labeling the price, location, public facilities and other information of the properties, and uploading them to our marketplace. We then match the properties based on their property portraits to the most suitable agents, facilitating transaction efficiency of transactions on our marketplace.

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Products and Services for Real Estate Agents

The products and services we provide to real estate agents mainly include:

● Duoduo Sales. Duoduo Sales provides real estate agents with instant access to our marketplace functionalities and allows them to conduct transactions on the go. Agents can access our extensive new and other property listings, large real estate buyer base and marketplace products and services such as shared listings, data analytic tools, premium marketplace functions and AI-based marketplace assistance. It also helps individual agents evaluate online business performances by showing the number and sources of real estate buyers who have visited the agent’s profile, listings posted, shared and sold by the agent as well as the number of postings that share the agents’ listings, profile or other content in the marketplace. Moreover, Duoduo Sales works seamlessly with our WeChat-based applications, allowing agents to reach their real estate buyer base directly through WeChat postings and other targeted content-sharing activities.

● Duoduo Cloud Sales. Duoduo Cloud Sales connects agents to our comprehensive property database and large buyer base, allowing them to source, manage and complete transactions online. In addition, by tracking agents’ activities and aggregating business data, Duoduo Boss provides agency managers with a real-time overview of all the ongoing business activities within the organization, while Business Intelligence Reports enables them to run multidimensional analysis and visualize such analytical results in a variety of ways.

● Financial solutions. By cooperating with third-party financial institutions, we provide real estate agents with supply-chain financial products and support transactions facilitated through our marketplace.

● Training and guidance. We provide both online and offline training and guidance to agents, helping them better understand and use our marketplace functions and improve their operational efficiency. We also provide project-specific training sessions that introduce property features, sales targets and strategies, and commission settlement process.

Products and Services for Real Estate Buyers

The products and services we provide to real estate buyers mainly include:

● Fangduoduo.  Our buyer-side application Fangduoduo provides personalized services to potential real estate buyers in more than 111 cities in China as of December 31, 2022. Real estate buyers can preview new and resale property information filtered by neighborhood, price range and size, contact real estate agents, and keep themselves updated with housing market trends. They will also see a list of recommended properties selected by our data analytics algorithms based on their behavioral patterns.

● Information matching service.  Our marketplace provides a verified and continuously updated database as well as comprehensive and high-quality housing listings and information in various forms of media so that real estate buyers can easily search and find properties. In addition, we fully present property information leveraging technological tools such as AI and virtual reality, or VR, providing a useful reference in the customers’ decision-making process.

● Real estate agency services.  Our marketplace attracts real estate buyers through the service provided by experienced agents. In particular, we help agents better serve real estate buyers through precise matching based on agents’ profiles and transaction data and increase transaction efficiency with our core management system.

Services for Other Service Providers

The services we provide to other service providers include:

● Financial services.  Our marketplace assists financial institutions in making informed lending decisions by providing them with analysis based on agents’ historical transactions and operational data to complement their traditional credit-assessing models.

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● Channel services.  We also connect real estate service providers through our marketplace with real estate buyers, tenants and landlords who have formulated needs for other home services such as decorations and maintenance, facilitating home service providers’ promotion efforts on relevant services. By including financial institutions and other real estate service providers in our ecosystem, we further enhance our marketplace’s capability to provide one-stop services to all the marketplace participants.

Our Sources of Monetarization

Through our digitalization capabilities, we have built the necessary infrastructure and rules on our marketplace, and provided digitalization products and services to real estate sellers, agents, real estate buyers and other related service providers on the marketplace to facilitate efficient online transactions across different business scenarios and achieve positive interactions with marketplace participants.

Our primary sources of revenue are (i) property transaction services and (ii) innovation initiatives and other value-added services. For property transaction services, we earn base commission revenue by charging commission fees when real estate buyers and sellers close transactions through the marketplace. Our innovation initiatives and other value-added services include SaaS solutions and other value-added services which are provided based on our deep understanding of marketplace participants’ problems and needs, such as financial services, to help enhance user transaction experience. For our SaaS solutions, we charge marketplace participants software subscription fees.

Technology Systems and Infrastructure

We are a data and technology-driven online marketplace. Our marketplace is built on infrastructure with comprehensive functionalities that support the entire lifecycle of real estate transactions from initial users acquisition and leads generation to listing management and transaction workflow management, and further to payment and closing management. Empowered by our marketplace infrastructure, we have developed our database, AI and big data-driven technologies specifically for our marketplace participants, to support our transaction-focused business model. Our marketplace provides participants with access to extensive data and powerful data analytics tools and is designed to be highly scalable while maintaining a high level of data security.

For example, our marketplace maintained a verified and continuously updated database that covers 157 million properties in China as of December 31, 2022. When we receive new listing information, we label the prices, locations, public facilities and other information of these assets, upload them to our marketplace and form asset portraits, which will be recommended to the most suitable agents and sellers to facilitate transactions. Meanwhile, when new property information is submitted to our marketplace, we compare this information with existing data in our database to filter out those that are inconsistent. We have also developed and strictly follow a verification procedure, including automatic data analytics algorithms, owner interviews and cross-agent verification to ensure the reliability and authenticity of any new listing information. After recording the properties into our database, we continue to update and expand our database through automated data scanning as well as through agents and property owners who contribute information to our marketplace.

Data Processing and Analytics

We generate extensive data from marketplace activities and our proprietary data processing system is the foundation of our business. Once the original property data and marketplace behavioral data are collected, we store, cleanse, structure and encrypt data for modeling exercises in an aggregated and anonymized fashion. Our system delivers speed and scalability, providing data and analytics support across our product and service offerings. Our big data analytics engines can perform real-time analytics as well as utilize offline algorithms to make relevant and targeted content and service recommendation to marketplace users.

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We have optimized our database structure to make it more suitable for AI and machine learning processes. We have developed comprehensive profile systems of agents and real estate buyers on our marketplace based on their viewing and transaction histories and other marketplace activities. We also use artificial intelligence-powered algorithms such as content-based collaborative filtering to predict a marketplace participant’s interests based on analyzing the preferences of multiple participants and to construct big data recommendation engines. Our big data analytic capabilities enable us to achieve data fusion across business scenarios upon our core database and provide our marketplace participants with highly efficient, intelligent and tailored data analytics services. Our team of data scientists and engineers works continually to optimize our proprietary analytical models and improve our analytic capabilities. For example, to ensure the authenticity of our listings, we improved traditional deep learning algorithms by using the machine learning technique of deep neural network model to identify inaccurate or fraudulent listing information. We also use machine learning to value properties, order listing displays and generate relevant real estate headlines for marketplace users.

Data Security and Privacy

We consider the protection of the personal privacy of each of our marketplace users to be of paramount importance. To ensure the confidentiality and integrity of our data, we maintain a comprehensive and rigorous data protection program. We gain access to vast amounts of behavioral data through real estate transactions completed in our marketplace and products and services used by our marketplace participants, and we encrypt and store the data on our own and third-party cloud servers, which are protected by firewalls. We connect real estate buyers with suitable agents and, other than basic contact information, we do not provide individual real estate buyers’ information to any agent, or vice versa, in our marketplace.

We employ a variety of technical solutions to prevent and detect risks and vulnerabilities in user privacy and data security, such as encryption, firewall, vulnerability scanning and log audit. For instance, we store and transmit all user data in an encrypted format and have a team of professionals who participate in new product and feature development and are dedicated to the ongoing review and monitoring of data security practices. In addition, our core data can only be accessed through computers designated for authorized use. We maintain data access logs that record all attempted and successful access to our data and conduct automated monitoring and routine manual verification of large data requests. We also have clear and strict authorization and authentication procedures and policies in place. Our employees only have access to data that are directly relevant and necessary to their job responsibilities and for limited purposes and are required to verify authorization upon every access attempt. See also “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Historically there have been occurrences of unexpected network interruptions and security breaches, including “hacking” or computer virus attacks. Such disruptions in the future would cause delays or interruptions of service, damage our reputation and result in a loss of users of our products, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.”

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Research and Product Development

We invest substantial resources in research and product development to improve our technology, develop new products that are complementary to existing ones and find ways to better support real estate professionals and other marketplace participants. As of December 31, 2022, we had 61 software and product development personnel, constituting more than 28.8% of all company employees. Our research and product development teams are primarily organized into five groups: (1) software engineers that develop and implement products and services and our operations support personnel, (2) big data engineers that monitor and build our database and data processing platform, (3) data scientists that conduct data modeling and algorithm researches, (4) product and user experience developers that research into, create and manage new products, and (5) site reliability engineers that ensure the availability, stability, reliability and security of our entire technology platform.

Sales and Marketing

We rely on our marketplace and digitalization service capabilities for real estate buyer-side marketing and have not relied heavily on advertising. Our marketing team is responsible for engaging with real estate agents and marketing our products and services. We have built a marketing team that is experienced in the internet, real estate and finance industries. As of December 31, 2022, our marketing team consists of 131 persons located in 15 cities across China.

Intellectual Property

Our copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, domain names and other intellectual property are important to our business. We rely on intellectual property laws and contractual arrangements with our key employees and others to protect our intellectual property rights. Despite these measures, we cannot assure you that we will be able to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property, which would adversely affect our business.

As of the date of the annual report, we own 252 registered trademarks in China and Hong Kong, 32 registered patents, 62 registered software copyrights in China and 5 registered domain names, which are material to our business. Our patents and copyrights form the core of our technology infrastructure and allow us to develop innovative products and services to drive our competitive advantages. Our trademarks and domains are crucial for our reputation, brand recognition and marketing activities.

Competition

The business of providing online real estate services in China is becoming increasingly competitive. As the online real estate services industry in China is relatively new and constantly evolving, our current or future competitors may be able to better position themselves to compete as the industry matures. As our marketplace is transaction-oriented, our main competitors primarily focus on providing real estate listings, transaction services and home renovation services. To a lesser extent, we also compete with traffic-oriented platforms, which primarily focus on attracting online traffic and providing listing and advertising services.

Our other competitors at the national level include traditional real estate brokerage companies. We have also faced, and may continue to face, competition from regionally focused players providing regional real estate listings together with localized services. In addition, we compete with other companies that offer e-commerce, listing and similar services. Facing ever-increasing competition, we will continue to focus on enhancing our transaction-oriented business model, enriching immense and verified property database and maintaining extensive geographic coverage. On the other hand, with our newly developed SaaS solutions that offer a new business model for various participants, we aim to diversify future revenue streams and to work towards a sustainable growth.

Seasonality

Our revenue and operating results have fluctuated in the past from quarter to quarter due in part to seasonal fluctuations in the real estate market. Typically, our revenue is lowest in the first quarter of each year, primarily due to the reduced number of transactions during the Chinese New Year holiday. Our revenue is typically higher during the fourth quarter of a year. However, due to our limited operating history, the seasonal trends that we have experienced in the past may not apply to, or be indicative of, our future operating results.

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Regulation

This section sets forth a summary of the most significant rules and regulations that affect our business activities in China.

Regulations on Offshore Offering

On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other PRC regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engaged in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of “affect or may affect national security”, and Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. As the Cyber Security Review Measures were recently released thus its interpretation and implementation remain substantially uncertain, we cannot predict the impact of the review measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated a set of new regulations, including the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines. The regulations came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Requirements for filing entities, time points and procedures are specified. Where a PRC domestic company indirectly offers and lists securities in overseas markets, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity to file with the CSRC. Companies that are already listed overseas as of March 31, 2023 are not required to make an immediate filing with the CSRC until a subsequent offering, in which case a filing should be made with the CSRC within three business days after the offering is completed. Failure to complete the filing required by the Trial Measures may result in a warning and a fine between RMB1 million and RMB10 million. However, uncertainty remains as to the interpretation and implementation of these regulations upon promulgation.

On November 14, 2021, the CAC published the draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, for public comments until December 13, 2021. The Draft Data Security Regulations require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than 1 million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. As no detailed rules or implementation of the Draft Data Security Regulations have been issued, the CAC and the PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. We cannot predict the impact of the Draft Data Security Regulations, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess any development in the rulemaking process. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. If we are not able to comply with the cybersecurity and data privacy requirements in a timely manner, or at all, we may be subject to government enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, or suspension of our non-compliant operations, among other sanctions, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

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On July 6, 2021, the relevant PRC governmental authorities made public the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies and proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by China-based overseas-listed companies. As these opinions are recently issued, official guidance and related implementation rules have not been issued yet and the interpretation of these opinions remains unclear at this stage. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.” As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding offshore offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities.

Regulations on Company Establishment and Foreign Investment

The establishment, operation and management of companies in China is governed by the PRC Company Law, as amended in 2005, 2013 and 2018. According to the PRC Company Law, companies established in the PRC are either limited liability companies or joint stock limited liability companies. The PRC Company Law applies to both PRC domestic companies and foreign-invested companies. Prior to the effectiveness of the Foreign Investment Law (2019), the establishment procedures, approval procedures, registered capital requirements, foreign exchange matters, accounting practices, taxation and labor matters of a wholly foreign-owned enterprise were regulated by the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law of the PRC, as amended on September 3, 2016, and the Implementation Regulation of the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, as amended on February 19, 2014. In September 2016, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee published the Decision on Revising Four Laws including the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law of the People’s Republic of China, which changes the previous “filing or approval” procedure for foreign investments in China. Pursuant to the Provisional Administrative Measures on Establishment and Modifications (Filing) for Foreign Investment Enterprises promulgated by MOFCOM on October 8, 2016 and amended on July 30, 2017 and on June 29, 2018, establishment and changes of foreign investment enterprises not subject to the approval under the special entry management measures shall be filed with the relevant commerce authorities.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, or the Foreign Investment Law (2019), which became effective on January 1, 2020 and replaced the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law to become the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) implements the administrative system of pre-entry national treatment plus negative list to foreign investment. Pursuant to the Foreign Investment Law (2019), national treatment shall be applied to the foreign investment beyond to the negative list to be promulgated by the State Council. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) mainly focuses on the foreign investment promotion, foreign investment protection and foreign investment management.

The Foreign Investment Law (2019) defines “foreign investment” as any investment activity directly or indirectly carried out in the PRC by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities (the “Foreign Investors”), and specifically stipulates four forms of investment activities as foreign investments, namely, (i) establishment of a foreign-invested enterprise in the PRC by a Foreign Investor, either individually or collectively with any other investor; (ii) obtaining shares, equities, property shares or any other similar rights or interests of an enterprise in the PRC by a Foreign Investor; (iii) investment in any new construction project in the PRC by a Foreign Investor, either individually or collectively with any other investor; and (iv) investment in any other means stipulated under laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council.

On December 26, 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementation Regulations of Foreign Investment Law which became effective on January 1, 2020. The Implementation Regulations of Foreign Investment Law provides detailed implementation rules for the principles of investment protection, investment promotion and investment management in the Foreign Investment Law (2019).

On January 1, 2020, MOFCOM and the State Administration for Market Regulation of the PRC promulgated the Measures for the Reporting of Foreign Investment Information, repealing the Provisional Administrative Measures on Establishment and Modifications (Filing) for Foreign Investment Enterprises. Where foreign investors carry out investment activities directly or indirectly within China, foreign investors or foreign-funded enterprises shall report investment information to commerce departments.

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Pursuant to the Provisions for Guiding the Foreign Investment Direction promulgated by the State Council on February 11, 2002 and effective on April 1, 2002, projects with foreign investment fall into four categories, namely encouraged, permitted, restricted and prohibited. Projects with foreign investment that are encouraged, restricted and prohibited shall be listed in the Catalog of Guidance on Industries for Foreign Investment, or the Catalog. Projects with foreign investment that do not fall into the categories of encouraged, restricted or prohibited projects shall be the permitted projects with foreign investment. The permitted projects with foreign investment shall not be listed in the Catalog. On July 28, 2018, the Negative List replaces the special administrative measures for the access of foreign investment specified in the Catalog. On December 27, 2020, MOFCOM and NDRC promulgated the Catalog of Industries for Encouraging Foreign Investment (2020 version), or the Catalog (2020). On December 27, 2021, MOFCOM and NDRC promulgated the Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for Foreign Investment Access (Edition 2021), or the Negative List (2021), which became effective on January 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Negative List (2021), foreign investors should refrain from investing in any of prohibited sectors specified in the Negative List (2021), and foreign investors are required to obtain the permit for access to other sectors that are listed in the Negative List (2021) but not classified as “prohibited”. The Negative List (2021) covers 12 industries. Fields not included in the Negative List (2021) shall be managed according to the principle of equal treatment of domestic and foreign investment. Fields not listed in the Negative List (2021) and Catalog (2020) are generally open for foreign investments unless specifically restricted by other PRC laws.

Current PRC laws and regulations place certain restrictions and conditions on foreign ownership of certain areas of businesses. For example, pursuant to the Negative List (2021), the proportion of foreign investment in a value-added telecommunications business (excluding e-commerce business, domestic multi-party communications, store-and-forward and call centers) shall not exceed 50%. The Administrative Provisions on Foreign- Invested Telecommunications Enterprises (Revised in 2022), promulgated by the State Council, among others, no longer requires the main foreign investor who invests in a value-added telecommunications business in the PRC to possess prior experience in operating value-added telecommunications businesses and a proven track record of business operations. Accordingly, none of our subsidiaries is eligible to provide commercial internet content or other value-added telecommunication service, which wholly foreign-owned companies are restricted from conducting in China. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct such business activities through the VIE in China.

There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our and the VIE’s business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. These laws and regulations may be subject to change, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. Due to the uncertainty and complexity of the regulatory environment, we cannot assure you that we and the VIE would always be in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the violation of which may have an adverse effect on our and the VIE’s business and our reputation. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.”

Regulation on Value-Added Telecommunications Services

On September 25, 2000, the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, or the Telecom Regulation, was issued by the PRC State Council, which was amended and became effective on February 6, 2016, as the primary governing law on telecommunication services by PRC companies. The Telecom Regulation draws a distinction between “basic telecommunication services” and “value-added telecommunication services.” The Catalog of Telecommunications Business (2015 Edition), or the Telecommunication Catalog, which was amended and became effective on June 6, 2019, was issued as an appendix to the Telecom Regulations to categorize telecommunications services as basic or value-added, and information services via public communication networks such as fixed networks, mobile networks and Internet are classified as value-added telecommunications services. According to the Telecommunication Catalog, value-added telecommunication services include online data processing and transaction processing business, internet information services business and other value-added telecommunication services.

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On March 1, 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, issued the Administrative Measures for Telecommunications Business Operating Permit, or the Telecom Permit Measures, which took effect on April 10, 2009. The Telecom Permit Measures were later amended on July 3, 2017 and the amendment took effect on September 1, 2017. The Telecom Permit Measures confirm that there are two types of telecom operating licenses for operators in China, namely, licenses for basic telecommunications services and licenses for value-added telecommunications services, or the value-added telecommunications license. The license granted will set out the operation scope of the enterprise which details the permitted activities of such enterprise. An approved telecommunication services operator shall conduct its business in accordance with the specifications listed in its value-added telecommunications license. In addition, a value-added telecommunications license holder is required to obtain approval from the original permit-issuing authority in respect of any change to its shareholders.

According to the Administrative Regulations on Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, as most recently amended in 2022, foreign-invested value-added telecommunications enterprises must be in the form of a Sino-foreign equity joint venture. The regulations limit the ultimate capital contribution percentage by foreign investor(s) in a foreign-invested value-added telecommunications enterprise to 50% or less.

In 2006, the predecessor to the MIIT issued the Circular of the Ministry of Information Industry on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Business, according to which a foreign investor in the telecommunications service industry of China must establish a foreign-invested enterprise and apply for a telecommunications businesses operation license. This circular further requires that: (i)PRC domestic telecommunications business enterprises must not lease, transfer or sell a telecommunications businesses operation license to a foreign investor through any form of transaction or provide resources, offices and working places, facilities or other assistance to support the illegal telecommunications services operations of a foreign investor; (ii) value-added telecommunications enterprises or their shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such enterprises in their daily operations; (iii) each value-added telecommunications enterprise must have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license; and (iv) all value-added telecommunications enterprises are required to maintain network and internet security in accordance with the standards set forth in relevant PRC regulations. If a license holder fails to comply with the requirements in the circular and cure such non-compliance, the MIIT or its local counterparts have the discretion to take measures against such license holder, including revoking its license for value-added telecommunications business.

Regulations on Internet Information Services

On September 25, 2000, the State Council promulgated the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the Internet Measures, which were later amended on January 8, 2011. Under the Internet Measures, a value-added telecommunications license shall be obtained before conducting profitable internet information services in the PRC, and a filing requirement shall be satisfied before conducting non-profitable internet information service. The provision of information services through mobile apps is subject to the PRC laws and regulations governing Internet information services.

The content of the internet information is highly regulated in China and pursuant to the Internet Measures, the PRC government may shut down the websites of internet information providers and revoke their value-added telecommunications licenses (for profitable Internet information services) if they produce, reproduce, disseminate or broadcast internet content that contains content that is prohibited by law or administrative regulations. Internet information services operators are also required to monitor their websites. They may not post or disseminate any content that falls within the prohibited categories, and must remove any such content from their websites, save the relevant records and make a report to the relevant governmental authorities. In addition, as the internet information service providers, under the Civil Code of the PRC they shall bear tortious liabilities in the event they infringe upon other person’s rights and interests through the internet. Where an internet service provider conducts tortious acts through internet services, the infringed person has the right to request the internet service provider take necessary actions such as deleting contents, screening and de-linking. Failing to take necessary actions after being informed, the internet service provider will be subject to its liabilities with regard to the additional damages incurred. Where an internet service provider knows that an internet user is infringing upon other persons’ rights and interests through its internet service but fails to take necessary actions, it is jointly and severally liable with the internet user.

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Regulations on Mobile Internet Applications

In June 2016, the State Internet Information Office promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Application Information Services, or the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, which was last amended in June 2022 and became effective on August 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, a mobile internet app refers to an app software that runs on mobile smart devices providing information services. Mobile internet app providers refer to the owners or operators of mobile internet apps providing information services.

The Mobile Application Administrative Provisions set forth the relevant requirements on the app information service providers and the app store service providers. The CAC and its local branches shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of nationwide and local app information respectively. App providers shall strictly fulfill their responsibilities of information security management, and perform the following duties: (i) conduct real identity information authentication based on mobile phone numbers, identity document numbers or unified social credit codes for users who apply for registration; (ii) be responsible for the results of the presentation of information content, shall not produce or disseminate illegal information, and shall consciously prevent and resist harmful information; (iii) not induce users to download apps by means of false advertisement, bundled downloads, or other acts, or via machine or manual click farming and comment control, or by using illegal and harmful information; (iv) immediately take remedial measures, promptly notify users and report the same to the relevant competent authorities in accordance with regulations when an app has risks such as security defects and vulnerabilities; (v) perform the obligation of ensuring data security, establish a sound whole-process data security management system, take technical measures to ensure data security and other security measures, strengthen risk monitoring, and shall not endanger national security or public interests, or damage the legitimate rights and interests of others when carrying out app data processing activities; and (vi) formulate and disclose management rules, and sign service agreements with registered users to clarify the relevant rights and obligations of both parties.

Regulation on Information Security and Privacy Protection

Internet information in China is regulated from a national security standpoint. The National People’s Congress, or the NPC, promulgated the Decisions on Preserving Internet Security in December 2000 and amended in August 2009, which subject violators to potential criminal punishment in China for any effort to: (i) gain improper entry into a computer or system of strategic importance; (ii) disseminate politically disruptive information; (iii) leak state secrets; (iv) spread false commercial information; or (v) infringe intellectual property rights. The Ministry of Public Security has promulgated measures that prohibit use of the internet in ways which, among other things, result in a leak of state secrets or a spread of socially destabilizing content. If an internet information service provider violates these measures, competent authorities may revoke its operating license and shut down its websites.

In recent years, PRC government authorities have enacted laws and regulations on internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized disclosure. Under the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services, promulgated by the MIIT in December 2011 and effective March 2012, an internet information service provider may not collect any user personal information or provide any such information to third parties without the consent of the user. An internet information service provider must expressly inform the users of the method, content and purpose of the collection and processing of such user personal information and may only collect such information necessary for the provision of its services. An internet information service provider is also required to properly maintain the user’s personal information, and in case of any leak or likely leak of the user’s personal information, the internet information service provider must take immediate remedial measures and, in severe circumstances, immediately report to the telecommunications authority. Moreover, pursuant to the PRC Criminal Law lastly amended in November 2020, any individual or entity that (i) sells or discloses any citizen’s personal information to others in a way violating the applicable law, or (ii) steals or illegally obtains any citizen’s personal information, shall be subject to criminal penalty in severe situation. Any internet service provider that fails to fulfill the obligations related to internet information security administration as required by applicable laws and refuses to rectify upon orders, shall be subject to criminal penalty for the result of (i) any dissemination of illegal information in large scale; (ii) any severe effect due to the leakage of the client’s information; (iii) any serious loss of criminal evidence; or (iv) other severe situation. In addition, the Interpretations of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the PRC on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Infringing Personal Information, promulgated in May 2017 and effective June 2017, clarified certain standards for the conviction and sentencing of the criminals in relation to personal information infringement. Further, the NPC promulgated a new National Security Law, effective July 2015, to replace the former National Security Law and covers various types of national security including technology security and information security.

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The PRC Cyber Security Law, promulgated on November 7, 2016 and effective on June 1, 2017, prohibits individuals or entities from obtaining personal information through theft or other illegal ways or selling or otherwise illegally disclosing personal information. The PRC Cyber Security Law requires a network operator, including internet information service providers among others, to adopt technical measures and other necessary measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations as well as compulsory national and industrial standards to safeguard the safety and stability of network operations, effectively respond to network security incidents, prevent illegal and criminal activities, and maintain the integrity, confidentiality and availability of network data. The PRC Cyber Security Law emphasizes that any individuals and organizations that use networks must not endanger network security or use networks to engage in unlawful activities such as those endangering national security, economic order and the social order or infringing the reputation, privacy, intellectual property rights and other lawful rights and interests of others. Any violation of the provisions and requirements under the PRC Cyber Security Law may subject an internet service provider to warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, revocation of licenses, cancellation of filings, closedown of websites or even criminal liabilities. Furthermore, MIIT’s Rules on Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users promulgated in July 2013, effective September 2013, contain detailed requirements on the use and collection of personal information as well as security measures required to be taken by telecommunications business operators and internet information service providers.

On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, or the SCNPC, promulgated the Data Security Law, which took effect in September 2021. The Data Security Law sets forth data security and privacy related compliance obligations on entities and individuals carrying out data related activities. The Data Security Law also introduces a data classification and layered protection system based on the importance of data and the degree of impact on national security, public interests or legitimate rights and interests of individuals or organizations when such data is tampered with, destroyed, leaked or illegally acquired or used. In addition, the Data Security Law provides a national security review procedure for those data activities that may affect national security, and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. According to the PRC National Security Law, the State shall establish institutions and mechanisms for national security review and regulation, and conduct national security review on certain matters that affect or may affect PRC national security, such as key technologies and IT products and services. According to the effective Cybersecurity Review Measures, online platform/website operators of certain industries may be identified as critical information infrastructure operators by the Cyberspace Administration of China, once they meet standard as stated in the National Cybersecurity Inspection Operation Guide, and such operators may be subject to cybersecurity review. In early July 2021, regulatory authorities in China launched cybersecurity investigations with regard to several China-based companies that are listed in the United States.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, or the Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect in November 2021. As the first systematic and comprehensive law specifically for the protection of personal information in the PRC, the Personal Information Protection Law provides, among others, that (i) an individual’s separate consent shall be obtained before operation of such individual’s sensitive personal information, e.g., biometric characteristics and individual location tracking, (ii) personal information operators operating sensitive personal information shall notify individuals of the necessity of such operations and the influence on the individuals’ rights, (iii) if personal information operators reject individuals’ requests to exercise their rights, individuals may file a lawsuit with a People’s Court.

The VIE, as an internet information service provider, is therefore subject to the regulations related to information security. The VIE has adopted data security, data recovery and backup measures to comply with these regulations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry—Actual or alleged failure to comply with data privacy and protection laws and regulations could have a serious adverse effect on our reputation, and discourage current and potential clients from doing business with us.”

Regulation Relating to Real Estate Brokerage and Agency

According to the Law of the PRC on Administration of Urban Real Estate, which is promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or the SCNPC, on July 5, 1994 and lastly amended on August 26, 2019 and became effective on January 1, 2020, the real-estate intermediary agencies include real-estate brokerage agencies. Real-estate intermediary agencies are required to have: (a) their own names and entities; (b) fixed premises to offer services; (c) necessary property and fund; (d) adequate number of professionals; and (e) other conditions stipulated by laws and administrative regulations.

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In April 2001, the Ministry of Construction promulgated the Management Methods on the Sale of Commercial Houses. When real-estate developers entrust intermediary agencies to sell commercial houses, the entrustee agencies shall be those legally incorporated and granted industrial and commercial business licenses. The real-estate developers shall sign written commissioning contract with the intermediary agencies to specify the commissioning period, commissioning rights, and rights and obligations of the client and entrustee. The entrusted intermediary agencies shall present the buyer relevant certificates and selling commissioning letter of the commercial houses. When selling commercial houses, the entrusted intermediary agencies shall introduce to the buyer authentic housing information. The entrusted intermediary agencies shall never sell non-conforming commercial houses. The entrusted intermediary agencies are never allowed for any charges beyond the commission when selling the commercial houses. Only those salespersons that have undergone professional training are allowed to engage in the commercial house selling business.

According to the Administrative Measures for Real Estate Brokerage, promulgated on January 20, 2011 and amended on March 1, 2016 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development, NDRC and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Securities, the real-estate brokerage agencies and their branches shall file with the construction (real-estate) supervising department of the local municipality/city/county within 30 days after obtaining the business license. The construction (real-estate) supervising department of the local municipality/city/county shall publish the name, residence, legal representative (executive partner) or responsible person, registered capital and real-estate agents of the agencies and their branches. The real-estate brokerage services shall be uniformly undertaken by real-estate brokerage agencies, with the service remunerations collected by the agencies collectively. Branches shall undertake businesses in the name of the parental real-estate agencies. Real-estate agents are never allowed to undertake agent services on his/her own behalf. Real-estate agencies and agents are never allowed to: (a) counterfeit and disseminate the price-up information, or gang up with real-estate developers or operators to reserve premises for higher price and manipulate the market price; (b) conceal the real housing transaction information from the interested parties, and earn price discrepancies between lower buy-in price and higher sell-out (rent) price; (c) solicit business through improper means such as concealing, fraud, coercing or bribing, or lure/force real estate buyers into transaction; (d) disclose or improperly use the personal information/business secret of real estate buyers to seek unjust profits; (e) for illegal purposes such as evasion of property transaction tax, sign contracts of different prices for the same house; (f) change the internal structure of the house and divide them for rental; (g) embezzle and misappropriate the property transaction capital; (h) buy or rent his/her own agented house; (i) offer brokerage services to non-conforming indemnificatory houses or prohibited-for-sales houses; and (j) conduct other behaviors prohibited by laws and regulations.

According to the Opinions on Strengthening the Management over Real-Estate Agencies to Promote Healthier Development of the Industry as jointly promulgated and implemented on July 29, 2016 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development, NDRC, MIIT, People’s Bank of China, SAT, State Administration for Industry and Commerce and China Banking Regulatory Commission, governmental departments impose stricter supervision upon real-estate sales agencies. Such agencies are required to check the ownership information of the property and the identification for the client before publication of the property information. Upon approval of the client, the agency shall verify the ownership information in the real-estate competent department and prepare specifications of the house conditions. The property information published shall be authentic, comprehensive and accurate. The agency shall not publish the information of the properties without the prior written authorization of owner and shall not conceal the mortgage status of the property or conceal other relevant information of the transaction. The real estate agency shall not in any form force client to take service of any financial institution it appointed. Property information shall be removed within 2 working days upon its sale or rent.

Regulations on Small Loan Business

Pursuant to the Guiding Opinions on the Pilot Operation of Small Loan Companies promulgated by the CBRC and the PBOC on May 4, 2008, to apply for setting up a small loan company, the applicant shall file an application in due form with the competent department of the provincial government, and, upon approval, it shall apply to the local administrative department for industry and commerce for handling the registration formalities and get the business license. The Guiding Opinions on the Pilot Operation of Small loan Companies and other relevant regulations impose various requirements on the small loan company and its business, such as the requirements with respect to the corporate structure, the major sources of funds of a small loan company, the loan interest ceiling, the floor interest rate and the percentage of the balance of the capital borrowed from banking financial institutions.

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Pursuant to the Notice on Implementation Plan for Specific Rectification for Risks in Small Loan Companies Conducting the Online Small Loan Business issued by relevant authority in December 2017, local branches of the P2P Online Lending Working Group conducted examination and inspection of online small loan companies that concluded by the end of January 2018. Depending on the inspection results these local regulatory authorities may require the online small loan companies they inspected to take rectification measures within specified periods, may revoke the operation approvals of non-compliant companies and may order non-compliant companies to cease business operations.

On September 7, 2020, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued Notice of Strengthening the Supervision and Administration of Small Loans Companies in order to strengthen the administration, regulate the business operation, mitigate risks, and advance the development of small loan business.

Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights

Copyright

On September 7, 1990, the SCNPC promulgated the PRC Copyright Law, which was amended in 2001, 2010 and 2020. The implementing regulations of the PRC Copyright Law was promulgated in 2002 and amended in 2013. The PRC Copyright Law and its implementation regulations are the principal laws and regulations governing the copyright related matters. Pursuant to the amended PRC Copyright Law, products disseminated over the internet and software products, among others, are entitled to copyright protections. Registration of copyright is voluntary, and it is administrated by the China Copyright Protection Center.

The State Council and National Copyright Administration, or the NCA, have promulgated various rules and regulations related to protection of software in China, including the Regulations on Protection of Computer Software promulgated by State Council on January 30, 2013 and effective since March 1, 2013, and the Measures for Registration of Copyright of Computer Software promulgated by NCA on February 20, 2002 and effective since the same date. According to these rules and regulations, software owners, licensees and transferees may register their rights in software with the NCA or its local branches and obtain software copyright registration certificates. Although such registration is not mandatory under PRC law, software owners, licensees and transferees are encouraged to go through the registration process and registered software rights may be entitled to better protections.

Domain Name

On August 24, 2017, MIIT promulgated Administrative Measures for Internet Domain Names, repealing the Domain Name Measures since November 1, 2017. The efforts to undertake internet domain name services as well as the operation, maintenance, supervision and administration thereof and other relevant activities within the territory of the PRC shall thereafter be made in compliance with Administrative Measures for Internet Domain Names. In accordance with the Measures on the Regulation of Domain Name Disputes promulgated by the CNNIC, which became effective on September 1, 2014, domain name dispute can be resolved by a domain name dispute resolution institution recognized by the CNNIC.

Trademark

The PRC Trademark Law, adopted in 1982 and last amended in 2019, with its implementation rules adopted in 2002 and amended in 2014, protects registered trademarks. The Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce handles trademark registrations and grants a protection term of ten years to registered trademarks. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record.

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Patent

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the PRC Patent Law in 1984 and amended it in 1992, 2000, 2008 and 2020, respectively, and the latest version of which became effective on June 1, 2021. A patentable invention or utility model must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. Patents cannot be granted for scientific discoveries, rules and methods for intellectual activities, methods used to diagnose or treat diseases, animal and plant breeds or substances obtained by means of nuclear transformation. The Patent Office under the State Intellectual Property Office is responsible for receiving, examining and approving patent applications. A patent is valid for a twenty-year term for an invention and a ten-year term for a utility model and a design under the currently effective PRC Patent Law, starting from the application date. The protection period has been amended in the recent amendment which will become effective on June 1, 2021. The terms of protection for an invention and a utility patent will still be twenty years and ten years, respectively. The term of protection for a design patent will be extended from ten years to fifteen years. Except under certain specific circumstances provided by law, any third-party user must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent, or else the use will constitute an infringement of the rights of the patent holder.

Regulations on Internet Infringement

According to the Civil Code of the PRC, which was promulgated by NPC on May 28, 2020 and came into effect on January 1, 2021, an internet user or an internet service provider that infringes upon the civil rights or interests of others through using the internet assumes tort liability. If an internet user infringes upon the civil rights or interests of another through using the internet, the person being infringed upon has the right to notify and request the internet service provider whose internet services are facilitating the infringement to take necessary measures including the deletion, blocking or disconnection of an internet link. If, after being notified, the internet service provider fails to take necessary measures in a timely manner to end the infringement, it will be jointly and severally liable for any additional harm caused by its failure to act.

Regulations Related to Employment

Labor Law and Labor Contracts

According to the Labor Law of the PRC promulgated on July 5, 1994 and amended on August 27, 2009 and December 29, 2018, enterprises shall establish and perfect their system of workplace safety and sanitation, strictly abide by state rules and standards on workplace safety, and educate employees in labor safety and sanitation in the PRC. Labor safety and sanitation facilities shall comply with statutory standards. Enterprises and institutions shall provide employees with a safe workplace and sanitation conditions that are in compliance with relevant laws and regulations of labor protection.

The Labor Contract Law of the PRC promulgated on June 29, 2007 and amended on December 28, 2012, and the Implementation Rules of the Labor Contract Law of the PRC promulgated on September 18, 2008 set out specific provisions in relation to the execution, the terms and the termination of a labor contract and the rights and obligations of the employees and employers. At the time of hiring, the employer shall truthfully inform the employee as to the scope of work, working conditions, working place, occupational hazards, work safety, salary and other matters which the employee requests to be informed about.

Dispatched Employees

According to the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch issued on January 24, 2014 and implemented on March 1, 2014 by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the employers should strictly control the number of labor dispatch workers, and the number of the dispatched workers shall not exceed 10% of the total amount of their employees.

Pursuant to the Interim Provision on Labor Dispatch, the Labor Contract Law of the PRC and the Implementation Regulations for the Labor Contract, the employers who fail to comply with the relevant requirements on labor dispatch shall be ordered by the labor administrative authorities to make corrections within a stipulated period; where correction is not made within the stipulated period, the employers may be subject to a penalty ranging from RMB5,000 to RMB10,000 per dispatched worker exceeding the 10% threshold.

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Social Insurance and Housing Fund

Employers in the PRC are required to contribute, for and on behalf of their employees, to a number of social insurance funds, including funds for pension, for unemployment insurance, for medical insurance, for work-related injury insurance, for maternity insurance and for housing fund. These payments are made to local administrative authorities and the employer who fails to contribute may be fined and be ordered to make up for the outstanding contributions. The various laws and regulations that govern the employers’ obligations to contribute to the social insurance funds include the Social Insurance Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC on October 28, 2010 and amended on December 29, 2018; the Interim Regulations on the Collection and Payment of Social Insurance Premiums, which was promulgated by the State Council on January 22, 1999 and amended on March 24, 2019; the Interim Measures for the Maternity Insurance of Enterprises Employees which was promulgated by the Ministry of Labor on December 14, 1994 and became effective on January 1, 1995; the Regulations on Work-related Injury Insurance, which was promulgated by the State Council on April 27, 2003 and amended on December 20, 2010; and the Regulations on Management of the Housing Fund, which was promulgated and became effective on April 3, 1999 and was amended on March 24, 2002 and on March 24, 2019.

Regulations Related to Foreign Exchange

Regulation on Foreign Currency Exchange

Pursuant to the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations, as amended on August 5, 2008, Renminbi is freely convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not for capital account items, such as direct investments, loans, repatriation of investments and investments in securities outside of China, unless prior approval is obtained from State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, and prior registration with SAFE is made.

SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign Invested Enterprises, or the SAFE Circular 19, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 142. SAFE further promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or the SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 or SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties.

From 2012, SAFE has promulgated several circulars to substantially amend and simplify the current foreign exchange procedure. Pursuant to these circulars, the opening of various special purpose foreign exchange accounts, the reinvestment of RMB proceeds by foreign investors in the PRC and remittance of foreign exchange profits and dividends by a foreign-invested enterprise to its foreign shareholders no longer require the approval or verification of SAFE. In addition, domestic companies are allowed to provide cross-border loans not only to their offshore subsidiaries, but also to their offshore parents and affiliates. SAFE also promulgated the Circular on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on Foreign Exchange Administration over Domestic Direct Investment by Foreign Investors and the Supporting Documents in May 2013, amended on December 30, 2019, which specifies that the administration by SAFE or its local branches over direct investment by foreign investors in the PRC shall be conducted by way of registration and banks shall process foreign exchange business relating to the direct investment in the PRC based on the registration information provided by SAFE and its branches. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Foreign Exchange Management Policies for Direct Investment, or the SAFE Circular 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015 and was amended on December 30, 2019. SAFE Circular 13 delegates the power to enforce the foreign exchange registration in connection with inbound and outbound direct investments under relevant SAFE rules from local branches of SAFE to banks, thereby further simplifying the foreign exchange registration procedures for inbound and outbound direct investments. On October 23, 2019, SAFE issued the Circular to Further Promote Cross-border Trade and Investment to further ease cross-border trade and investment, according to which foreign non-investment enterprises are allowed to carry out domestic equity investment provided that such investment will not violate applicable special administrative measures (negative list) for foreign investment access and the investment projects shall be authentic and legitimate.

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On January 26, 2017, SAFE issued the Circular on Further Advancing Foreign Exchange Administration Reform to Enhance Authenticity and Compliance Reviews, or the SAFE Circular 3, which stipulates several capital control measures with respect to the outbound remittance of profit from domestic entities to offshore entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine transaction, banks shall check board resolutions regarding profit distribution, the original version of tax filing records and audited financial statements; and (ii) domestic entities shall hold income to account for previous years’ losses before remitting the profits.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents

In October 2005, SAFE issued the Circular Concerning the Regulation of Foreign Exchange in Equity Finance and Return Investments by Domestic Residents through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75. The notice requires PRC residents or entities to register or file with the local SAFE branch in the following circumstances: (i) before establishing or controlling any company outside the PRC for the purpose of capital financing, (ii) after contributing their assets or shares of a domestic enterprise into overseas special purpose vehicles, or raising funds overseas after such contributions, and (iii) after any major change in the share capital of the special purpose vehicles without any round-trip investment being made.

In 2014, SAFE issued the SAFE Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, replacing the SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 regulates foreign exchange matters in relation to the use of special purpose vehicles by PRC residents or entities to seek offshore investment and financing or conduct round trip investment in China. Under SAFE Circular 37, a “special purpose vehicle” refers to an offshore entity established or controlled, directly or indirectly, by PRC residents or entities for the purpose of seeking offshore financing or making offshore investment, using legitimate onshore or offshore assets or interests, while “round trip investment” refers to direct investment in China by PRC residents or entities through special purpose vehicles, namely, establishing foreign-invested enterprises to obtain ownership, control rights and management rights. SAFE Circular 37 provides that, before making a contribution to a special purpose vehicle, PRC residents or entities are required to complete foreign exchange registration with SAFE or its local branch.

In 2015, SAFE promulgated the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving the Administration of the Foreign Exchange Concerning Direct Investment. This notice has amended SAFE Circular 37 by requiring PRC residents or entities to register with qualified banks rather than SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. PRC residents or entities who had contributed legitimate onshore or offshore interests or assets to special purpose vehicles but had not registered as required before the implementation of the SAFE Circular 37 must register their ownership interests or control in the special purpose vehicles with qualified banks. An amendment to the registration is required if there is a material change with respect to the special purpose vehicle registered, such as any change of basic information (including change of the PRC residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, and mergers or divisions. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and the subsequent notice, or making misrepresentations or failing to disclose the control of the foreign-invested enterprise that is established through round-trip investment, may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprise, including payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate, and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC residents or entities to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.

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Regulations Related to Stock Incentive Plans

SAFE promulgated the Circular of the SAFE on Issues concerning the Administration of Foreign Exchange Used for Domestic Individuals’ Participation in Equity Incentive Plans of Companies Listed Overseas, or the Stock Option Rules, in February 2012, replacing the previous rules issued by SAFE in March 2007. Under the Stock Option Rules and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in a stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants in a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of the overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by the PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of the participants. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan or the PRC agent or any other material changes. The PRC agent must apply to SAFE or its local branches on behalf of the PRC residents who have the right to exercise the employee share options for an annual quota for the payment of foreign currencies in connection with the PRC residents’ exercise of the employee share options. The foreign exchange proceeds received by the PRC residents from the sale of shares under the stock incentive plans granted and dividends distributed by the overseas listed companies must be remitted into the bank accounts in the PRC opened by the PRC agents before distribution to such PRC residents.

See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.”

Regulations Related to Dividend Distribution

Foreign investment enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with the PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign investment enterprises in the PRC are required to allocate at least 10% of their accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which was amended on February 24, 2017 and on December 29, 2018, the maximum tax rate for the withholding tax imposed on dividend payments from PRC foreign-invested companies to their overseas investors that are not regarded as “resident” for tax purposes is 20%. The rate was reduced to 10% under the Implementing Regulations for the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law issued by the State Council. However, a lower withholding tax rate of 5% might be applied if there is a tax treaty between China and the jurisdiction of the foreign holding companies, such as is the case with Hong Kong, and certain requirements specified by PRC tax authorities are satisfied.

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C.Organizational Structure.

The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this annual report.

(1) Shareholders of Fangdd Network are Yi Duan, Jiancheng Li, Xi Zeng, Wei Zhang, Li Zhou, Jingjing Huang, Jiaorong Pan, Wentao Bai and Ying Lu, holding 31.95%, 19.75%, 16.87%, 9.0%, 8.87%, 8.0%, 2.66%, 2.0% and 0.9%, respectively, of the equity interest in Fangdd Network. Yi Duan is our director. Xi Zeng is our chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. Jiaorong Pan is our director and chief operating officer.

(2) As of the date of this annual report, Fangdd Network had 24 wholly owned subsidiaries.

Contractual Agreements with the VIE and Its Shareholders

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among Shenzhen Fangdd, Fangdd Network and its shareholders.

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Agreements That Enable Us to Direct Activities of the VIE

Business Operation Agreement. The WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders have entered into a business operation agreement, pursuant to which the VIE and its shareholders undertake that without the WFOE’s prior written consent, the VIE shall not enter into any transactions that may have material effects on the VIE’s assets, obligations, rights or business operations. Additionally, the VIE’s shareholders undertake that without the WFOE’s prior written consent, they shall not (i) sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of any rights associated with their equity interest in the VIE, (ii) approve any merger or acquisition of the VIE, (iii) take any actions that may have a material adverse effect on the VIE’s assets, businesses and liabilities, or sell, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose or impose other encumbrances of any assets, businesses or income of the VIE, (iv) request the VIE to declare dividend or make other distribution, (v) amend the VIE’s articles of association, (vi) increase, decrease or otherwise change the VIE’s registered capital. The WFOE may request the VIE to transfer at any time all the intellectual property rights held by the VIE to the WFOE or any person designated by the WFOE. The VIE and certain of its shareholders, including Yi Duan, Jiancheng Li and Xi Zeng, shall be jointly and severally responsible for the performance of their obligations under this agreement. This agreement has a term of ten years, which may be extended upon the WFOE’s unilateral written confirmation prior to the expiry. The VIE has no right of transfer or right of early termination without WFOE’s written confirmation while the WFOE may unilaterally transfer its rights and obligations under this agreement to third parties at any time through written notification and may early terminate this agreement via a 30-day prior written notice.

Powers of Attorney. Each shareholder of the VIE has issued a power of attorney, irrevocably appointing Mr. Jiancheng Li, the director of Shenzhen Fangdd, as such shareholder’s attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights, including, but not limited to, the right to call shareholders’ meeting, the right to vote on all matters of the VIE that require shareholder approval, and the right to dispose of all or part of the shareholder’s equity interest in the VIE, on behalf of such shareholder. The foregoing authorization is conditioned upon Mr. Jiancheng Li’s continuing directorship at the WFOE and the WFOE’s written consent to such authorization. In the event that Mr. Jiancheng Li ceases to serve as a director of the WFOE or that the WFOE requests the shareholders to terminate the authorization in writing, the power of attorney will terminate immediately and the shareholder shall then appoint any person designated by the WFOE as his or her attorney-in-fact to exercise all shareholder rights. Other than the foregoing circumstances, the power of attorney will remain in force until the termination of the business operation agreement and during its effective term, shall not be amended or terminated without the consent of the WFOE.

Equity Interest Pledge Agreements. Each shareholder of the VIE has entered into an equity interest pledge agreement with the WFOE and the VIE, pursuant to which, the shareholder has pledged all of his or her equity interest in the VIE to the WFOE to guarantee the performance by the VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the master agreements, which include technology development and application service agreement, the operation maintenance service agreement, the business operation agreement and the option agreements. Each shareholder of the VIE agrees that, during the term of the equity interest pledge agreement, he or she will not dispose of the pledged equity interest or create or allow any encumbrance on the pledged equity interest without the prior written consent of the WFOE. The equity interest pledge agreements remain effective until the VIE and its shareholders discharge all of their obligations under the master agreements. We have registered the equity pledge with the local branches of the Administration for Industry and Commerce in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

Agreements That Allow Us to Receive Economic Benefits from the VIE

Technology Development and Application Service Agreement. The WFOE and the VIE have entered into a technology development and application service agreement, pursuant to which, the WFOE has the exclusive right to provide the VIE with technology development and application services. Without the WFOE’s written consent, the VIE shall not accept any technology development and application services covered by this agreement from any third party. The VIE agrees to pay service fees on an annual basis and at an amount determined by the WFOE after taking into account multiple factors, such as the labor and time consumed for provision of the service, the type and complexity of the services provided, the difficulties in providing the service, the commercial value of services provided and the market price of comparable services. Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, this agreement will remain effective until the WFOE ceases business operations.

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Operation Maintenance Service Agreement. The WFOE and the VIE have entered into an operation maintenance service agreement, pursuant to which the WFOE has the exclusive right to provide the VIE with operation maintenance services and marketing services. Without the WFOE’s written consent, the VIE shall not engage any third party to provide the services covered by this agreement. The VIE agrees to pay service fees on an annual basis and at an amount determined by the WFOE after taking into account factors such as the labor cost, facility cost and marketing expenses incurred by the WFOE in providing the services. Unless otherwise agreed by both parties, this agreement will remain effective until the WFOE ceases business operations.

Agreements That Provide Us with the Option to Purchase the Equity Interest in the VIE

Option Agreements. The WFOE, the VIE and each of the VIE’s shareholders have entered into an option agreement, pursuant to which the VIE’s shareholder has irrevocably granted the WFOE an exclusive option, to the extent permitted by PRC law, to purchase, or have its designated person or persons to purchase, at its discretion all or part of the shareholder’s equity interest in the VIE or all or part of the VIE’s assets. The purchase price shall be a nominal price unless where PRC laws and regulations require valuation of the equity interest or the assets, or promulgate other restrictions on the purchase price, or otherwise prohibit purchasing the equity interest or the assets at a nominal price. If the PRC laws and regulations prohibit purchasing the equity interest or the assets at a nominal price, the purchase price shall be equal to the original investment of the equity interest made by such shareholders or the book value of the assets. Where PRC laws and regulations require valuation of the equity interest or the assets or promulgates other restrictions on the purchase price, the purchase price shall be the minimum price permitted under PRC laws and regulations. However, if the minimum price permitted under PRC laws and regulations exceed the original investment of the equity interest or the book value of the assets, the VIE shall reimburse the WFOE the exceed amount after deducting all taxes and fees paid under PRC laws and regulations. The shareholders of the VIE undertake, among other things, that without the WFOE’s prior written consent, they shall not take any actions that may have material effects on the VIE’s assets, businesses and liabilities, nor shall they appoint or replace any directors, supervisors and officers of the VIE. These agreements have terms of ten years, which may be extended upon the WFOE’s written confirmation prior to the expiry.

In the opinion of Global Law Office, our PRC legal counsel:

● the ownership structures of the VIE in China and our WFOE do not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and

● the contractual arrangements among our WFOE, the VIE and the shareholders of the VIE governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable.

However, we have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules, and there can be of no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is consistent with the above opinions of our PRC legal counsel. Since the Foreign Investment Law (2019) is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. There is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangements would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities in the future. In addition, the definition of foreign investment contains a catch-all provision which includes investments made by foreign investors through other means stipulated in laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our online businesses do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in value-added telecommunications services businesses, such as internet content provision services and online data processing and transaction processing businesses (operating e-commerce business), we could be subject to penalties, including being prohibited from continuing operations. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law (2019) and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations,” “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry —If we fail to obtain or keep licenses, permits or approvals applicable to the various real estate services provided by us, we may incur significant financial penalties and other government sanctions” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

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D.Property, Plants and Equipment.

Our principal executive offices are located at Shenzhen with approximately 341 square meters of office space. Our headquarter has been at this location since 2022. We believe our existing leased premises are adequate for our current business operations and that additional space can be obtained on commercially reasonably terms to meet our future requirements.

ITEM 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

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

A.Operating Results.

Overview

We are a customer-oriented PropTech company in China, focusing on providing real estate transaction digitalization services. We operate a real estate-focused online marketplace for real estate transactions and related services in China. Our marketplace connects real estate sellers, agents, buyers, financial institutions and other service providers as part of a vibrant ecosystem and a self-reinforcing network, enabling marketplace participants to transact real estate assets with efficiency at lowered costs. We provide all participants with one-stop digital real estate transaction services and seamless transaction experience through our reliable and extensive property listings, SaaS solutions and intelligent matching algorithms. In 2022, we had over 143.7 thousand active agents on our marketplace. By providing real estate sellers with innovative and diversified digital marketing solutions as well as access to our extensive agent network, we help real estate sellers to move their traditional offline business online and improve transaction efficiency, thereby gathering the property resources of real estate transactions on our marketplace. In 2022, there were 1,613 new property projects on our marketplace.

Our primary sources of revenue are (i) property transaction services and (ii) innovation initiatives and other value-added services. We earn base commission revenue by charging commission fees when real estate buyers and sellers close transactions through the marketplace. Our innovation initiatives and other value-added services include SaaS solutions and other value-added services which are provided based on our deep understanding of marketplace participants’ problems and needs, such as financial services, to help enhance user transaction experience. For our SaaS solutions, we charge marketplace participants software subscription fees.

Our revenue decreased by 61.6% from RMB2.5 billion in 2020 to RMB942.4 million in 2021 and further decreased by 73.9% from RMB942.4 million in 2021 to RMB245.9 million (US$35.7 million) in 2022 due to various factors, including the continued property market downturn, the resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks in China and the measures we took to minimize our exposure to the systematic risk of real estate industry in the continued downturn, such as our actions to cease business cooperation with high credit risk developers and to reduce our business scale of new property and resale property transaction service business. Despite the current challenges, we have continued to optimize our revenue mix and prioritized the value-added services and new business initiatives, including our SaaS solutions for various platform participants. We had a net loss of RMB221.4 million, RMB1.2 billion and RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million) in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

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Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

The PRC real estate industry

Our business and results of operations are affected by our ability to adapt to the fluctuation in the PRC real estate industry. The general factors affecting the industry include:

● China’s overall economic growth and level of per capita disposable income;

● regulations and policies affecting the real estate industry and housing finance industry;

● urbanization trend;

● changes in the supply and demand in different areas of the housing market; and

● the acceptance of completing real estate transactions online.

In the past, we were able to innovate new products and services in time to adapt to market changes. Our ability to adapt our business to market fluctuations will continue to have a significant effect on our results of operation.

Our ability to attract and retain real estate agents

We derive a substantial portion of revenue from property transactions facilitated through our marketplace by agents. Therefore, our revenue is affected by the number of active agents who have established online shops in our marketplace and effectively conduct property transactions. Our ability to expand our agent base mainly depends on our ability to continue to provide comprehensive resources and effective products and services that help agents access business opportunities and complete transactions efficiently.

We attract and retain agents through our strong online service capabilities. For example, we offer innovative technology-based products and services and leverage social media and other internet-based platforms to promote products and services to agents. We had over 143.7 thousand active agents on our marketplace in 2022. We aim to continue to build our incentive and guidance system, provide comprehensive training and support agents’ operations in order to empower them to conduct business more effectively and increase their revenue.

Our ability to increase cooperation with real estate sellers

The participation of real estate sellers is of critical importance to our marketplace. We place great emphasis on our relationship with real estate developers and strive to provide efficient and effective property transaction solutions to promote their success. For example, in December 2020, we launched Property Cloud, a SaaS solution for real estate sellers. Property Cloud connects real-estate sellers with agents directly, which largely increases the matching efficiency. Through Property Cloud, real estate sellers may list information including properties details, commission rates and other terms in connection with the sale, all of which will automatically become available to agents using Duoduo Sales. Interested agents may then contact the developer directly through Duoduo Sales.

By leveraging the digitalization capabilities, data analysis capabilities and customer base, our marketplace is capable of providing premium services to real estate sellers, which is in line with the development of the real estate industry in China. This helps our marketplace to broaden the source of property listings, enrich the number and types of properties available on our marketplace, attract more agents and real estate buyers to our marketplace, and further increase the success rate of transactions.

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Our ability to improve our real estate transaction digitalization capabilities

We are a PropTech company, and our operational success depends on our real estate transaction digitalization capabilities. We have built a suite of modular software products and solutions powered by technology that simplify traditionally cumbersome processes in real estate transactions and allow agents and agencies to effectively grow their businesses. We connect agents with essential business resources through a smart matching system and provide them with both insights and direct access to business intelligence tools to analyze data, and optimize their businesses operation and management. Through our digital platform, real estate sellers can post their listings, access a wide real estate buyer base, search for the most suitable agents and conduct transactions efficiently on our marketplace. We also extended our product and service offerings to other industry participants, to facilitate their digital transformation and meet their various needs during this process. Our ability to continue to attract real estate sellers and buyers, the key component of a vibrant transaction marketplace, is associated with the transaction efficiency achieved in our marketplace through digitalization, which will remain one of our primary business objectives as we continue to grow.

Our ability to innovate product and service offerings

To further attract and better serve marketplace participants, we have developed diverse products and services to meet marketplace participants’ business needs and help them conduct transactions in our marketplace more efficiently. As we facilitate more transactions, our marketplace attracts more market participants, who in turn contribute to our resources and ability to further innovate products and services. These innovative services and products enhance the level of engagement and loyalty of our marketplace participants, and improve agents’ operational efficiency and rate of returns. We aim to continue to innovate new products and services by leveraging our data analysis and deep understanding of market participants. Our ability to innovate product and service offerings has, and will continue to have, a significant impact on our results of operations.

Our ability to achieve profitability

Our ability to achieve profitability is dependent on whether we can leverage our marketplace model to maintain and improve operational efficiency. We continue to standardize our business and management processes, which allow us to reduce our headcounts and achieve high operational efficiency. For example, we have been able to substantially reduce labor costs since 2017 as we established the property database that can be updated and renewed automatically using AI and big data analytic tools. We further helped improve our employees’ operational efficiency by offering comprehensive training both online and offline. However, the continued downturn status of China’s real estate market, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened credit risks of developers, combined together, have materially and adversely affected our results of operations and financial condition. Our closed-loop GMV per employee decreased from RMB113.7 million in 2020 to RMB83.5 million in 2021 and further decreased to RMB67.1 million (US$9.7 million) in 2022, and our revenue per employee decreased from RMB1.5 million in 2020 to RMB1.0 million in 2021 and further decreased to RMB732.0 thousand (US$106.1 thousand) in 2022. In response, we have taken risk control measures to strategically reduce the scale of our property transaction services and actively explore opportunities from other real estate transaction digitalization services. As a result of these measures, the average number of active agents served per employee grew from 363 in 2020 to 384 in 2021 and further grew to 428 in 2022.

Revenue

The following table sets forth our total revenue for the years presented:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020	2021	2022
	RMB	RMB	RMB	US$
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Revenue	2,451,287	942,380	245,948	35,659

We generate our revenue from (i) commissions paid by real estate sellers and buyers in connection with property transactions, and (ii) innovation initiatives and other value-added services, such as SaaS solutions for various marketplace participants, sales services, franchise license, financial services, loans facilitation services, and parking space transaction facilitation services.

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Cost of Revenue

The following table sets forth our cost of revenue in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenue for the years presented:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2021		2022
	RMB	%	RMB	%	RMB	US$	%
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Cost of Revenue	2,036,821	83.1	835,873	88.7	221,213	32,073	89.9

Our cost of revenue consists primarily of the commission fees we pay to agents for their services rendered in completing the real estate transactions, project-based promotion and operational expenses, salaries and benefits expenses that are incurred for property transactions and the sharing of sales incentive income with funding partners in connection with our exclusive sales projects.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing expenses, product development expenses, and general and administrative expenses. The following table sets forth our operating expenses in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total revenue for the years presented:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2021		2022
	RMB	%	RMB	%	RMB	US$	%
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Operating expenses
Sales and marketing expenses	38,020	1.6	64,914	6.9	13,195	1,913	5.4
Product development expenses	301,401	12.3	167,530	17.8	65,971	9,565	26.8
General and administrative expenses	301,065	12.3	831,358	88.2	194,962	28,267	79.3
Total operating expenses	640,486	26.1	1,063,802	112.9	274,128	39,745	111.5

Sales and marketing expenses

Our sales and marketing expenses mainly consist of salaries of sales personnel and costs of online and offline advertisements that are placed to raise our brand recognition and attract listings from real estate sellers to our marketplace. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase in the long term as we continue to grow our business while fluctuating from quarter to quarter depending on our advertising and marketing plans and seasonality.

Product development expenses

Our product development expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits expenses, office expenses and depreciation of equipment relating to the development of new products or upgrading of existing products and other expenses for our product activity.

General and administrative expenses

Our general and administrative expenses mainly consist of provision of allowance for doubtful accounts, payroll and related staff costs for corporate functions, as well as other general corporate expenses such as rental expenses and depreciation expenses for offices and equipment that are used by these corporate functions.

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Taxation

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. In addition, the Cayman Islands does not impose withholding tax on dividend payments.

Hong Kong

Fangdd HK in Hong Kong, our subsidiary incorporated in Hong Kong, is subject to Hong Kong profit tax at a rate of 16.5% on its taxable income generated from operations in Hong Kong. A two-tiered profits tax rates regime has been introduced since year 2018 where the first HK$2 million of assessable profits earned by a company will be taxed at half the current tax rate (8.25%) whilst the remaining profits will continue to be taxed at 16.5%. There is an anti-fragmentation measure where each group will have to nominate only one company in the group to benefit from the progressive rates. Under the Hong Kong tax law, Fangdd Network Holding Limited is exempted from the Hong Kong income tax on its foreign-derived income. Hong Kong does not impose a withholding tax on dividends.

China

Our PRC subsidiaries, VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries are subject to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and are taxed at the statutory income tax rate of 25%, except for the VIE Fangdd Network, which is currently qualified as a “high and new technology enterprise” and is entitled to a preferential income tax rate of 15% from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. In addition, Fangdd Network and its subsidiaries are subject to value added taxes, or VAT, at a rate of 6% on the commissions earned from developers and other real estate sellers as well as revenue from other services we provide to our marketplace participants, less any deductible VAT we have already paid or borne. We are also subject to surcharges on VAT payments in accordance with PRC law.

Dividends paid by our wholly owned subsidiaries in China to our intermediary holding company in Hong Kong will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%, unless they qualify for a special exemption. If Fangdd Network Holding Limited, our subsidiary in Hong Kong, satisfies all the requirements under the Arrangement between the Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income and the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, then dividends paid by our wholly owned subsidiaries in China will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 5% instead. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax, which could materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay our shareholders.”

If our holding company in the Cayman Islands or any of our subsidiaries outside of China were deemed to be a “resident enterprise” under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its worldwide income at a rate of 25%. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we are classified as a “resident enterprise” of China under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we and our non-PRC shareholders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.”

Inflation

To date, inflation in China has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2020, 2021 and 2022 were increases of 0.2%, 1.5% and 1.8%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we can provide no assurance that we will not be affected by higher inflation rates in China in the future.

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Results of Operations

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

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2021		2022
	RMB	%	RMB	%	RMB	US$	%
	(in thousands, except for percentages)
Revenue	2,451,287	100.0	942,380	100.0	245,948	35,659	100.0
Cost of revenue	(2,036,821)	(83.1)	(835,873)	(88.7)	(221,213)	(32,073)	(89.9)
Gross profit	414,466	16.9	106,507	11.3	24,735	3,586	10.1
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing expenses	(38,020)	(1.6)	(64,914)	(6.9)	(13,195)	(1,913)	(5.4)
Product development expenses	(301,401)	(12.3)	(167,530)	(17.8)	(65,971)	(9,565)	(26.8)
General and administrative expenses	(301,065)	(12.3)	(831,358)	(88.2)	(194,962)	(28,267)	(79.3)
Total operating expenses	(640,486)	(26.1)	(1,063,802)	(112.9)	(274,128)	(39,745)	(111.5)
Loss from operations	(226,020)	(9.2)	(957,295)	(101.6)	(249,393)	(36,159)	(101.4)
Other income (expenses):
Interest expense, net	(12,989)	(0.5)	(8,317)	(0.9)	(5,140)	(745)	(2.1)
Foreign currency exchange gain (loss), net	(4,084)	(0.2)	(394)	0.0	375	54	0.2
Gain on short-term investments	321	0.0	112	0.0	363	53	0.1
Impairment loss for long-term equity investment	—	—	(26,000)	(2.8)	(8,000)	(1,160)	(3.3)
Impairment loss for equity method investment	—	—	(187,329)	(19.9)	(62,623)	(9,079)	(25.5)
Impairment loss for non-current assets	—	—	(11,543)	(1.2)	(7,642)	(1,108)	(3.1)
Goodwill impairment	—	—	(31,188)	(3.3)	—	—	—
Government grants	22,885	0.9	22,293	2.4	14,938	2,166	6.1
Other income, net	9,207	0.4	5,618	0.6	87,041	12,620	35.4
Share of profit from equity method investees, net of income tax	3,970	0.2	(47)	0.0	(2,020)	(293)	(0.8)
Loss before income tax	(206,710)	(8.4)	(1,194,090)	(126.7)	(232,101)	(33,651)	(94.4)
Income tax expense	(14,665)	(0.6)	(8,907)	(0.9)	(7,487)	(1,086)	(3.0)
Net loss	(221,375)	(9.0)	(1,202,997)	(127.7)	(239,588)	(34,737)	(97.4)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	1,087	(0.0)	31,832	3.4	(4,450)	(645)	(1.8)
Net loss attributable to Fangdd Network Group Ltd.	(220,288)	(9.0)	(1,171,165)	(124.3)	(244,038)	(35,382)	(99.2)
Accretion to Redeemable Convertible Preferred Shares	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Deemed dividend to preferred shareholders	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders	(220,288)	(9.0)	(1,171,165)	(124.3)	(244,038)	(35,382)	(99.2)
Net loss	(221,375)	(9.0)	(1,202,997)	(127.7)	(239,588)	(34,737)	(97.4)

Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

Revenue

Our revenue in 2022 decreased by 73.9% to RMB245.9 million (US$35.7 million) from RMB942.4 million in 2021. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in total closed-loop GMV facilitated on our platform by 72.6% to RMB22.5 billion (US$2.3 billion) in 2022 from RMB82.2 billion in 2021, which in turn resulted from (i) the continued property market downturn and our actions to cease business cooperation with high credit risk developers to avoid further losses caused by developer credit risk, (ii) the resurgence of COVID-19 outbreaks in China, which caused control measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus, which significantly affected our business development, and (iii) the measures that we took to reduce our business scale of new property and resale property transaction service business to minimize our exposure to the systematic risk of real estate industry in the continued downturn.

Cost of revenue

Our cost of revenue in 2022 decreased by 73.5% to RMB221.2 million (US$32.1 million) from RMB835.9 million in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the significant drop in revenue for both new property and resale property transaction services, which resulted in a decrease in the commission fees payable to agents for their services.

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Gross profit

Our gross profit in 2022 decreased by 76.8% to RMB24.7 million (US$3.6 million) from RMB106.5 million in 2021. Our gross profit margin in 2022 decreased to 10.1% from 11.3% in 2021. The decrease was mainly because (i) we strategically adjusted our new property business scale and resale property to avoid further losses due to continuous downturn of real estate transactions market, and (ii) the development of other value-added services offered to various platform participants with higher gross profit margins has yet reached a scale, so its contribution to our gross profit is currently limited.

Operating expenses

Our operating expenses in 2022, which included share-based compensation expenses of RMB16.7 million (US$2.4 million), decreased by 74.2% to RMB274.1 million (US$39.7 million) from RMB1.1 billion in 2021, which included share-based compensation expenses of RMB47.1 million.

Sales and marketing expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses in 2022 decreased to RMB13.2 million (US$1.9 million) from RMB64.9 million in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to the optimization of the sales department composition, the reduced spending on marketing activities related to new property transaction services, and reduced scale of the resale property transactions.

Product development expenses. Our product development expenses in 2022 decreased to RMB66.0 million (US$9.6 million) from RMB167.5 million in 2021. The decrease was attributable to the decreases in personnel-related expenses following our decision to significantly cut investments in research and development for resale property business.

General and administrative expenses. Our general and administrative expenses in 2022 decreased to RMB195.0 million (US$28.3 million) from RMB831.4 million in 2021. The decrease was mainly due to (i) the decrease in provision of impairment of certain assets, such as accounts receivable due from developers, other accounts receivable of project deposits and short-term investments, and (ii) the actions that we have taken to improve operating efficiency, including the action to reduce redundant positions, due to the expected continuation of the current market condition in the foreseeable future.

Loss from operations

We had a net loss from operations of RMB249.4 million (US$36.2 million) in 2022, compared to a net loss from operations of RMB957.3 million in 2021.

Other income (expenses)

Our total other expenses were RMB17.3 million (US$2.5 million) in 2022, compared to total other expenses of RMB236.8 million in 2021. The change was primarily due to our record of (i) RMB62.6 million (US$9.1 million) in impairment loss for equity method investment in 2022, compared to an impairment loss for equity method investment of RMB187.3 million in 2021, (ii) RMB8.0 million (US$1.2 million) in impairment loss for long-term equity investment in 2022, compared to an impairment loss for long-term equity investment of RMB26.0 million in 2021, (iii) RMB7.6 million (US$1.1 million) in impairment loss for non-current assets in 2022, compared to an impairment loss for goodwill of RMB11.5 million in 2021, mainly resulting from the continued downturn status of the real estate market in China, and (iv) the impairment loss for goodwill of nil in 2022, compared to an impairment loss for goodwill of RMB31.2 million in 2021.

Income tax expense

Our income tax expense was RMB7.5 million (US$1.1 million) in 2022, compared to RMB8.9 million in 2021.

Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, our net loss in 2022 was RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million), compared to a net loss of RMB1.2 billion in 2021.

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Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2020

Revenue

Our revenue decreased by 61.6% from RMB2.5 billion in 2020 to RMB942.4 million in 2021, due to a decrease in our revenue from transaction-related base commission by 63.0% from RMB2.2 billion in 2020 to RMB821.9 million in 2021 and a decrease in our revenue from innovation initiatives and other value-added services by 47.1% from RMB227.6 million in 2020 to RMB120.5 million in 2021. The decreases were mainly due to (i) the real estate market’s continued downturn status primarily as a result of a series of government policies to regulate the real estate market, including policies to tighten bank borrowing for homebuyers, restrict debt financing to real estate developers and other price control measures, and (ii) the impact of COVID-19 and the corresponding restrictive measures taken by the Chinese government. As a result, the credit risks of developers have intensified and we have strategically reduced the business scale of our new property transaction services to avoid the systematic risk of real estate industry. Specifically, we ceased the cooperation with developers of higher credit risks to avoid potential further losses, resulting in a decrease in the number of new property projects on our marketplace to 3,118 in 2021 from 5,825 in 2020. Because of the macroeconomic contributors and our corresponding measures, the total closed-loop GMV facilitated on our marketplace decreased by 54.6% from RMB181.1 billion in 2020 to RMB82.2 billion in 2021.

Cost of revenue

Our cost of revenue decreased by 59.0% from RMB2.0 billion in 2020 to RMB0.8 billion in 2021, which was proportionate to decrease in our revenue. The decrease was primarily due to (i) a 63.5% decrease in the commission fees payable to agents for the services they rendered from RMB1.8 billion in 2020 to RMB0.7 billion in 2021, and (ii) a slight decrease in costs relating to our various business initiatives, including our new SaaS solutions offered to marketplace participants as an attempt to diversify our income streams in 2021, from RMB5.6 million in 2020 to RMB5.3 million in 2021.

Gross profit

As a result of the foregoing, our gross profit decreased by 74.3% from RMB414.5 million in 2020 to RMB106.5 million in 2021. Gross margin in 2021 was 11.3%, compared to 16.9% in 2020.

Operating expenses

Our operating expenses increased by 66.1% from RMB640.5 million in 2020 to RMB1.1 billion in 2021, primarily due to the following reasons.

Sales and marketing expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 70.7% from RMB38.0 million in 2020 to RMB64.9 million in 2021, primarily due to our increased personnel costs related to marketing activities associated with the new SaaS solutions offered to various marketplace participants and attracting listings from real estate sellers to our marketplace in the first three quarters of 2021, partially offset by the lowered marketing personnel costs as a result of our efforts to reduce the scale of our property transaction services in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Product development expenses. Our product development expenses decreased by 44.4% from RMB301.4 million in 2020 to RMB167.5 million in 2021, primarily attributable to the decreases in personnel-related expenses following our decision to adjust our business scales. To optimize our cost structure and maintain sufficient investment in product development to secure growth opportunities, we reduced investments in research and development for certain products and heightened our focus on the research and development of our SaaS solutions and other value-added services.

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General and administrative expenses. Our general and administrative expenses increased by 176.1% from RMB301.1 million in 2020 to RMB831.4 million in 2021, primarily due to the increase in allowance for doubtful accounts to RMB612.7 million in 2021 from RMB68.6 million in 2020. The general and administrative expenses, excluding allowance for doubtful accounts, were RMB218.7 million in 2021, compared to RMB232.5 million in 2020. We increased our allowance for doubtful accounts as a result of longer turnover periods for and lower collectability of our accounts receivable from real estate developers who experienced or expected tighter cash flows under the pressures of lower sales, tightened financing and multiple maturing outstanding debts because of (i) a series of government-issued policies to regulate the real estate market, including policies to tighten bank borrowing for homebuyers, restrict debt financing to real estate developers and other price control measures and (ii) the impact of COVID-19. We expect that allowance for doubtful accounts will continue to increase as the financial conditions of many real estate developers may further deteriorate with the continuation of China’s real estate regulatory measures, which may result in their difficulties in repaying debts when they become due.

Loss from operations

We had a net loss from operations of RMB957.3 million in 2021, compared to a net loss from operations of RMB226.0 million in 2020. The loss from operations, excluding the provision of allowance for doubtful accounts was RMB344.6 million in 2021, compared to RMB157.4 million in 2020.

Other income (expenses)

Our total other expenses were RMB236.8 million in 2021, compared to a total other income of RMB19.3 million in 2020. The change was primarily due to our record of RMB187.3 million in impairment loss for equity method investment, RMB31.2 million in goodwill impairment, RMB26.0 million in impairment loss for long-term equity investment, and RMB11.5 million in impairment loss for non-current assets in 2021, mainly resulting from the continued downturn status of the real estate market in China.

Income tax expense

Our income tax expense was RMB8.9 million in 2021, compared to RMB14.7 million in 2020. The change was primarily because (i) certain operating entities in the PRC had taxable net income in 2021, and (ii) we recognized an allowance for the entire deferred tax assets at the beginning of 2021 considering the increased uncertainty in certain operating entities’ ability to achieve profitability in the near future amid the continued downturn status of the real estate market in China.

Net loss

As a result of the foregoing, we had a net loss of RMB1.2 billion in 2021, compared to a net loss of RMB221.4 million in 2020. The net loss, excluding the provision of allowance for doubtful accounts, impairment loss for long-term equity investment, impairment loss for equity method investment, impairment loss for non-current assets, and goodwill impairment, was RMB334.3 million in 2021, compared to RMB152.8 million in 2020.

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B.Liquidity and Capital Resources.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We have experienced recurring losses from operations. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of RMB4.6 billion (US$660.8 million). For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a significant decline in our revenue, resulting in a net loss of RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million) and had negative cash flows from operating activities of RMB127.0 million (US$18.4 million). As of December 31, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents balance were RMB143.9 million (US$20.9 million). Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on, among other things, our ability to generate cash flows from operations and our ability to arrange adequate financing. We have prepared a future cash flow forecasts and believe that we will have sufficient unrestricted liquidity for at least the next 12 months from the date of this annual report. We expected that we will continue to reduce our operating expenditure by reducing headcounts and office space, if needed. We have taken measures to speed up the collection of accounts receivable, such as litigation, strict developer credit rating management, but the effects of these actions may be limited where the developers have already been in severe finance distress. We also intend to obtain additional equity and/or debt financing arrangements; however, the availability and amount of such funding are not certain. Additionally, the strict macroeconomic regulation on real estate market and the tightening of mortgage lending activities have negatively impacted the real estate market and heightened the credit risks associated with developers. The new and resale property transactions are expected to remain vulnerable to macro challenges for an extended period, which may adversely impact our ability to raise the financing needed.

As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB182.7 million (US$26.5 million) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. Our cash and cash equivalents primarily consist of demand deposits placed with banks or other financial institutions, which are unrestricted as to withdrawal or use. As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB38.8 million (US$5.6 million) restricted cash, which consists of bank deposits frozen for lawsuits undergoing. As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB2.0 million (US$290 thousand) in short-term investments. Our short-term investments consisted of investments in wealth management products which are redeemable by us at any time.

Our total current liabilities were RMB949.7 million (US$137.7 million) as of December 31, 2022, which primarily included RMB659.2 million (US$95.6 million) in accounts payable, RMB181.1 million (US$26.3 million) accrued expenses and other payables, RMB72.5 million (US$10.5 million) in short-term bank borrowings and RMB30.7 million (US$4.5 million) in customers’ refundable fees. Most of our current liabilities are accounts payable, which are typically settled upon our collection of accounts receivable. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to meet our anticipated working capital requirements and capital expenditures for the next 12 months. We may, however, need additional capital in the future to fund our continued operations. The issuance and sale of additional equity would result in further dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness may result in increased fixed obligations and could result in operating covenants that would restrict our operations. As we will continue to invest in technology to support our business, we may not be able to maintain a surplus or improve our working capital position beyond the next 12 months. In the future, should we require additional liquidity and capital resources to fund our business and operations, we may need to obtain additional financing, including financing from new and/or existing shareholders, financing generated through capital market transactions and borrowing from commercial banks. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

Although we consolidate the results of the VIE and its subsidiaries, we only have access to the assets or earnings of the VIE and its subsidiaries through our contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and its Shareholders.” For restrictions and limitations on liquidity and capital resources as a result of our corporate structure, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Holding Company Structure.”

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A majority of our future revenues are likely to continue to be denominated in Renminbi. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, Renminbi may be converted into foreign exchange for current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade-and service related foreign exchange transactions. Our PRC subsidiaries may convert Renminbi amounts that they generate in their own business activities, including fees associated with the technology development and application services, operation maintenance services and marketing services pursuant to the contracts with the VIE, into foreign exchange and pay them to its non-PRC parent company in the form of dividends. However, current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of its accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits after making up previous years’ accumulated losses each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Historically, our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends to us, and they will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits. Furthermore, capital account transactions, which include foreign direct investment and loans, must be approved by and/or registered with SAFE, its local branches and certain local banks.

As a Cayman Islands exempted company and offshore holding company, we are permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiaries only through loans or capital contributions, subject to the approval of government authorities and limits on the amount of capital contributions and loans. This may delay us from using the proceeds from our offshore financings to make loans or capital contribution to our PRC subsidiaries. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.”

Cash Flows

The following table sets forth our cash flows for the years presented:

	For the Year Ended December 31
	2020	2021	2022
	RMB	RMB	RMB	US$
	(in thousands, except for share data)
Net cash used in operating activities	(324,995)	(60,618)	(126,983)	(18,410)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	5,848	(43,725)	(159,268)	(23,091)
Net cash used in financing activities	(46,557)	(307,129)	(58,654)	(8,503)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(397,842)	(419,792)	(333,493)	(48,349)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year	1,333,872	936,030	516,238	74,847
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the year	936,030	516,238	182,745	26,496

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities in 2022 was RMB127.0 million (US$18.4 million). The principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss of RMB239.6 million (US$34.7 million) were an RMB497.6 million (US$72.1 million) decrease in accounts receivable, and some non-cash expenses, such as RMB149.4 million (US$21.7 million) in impairment on short-term investments and RMB62.6 million (US$9.1 million) in impairment loss for equity method investment, which were partially offset by an RMB516.7 million (US$74.9 million) decrease in accounts payables, an RMB59.5 million (US$8.6 million) decrease in accrued expenses and other payables, and some non-cash expenses, such as RMB67.6 million (US$9.8 million) reversal in allowances for doubtful accounts. The decrease in accounts receivable was primarily because the collection of accounts receivable was higher than the newly recorded accounts receivable in 2022. The impairment loss on short-term investment was primarily due to impairment of our short-term investments that suffered an un-temporarily decline on its value. The impairment loss for equity method investment was primarily due to impairment of our equity method investment in certain limited partnerships that faced increasing uncertainties in collecting the repayment of deposits from certain developers due to their tighter financial conditions. The decrease in accounts payables was because we made payments to agents when the accounts receivable due from developers were received. The decrease in accrued expenses and other payables was due to the normal operation of our business. The reversal in allowances for doubtful accounts was primarily due to the estimation of increased collectability of our accounts receivable from real estate developers who experienced or expected tighter cash flows in previous years.

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Net cash used in operating activities in 2021 was RMB60.6 million. The principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss of RMB1.2 billion were an RMB867.0 million decrease in accounts receivable, and some non-cash expenses, such as RMB612.7 million in allowance for doubtful accounts and RMB187.3 million in impairment loss for equity method investment, which were partially offset by an RMB620.4 million decrease in accounts payables, and an RMB126.6 million decrease in accrued expenses and other payables. The decrease in accounts receivable was primarily because the collection of accounts receivable was higher than the newly recorded accounts receivable in 2021. The allowance for doubtful accounts were primarily due to impairment of accounts receivable due from developers because of their tighter financial conditions. The impairment loss for equity method investment was primarily due to impairment of our equity method investment in certain limited partnerships that faced increasing uncertainties in collecting the repayment of deposits from certain developers due to their tighter financial conditions. The decrease in accounts payables was because we made payments to agents when the accounts receivable due from developers were received. The decrease in accrued expenses and other payables was due to the normal operation of our business.

Net cash used in operating activities in 2020 was RMB325.0 million. The principal items accounting for the difference between our net cash used in operating activities and our net loss of RMB221.4 million were an RMB130.0 million increase in accounts receivable and an RMB101.3 million decrease in accounts payables, partially offset by an RMB8.6 million decrease in prepayments and other assets. The increases in accounts receivable and decrease in prepayments and other assets were both due to the normal operation of our business. The decrease in accounts payables was because we made payments to agents to support their operation during the pandemic. We incurred share-based compensation expenses of RMB102.8 million relating to awards granted under the 2018 Plan.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities in 2022 was RMB159.3 million (US$23.1 million), mainly comprising RMB464.9 million (US$67.4 million) paid for short-term investments and RMB33.2 million (US$4.8 million) for investment in equity method investments, which were partially offset by RMB320.1 million (US$46.4 million) proceeds from disposal of short-term investments and RMB19.5 million (US$2.8 million) in return of capital from equity method investees.

Net cash used in investing activities in 2021 was RMB43.7 million, mainly comprising RMB104.1 million paid for short-term investments, RMB84.6 million for investment in equity method investments and RMB12.5 million for purchase of property, equipment and software, which were partially offset by RMB107.1 million proceeds from disposal of short-term investments and RMB50.1 million in return of capital from equity method investees.

Net cash provided by investing activities in 2020 was RMB5.8 million, mainly comprising RMB1.3 billion in cash proceeds from disposal of short-term investments and RMB115.4 million in return of capital from equity method investees, which were partially offset by RMB1.3 billion paid for short-term investments, RMB10.2 million for purchase of property, equipment and software, RMB92.1 million for loans to equity method investees and RMB8.7 million for business combination.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities in 2022 was RMB58.7 million (US$8.5 million), primarily comprising RMB134.8 million (US$19.5 million) in repayment for short-term bank borrowings, which was partially offset by RMB72.5 million (US$10.5 million) in cash proceeds from short-term bank borrowings and RMB3.1 million (US$455.0 thousand) in cash proceeds from public offering, net of offering cost.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2021 was RMB307.1 million, primarily comprising RMB462.8 million in repayment for short-term bank borrowings, which was partially offset by RMB154.2 million in cash proceeds from short-term bank borrowings.

Net cash used in financing activities in 2020 was RMB46.6 million, comprising RMB587.5 million in repayment for short-term bank borrowings, which was partially offset by RMB540.9 million in cash proceeds from short term bank borrowings.

Material Cash Requirements

Our material cash requirements as of December 31, 2022 and any subsequent interim period primarily include our short-term debt obligations, long-term debt obligations, operating lease commitments and capital commitment obligations. The following table sets forth our contractual obligations by specified categories as of December 31, 2022:

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	Payment Due by Period
		Less than
	Total	1  year	1-3 years	3-5 years	Thereafter
	(in RMB thousands)
Short-term debt obligations	912,855	912,855	—	—	—
Long-term debt obligations	30,772	—	—	—	30,772
Operating lease commitments	2,693	1,890	803	—	—
Capital commitment obligations	300,019	NA	NA	NA	NA
Total	1,246,339	914,745	803	—	30,772

Our short-term debt obligations primarily consist of accounts payable, short-term bank borrowings, accrued expenses and other payables. As of December 31, 2022, we had RMB659.2 million (US$95.6 million) in accounts payable, most of which were due to real estate agencies and payable as long as we have collected payments of corresponding accounts receivable from developers.

Our long-term debt obligations primarily consist of the non-current portion of income tax payables.

Our operating lease commitments represent the commitments made under the lease agreements for our office premises in China. We lease our office facilities under non-cancelable operating leases with various expiration dates. Our leasing expense was RMB14.8 million, RMB26.3 million and RMB8.5 million (US$1.2 million) in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

As a limited partner of certain limited partnerships disclosed in note 11 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report, we are committed to make further capital injection into the limited partnership in accordance with the respective partnership deeds. Such capital commitment obligations do not have contractual maturity date. The capital commitment obligations amounted to RMB327.6 million, RMB301.4 million and RMB300.0 million (US$43.5 million) as of December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

We intend to fund our existing and future material cash requirements primarily with anticipated cash flows from operations, our existing cash balance and proceeds from equity and/or debt financing.

Our capital expenditures primarily consist of the purchase of servers, office furniture, office improvement and other equipment. Our capital expenditures were RMB10.2 million in 2020, RMB12.5 million in 2021 and RMB194.5 thousand (US$28.0 thousand) in 2022. We will continue to make capital expenditures to meet our business needs. In the near future, we expect that we will continue to reduce our operating expenditure by reducing headcounts and office space, if needed.

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet derivative instruments. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

Other than as discussed above, we did not have any significant capital and other commitments, long-term obligations or guarantees as of December 31, 2022.

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Holding Company Structure

Fangdd Cayman is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and its subsidiaries in China. As a result, Fangdd Cayman’s ability to pay dividends depends upon dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries. If our existing PRC subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur debts on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debts may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our wholly owned subsidiaries in China are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC laws, each of our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and its subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds until such reserve funds reach 50% of its registered capital. In addition, our wholly owned subsidiaries in China may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to enterprise expansion funds and staff bonus and welfare funds at their discretion, and the VIE may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to a discretionary surplus fund at its discretion. The statutory reserve funds and the discretionary funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Remittance of dividends by a wholly owned subsidiary out of China is subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. Our PRC subsidiaries have not paid dividends and will not be able to pay dividends until they generate accumulated profits and meet the requirements for statutory reserve funds.

C.Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Technology Systems and Infrastructure” and “—Intellectual Property.”

D.Trend Information.

Other than as described elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our revenue, income from continuing operations, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause our reported financial information not necessarily to be indicative of future operating results or financial condition.

E.Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the balance sheet date, and the reported revenues and expenses during the reported period in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant accounting estimates include, but not limited to, allowance for doubtful accounts and loan losses, recognition of goodwill, impairment loss of long-term equity investment and share-based compensation. As of December 31, 2022, our management considered the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic while making estimates and assumptions. Given the impact and other unforeseen effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, these estimates involved an increased level of judgment, and actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable mainly represent amounts due from the real estate developers for new property business and from individual customers for resale property business upon the completion of services to them. Accounts receivable are recorded net of allowance for doubtful accounts. We consider many factors in assessing the collectability of its accounts receivable, such as the age of the amounts due, the payment history, credit-worthiness and the financial condition of the debtor. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded in the period in which a loss is determined to be probable. In addition, with respect to the accounts receivable due from developers having higher credit risks, we also record a special allowance if there is strong evidence indicating that a certain amount of account receivable is likely to be unrecoverable. Accounts receivable are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. Allowance of RMB557.1 million (US$80.8 million) was provided as of December 31, 2022, which included RMB120.1 million (US$17.4 million) special allowance for the accounts receivable have strong evidence indicating that is likely to be unrecoverable.

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Allowance for Loan Losses

Loans receivable represents loan originated or purchased by us. We have the intent and the ability to hold such loans for the foreseeable future or until maturity or payoff. Loans receivable are recorded at unpaid principal balances, net of allowance for loan losses that reflect our best estimate of the amounts that will not be collected. The loans receivable portfolio consists of loans with term period ranging from 30 days to 5 years. The allowance for loan losses is determined at a level believed to be reasonable to absorb probable losses inherent in the portfolio as of each balance sheet date. The allowance is provided based on an assessment performed on a portfolio basis. All loans are assessed collectively depending on factors such as delinquency rate, size, and other risk characteristics of the portfolio. We write off loans receivable and the related allowance when management determines that full repayment of such loan is not probable. The primary factor in making such determination is the estimated recoverable amounts from the delinquent debtor. As of December 31, 2022, the balance of allowance for loans losses was RMB7.6 million (US$1.1 million).

Impairment of Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase consideration over the fair value of the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed from the acquired entity as a result of our acquisitions of interests in its subsidiaries. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it might be impaired.

On October 30, 2020, we completed the subscription for newly issued ordinary shares of Shanghai Yuancui Information Technology Co., Ltd (“Yuancui”) for a cash consideration of RMB20 million and acquired equity interest from the shareholders of Yuancui for a cash consideration of RMB10 million. Upon the completion of the transactions, we held 51% equity interest in Yuancui and it became a consolidated subsidiary of our company.

Yuancui mainly engages in the provision of comprehensive operational solution for real estate agencies including application software to manage their businesses, brand authorization and operation training to real estate agencies. The excess of total consideration over net assets and identifiable intangible assets acquired were recorded as goodwill which amounted to RMB31.2 million at the acquisition date. We estimated the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities with the assistance of an independent valuation firm. Goodwill arising from this acquisition was attributable to the synergies expected from the combined operations of Yuancui and us, the assembled workforce and its knowledge and experience in managing real estate agencies in China.

Considering the real estate market conditions and the operating performance of Yuancui, we ceased all businesses of Yuancui in 2021 and the goodwill recognized from the acquisition was fully impaired as of December 31, 2021.

Impairment of Equity Method Investment

In connection with the Sales Commitment Arrangements as described in notes 1 and 2(v) to the consolidated financial statements, we invested in certain limited partnerships (the “Limited Partnerships”). We were the limited partner and had invested less than 50% of interests in the Limited Partnerships as of December 31, 2022. We have determined that given the design of these Limited Partnerships, they are considered to be unconsolidated VIEs and we are not considered to be the primary beneficiary, as we do not have the power to direct the activities of Limited Partnerships that most significantly impact their economic performance. We determined that we have significant influence over these Limited Partnerships and therefore have accounted for our investments under the equity method.

Considering current real estate market conditions and the operating performance of the Limited Partnerships, we recognized other-than-temporary impairment loss of RMB62.6 million (US$9.1 million) to the investment in certain Limited Partnerships in 2022.

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Valuation and Recognition of Share-based Compensation Arrangements

Compensation expense is recognized for all grants of share options and restricted share units. Determining the appropriate valuation model and estimating the fair values of share option grants requires the input of subjective assumptions, including risk-free interest rate, expected stock price volatility, dividend yields, expected term, and forfeiture rates. The expected volatility assumption is based partially upon the historical volatility of our ordinary shares, which may or may not be a true indicator of future volatility. The assumptions used in calculating the fair values of share option grants represent management’s best estimates, but these estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of judgment. As a result, if factors change and different assumptions are used, share-based compensation expense could be significantly different from what we recorded in the current period.

ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

A.Directors and Senior Management.

The following table sets forth certain information relating to our directors and executive officers as of the date of this annual report.

Directors and Executive Officers	Age	Position/Title
Xi Zeng	41	Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
Jiaorong Pan	43	Director and Chief Operating Officer
Li Xiao	59	Director and Vice President
Yi Duan	46	Co-Founder, Director
Yang Li	48	Independent Director
Senlin Peng	51	Independent Director
Zhen Xie	47	Independent Director
Shuiying Chen	38	Financial Controller

Mr. Xi Zeng is our co-founder, chairman of our board of directors and chief executive officer. Before co-founding our company, Mr. Zeng was the manager at Suzhou Best Team Real Estate Cooperation Service Co., Ltd. from 2002 to 2010. He received a bachelor’s degree from Suzhou University of Science and Technology and an EMBA degree from China Europe International Business School.

Ms. Jiaorong Pan has served as our director since March 2020 and chief operating officer since August 2022. Ms. Pan joined us in October 2011 and served as our senior vice president from October 2011 to March 2020 and our chief financial officer until August 2022. Prior to joining us, Ms. Pan was a general manager at Suzhou Huamei Enterprise Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. Between September 2003 and October 2009, Ms. Pan served as a manager for the consulting department of Best Team Real Estate Comprehension Services Co., Ltd. During her tenure, she chaired all market research and project development efforts. Ms. Pan holds a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from Suzhou University of Science and Technology and an EMBA degree from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

Ms. Li Xiao has served as our vice president since November 2014 and as our director since July 2015. Ms. Xiao has more than 20 years of experience in China’s real estate industry. From 1994 to 2014, Ms. Xiao worked at China Vanke Co., Ltd. (HKEX: 2202), where she held multiple positions consecutively, including director, vice president, the head of general manager office, the head of the board office, and the secretary of the board. From 1990 to 1994, Ms. Xiao worked at Mitsubishi Corporation’s Shenzhen office. Ms. Xiao currently serves as an independent director of Kinco Automation (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (SSE: 688160). Ms. Xiao received a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University and an EMBA degree from China Europe International Business School.

Mr. Yi Duan is our co-founder and director. Before co-founding our company, Mr. Duan was the managing director at Suzhou Best Team Real Estate Cooperation Service Co., Ltd. from 2000 to 2011. Mr. Duan received a bachelor’s degree in real estate management from Suzhou Urban Construction and Environmental Protection Institute and an EMBA degree from China Europe International Business School. Mr. Duan also completed the China CEO program at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in 2016.

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Mr. Yang Li has served as our director since July 2022. Mr. Li has over 24 years of experience in a wide range of financial and accounting fields, including external and internal auditing, financial planning and analysis and financial due diligence. Mr. Li is currently the managing partner of ThinkBridge CPAs, a professional accounting firm providing assurance, business management and financial consulting services. Prior to joining ThinkBridge CPAs in December 2012, Mr. Li was a partner at Shanghai NuoDe Certified Public Accounts Co., Ltd. from August 2004 to November 2012, where he advised clients in China on finance, management and risk management issues. Prior to that, Mr. Li worked at multiple auditing and consulting firms, including Ernst & Young, Arthur Andersen, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Shanghai De’An Certified Public Accountants, where he was responsible for auditing and financial consulting. Mr. Li has served as an independent director of Shanghai Kaytune Industrial Co., Ltd. (SSE: 301001) since 2019. Mr. Li received a bachelor’s degree from Shanghai International Studies University and a master’s degree at China Europe International Business School. Mr. Li is a member of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Association of International Accountants.

Mr. Senlin Peng has served as our director since August 2022. Mr. Senlin Peng has rich operational and financial experience. Since he joined ColorLife Group in 2000, a renowned children furniture manufacturer in China, Mr. Peng has served multiple positions, including a member of the company’s board of directors since 2011, the Chief Executive Officer of the company from 2005 to 2010 in charge of overall business operations, and a Vice President from 2000 to 2004 in charge of financial and operational divisions. In addition, Mr. Peng holds several directorships. Since 2018, Mr. Peng has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Morgan-Casa Furniture Co., Ltd., a furniture designer and manufacturer in China, and since 2014, Mr. Peng has served as a director at Shenzhen Forbest Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese optical product manufacturer. Mr. Peng graduated from Jimei University (formerly known as Jimei Finance College) in 1992 and received an MBA degree from China Europe International Business School in 2007.

Mr. Zhen Xie has served as our director since November 2022. Mr. Xie is the founder and currently the chief executive officer of Shanghai MaiQin Information Technology Co., Ltd., or MaiTao, a family-tour platform focusing on children extracurricular activities and traveling experience. Prior to founding MaiTao in 2014, Mr. Xie worked at eLong Inc., a leading Chinese mobile and online travel agency, as the chief operation officer from 2011 to 2014 and as a vice president of business development from 2008 to 2011. Previously, Mr. Xie served as a sales director at FedEx Kinko’s from 2004 to 2007, a wealth management manager at Citibank (China) Co., Ltd. from 2002 to 2004, and a regional manager at Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., a Chinese subsidiary of The Procter & Gamble Company from 1997 to 2000. Mr. Xie received a bachelor’s degree in economy from Nanjing University International Business School in 1997 and an MBA degree from China Europe International Business School in 2001.

Mr. Shuiying Chen is our financial controller. Joined us in 2019, Mr. Chen had previously held a variety of financial management positions with our Company, including our financial executive manager, financial deputy manager and financial director. In these roles, Mr. Chen was responsible for our financial reporting, planning and budgeting, financial compliance and internal controls. Prior to joining us, Mr. Chen worked at Shenzhen Fantasia Cultural Tourism Management Co., Ltd. as the financial manager from 2017 to 2019, at Country Garden Group (HKSE: 02007) as a listing reporting and financial analysis manager from 2016 to 2017, and at China Southern Airlines (SSE: 600029; HKSE: 01055; NYSE: ZHN) as a financial analyst from 2009 to 2016. Mr. Chen holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Jinan University in 2009.

B.Compensation.

Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we paid an aggregate of approximately RMB2.9 million (US$426.0 thousand) in cash and benefits to our executive officers. We do not pay our non-employee directors. For share incentive grants to our officers and directors, see “—2018 Plan.” We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Our PRC subsidiaries are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee’s salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund.

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Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. We may also terminate an executive officer’s employment without cause upon three-month advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we will provide severance payments to the executive officer as expressly required by applicable law of the jurisdiction where the executive officer is based.

Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his or her duties in connection with the employment or pursuant to applicable law, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice during the executive officer’s employment with us and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining and enforcing patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.

In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his or her employment and typically for one year following the last date of employment. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (i) approach agents, developers, real estate buyers or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer in his or her capacity as a representative of us for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (ii) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors, without our express consent; or (iii) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination, without our express consent.

We have also entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers. Under these agreements, we agree to indemnify our directors and executive officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being a director or officer of our company.

2018 Plan

In December 2018, our board of directors approved the 2018 Plan to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. As of the date of this annual report, the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2018 Plan, as amended, is 356,514,660 ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2023, awards to purchase 69,094,125 ordinary shares were granted and outstanding under the 2018 Plan, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant dates.

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2018 Plan.

Types of Awards. Our 2018 Plan permits awards of options, restricted shares and restricted share units.

Plan Administration. Our 2018 Plan will be administered by our board of directors or by a committee of one or more members designated by our board of directors. Subject to the terms of the 2018 Plan and in the case of the committee, the specific duties delegated by our board of directors to the committee, the plan administrator has the authority to determine the participants to receive awards, the type and number of awards to be granted to each participant, and the terms and conditions of each award, among others.

Award Agreement. Awards granted under our 2018 Plan will be evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each grant.

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Term of the Awards. The term of each share award granted under the 2018 Plan may not exceed ten years after the date of grant.

Vesting Schedule. In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule, which is set forth in the relevant award agreement.

Exercise of Options. The plan administrator determines the exercise price for each award, which is stated in the award agreement. The vested portion of option will expire if not exercised prior to the time as the plan administrator determines at the time of its grant. However, the maximum exercisable term is ten years from the date of a grant.

Transfer Restrictions. Awards may not be transferred in any manner by the recipient other than in accordance with the exceptions provided in the 2018 Plan, such as transfers by will or the laws of descent and distribution, or as otherwise provided in the relevant award agreements or determined by the plan administrator.

Termination. Our 2018 Plan will terminate ten years after its adoption, provided that our board of directors has the authority to terminate, amend or modify the plan. No termination, amendment, or modification of the 2018 Plan may affect, in any materially adverse manner to the participant, the applicable awards previously granted pursuant to the 2018 Plan, unless agreed by the participant in writing.

The following table summarizes, as of the date of this annual report, the options granted and outstanding under the 2018 Plan, excluding awards that were forfeited or cancelled after the relevant grant dates.

	Class A Ordinary Shares	Exercise
	underlying Options	Price
Name	Awarded	(US$/share)	Date of Grant	Date of Expiration
Li Xiao	*	0.0000001	December 21, 2018	December 21, 2023
Jiaorong Pan	*	0.0000001	December 21, 2018	December 21, 2023
Shuiying Chen	*	0.0000001	November 15, 2021	November 14, 2026
Other grantees	65,706,250	0.0000001	December 21, 2018 through November 15, 2021	December 21, 2023 through November 15, 2026

* Less than 1% of our total outstanding ordinary shares on an as-converted basis.

C.Board Practices.

Board of Directors

Our board of directors consists of seven directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in our company by way of qualification. A director may vote with respect to any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction in which he or she is interested, whether directly or indirectly, provided (a) such director has declared the nature of his interest at a meeting of the board at which such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction shall come before the meeting for consideration, either specifically or by way of a general notice given to the directors to the effect that he or she is a member of any specified company or firm and is to be regarded as interested, and (b) if such contract or arrangement is a transaction with a related party, such transaction has been approved by the audit committee. Our directors may exercise all the powers of the company to raise or borrow money, mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any party thereof, and issue debentures, debenture stock, bonds and other securities, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of the company or of any third party. None of our non-executive directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination of service.

Committees of the Board of Directors

We have established three committees under the board of directors: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee’s members and functions are described below.

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Audit Committee.  Our audit committee consists of Yang Li, Senlin Peng and Zhen Xie. Yang Li is the chairman of our audit committee. We have determined that Yang Li, Senlin Peng and Zhen Xie, each satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(c)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. We have determined that Yang Li qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert.” The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee is responsible for, among other things:

● appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;

● reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s responses;

● discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;

● reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;

● reviewing and approving all proposed related party transaction;

● meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and

● monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee consists of Yang Li, Xi Zeng and Zhen Xie. Yang Li is the chairman of our compensation committee. We have determined that Yang Li and Zhen Xie, each satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

● reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and other executive officers;

● reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our non-employee directors;

● reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar arrangements; and

● selecting compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser only after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s independence from management.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Zhen Xie, Xi Zeng and Yang Li. Zhen Xie is the chairman of our nominating and corporate governance committee. We have determined that Zhen Xie and Yang Li, each satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:

● selecting and recommending to the board nominees for election by the shareholders or appointment by the board;

● reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as independence, knowledge, skills, experience and diversity;

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● making recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings and monitoring the functioning of the committees of the board; and

● advising the board periodically with regards to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to the board on all matters of corporate governance and on any remedial action to be taken.

Duties of Directors

Under Cayman Islands law, our directors owe fiduciary duties to our company, including a duty of loyalty, a duty to act honestly and a duty to act in what they consider in good faith to be in our best interests. Our directors must also exercise their powers only for a proper purpose. Our directors also have a duty to exercise skills they actually possess and such care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected form a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time. Our company has the right to seek damages if a duty owed by our directors is breached. In certain limited exceptional circumstances, a shareholder may have the right to seek damages in our name if a duty owed by our directors is breached.

Our board of directors has all the powers necessary for managing, and for directing and supervising, our business affairs. The functions and powers of our board of directors include, among others:

● convening shareholders’ annual and extraordinary general meetings and reporting its work to shareholders at such meetings;

● declaring dividends and distributions;

● appointing officers and determining the term of office of the officers;

● exercising the borrowing powers of our company and mortgaging the property of our company; and

● approving the transfer of shares in our company, including the registration of such shares in our share register.

Terms of Directors and Officers

Our directors may be appointed by a resolution of our board of directors, or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Our directors are not subject to a term of office and hold office until such time as they are removed from office by an ordinary resolution of the shareholders or if their office is otherwise vacated. A director will cease to be a director if, among other things, the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) dies or is found by our company to be or becomes of unsound mind; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board, is absent from three consecutive board meetings; or (v) is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of our articles of association.

Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors.

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Board Diversity

Board Diversity Matrix (As of March 31, 2023)
Country of Principal Executive Offices:	People’s Republic of China
Foreign Private Issuer	Yes
Disclosure Prohibited Under Home Country Law	No
Total Number of Directors	7

	Female	Male	Non-Binary	Did Not  Disclose  Gender
Part I: Gender Identity
Directors	2	5	0	0
Part II: Demographic Background
Underrepresented Individual in Home Country Jurisdiction	0
LGBTQ+	0

D.Employees.

As of December 31, 2022, we had 212 employees, including 61 software and product development personnel and 131 sales and marketing personnel in our corporate offices in 15 cities and headquarters in two cities. As of December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, we had 1,725, 604 and 212 employees, respectively.

We believe we offer our employees competitive compensation packages and an environment that encourages initiative and meritocracy. We design and implement in-house training programs tailored to each job function to enhance performance. We strongly emphasize training programs designed to improve the sales and marketing skills of our sales staff. Specific training is also provided to new employees at orientation to familiarize them with our working environment and operational procedures.

As required by laws and regulations in China, we participate in various employee social security schemes that are organized by municipal and provincial governments, including housing, pension, medical insurance and unemployment insurance. We are required under Chinese law to make contributions to employee benefit plans at specified percentages of the salaries, bonuses and certain allowances of our employees, up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time.

We enter into standard confidentiality and employment agreements with our employees. The contracts with our key personnel typically include a standard non-compete covenant that prohibits the employee from competing with us, directly or indirectly, during his or her employment and for a period between nine months and two years after the termination of his or her employment, provided that we pay, during the restriction period, compensation that equals to 30% of such personnel’s average salary in the 12 months preceding the termination.

We believe that we maintain a good working relationship with our employees, and we have not experienced any material disputes with our employees in our history.

E.Share Ownership.

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership, within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of our ordinary shares as of March 31, 2023 by:

● each of our directors and executive officers; and

● each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our ordinary shares.

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Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting power or investment power with respect to securities. The number of ordinary shares beneficially owned includes ordinary shares such person has the right to acquire within 60 days after March 31, 2023. Such shares, however, are not deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other shareholder. The total number of ordinary shares outstanding as of March 31, 2023 was 21,351,086,319, comprising of 20,854,967,959 Class A ordinary shares (excluding 109,094,250 Class A ordinary shares issued to the depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our share incentive plans), 490,418,360 Class B ordinary shares and 5,700,000 Class C ordinary shares.

	Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned as of March 31, 2023
	Class A	Class B	Class C	Total
	Ordinary	Ordinary	Ordinary	Ordinary	% of	% of
	Shares	Shares	Shares	Shares	Total	Aggregate
	Beneficially	Beneficially	Beneficially	Beneficially	Ordinary	Voting
	Owned	Owned	Owned	Owned	Shares†	Power††
Directors and Executive Officers:**
Xi Zeng(1)	—	161,396,567	5,700,000	167,096,567	0.8	70.8
Jiaorong Pan(2)	*	—	—	*	*	*
Li Xiao	*	—	—	*	*	*
Yi Duan(3)	—	329,021,793	—	329,021,793	1.5	4.0
Yang Li	—	—	—	—	—	—
Senlin Peng	—	—	—	—	—	—
Zhen Xie	—	—	—	—	—	—
Shuiying Chen	*	—	—	*	*	*
All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group	48,412,680	490,418,360	5,700,000	544,531,040	2.6	74.9
Principal Shareholders:
ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD(1)	—	161,396,567	5,700,000	167,096,567	0.8	70.8

Less than 1% of our total outstanding shares.

** Except as indicated otherwise below, the business address of our directors and executive officers is Room 602, Unit B4, Kexing Science Park, 15 Keyuan Road, Technology Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China. Yang Li’s business address is Unit 03-06, 9th Floor, Baohua Center, No. 355 Guangzhong West Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Senlin Peng’s business address is ColorLife Group, Pingdi Street, Longgang District, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China. Zhen Xie’s business address is F9, Multimedia Building, No. 757, Guangzhong West Road, Jing’an District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China.

† For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of ordinary shares beneficiary owned by such person or group, including Class A ordinary shares that such person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days after March 31, 2023, by the sum of the total number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares as of March 31, 2023 and the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the options held by such person or group that are exercisable within 60 days after March 31, 2023.

†† For each person or group included in this column, percentage of total voting power is calculated by dividing the voting power beneficially owned by such person or group by the voting power of all of our outstanding Class A, Class B and Class C ordinary shares as a single class. Each holder of Class A ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per Class A ordinary share. Each holder of Class B ordinary shares is entitled to ten votes per Class B ordinary share. Each holder of Class C ordinary shares is entitled to 10,000 votes per Class C ordinary share. Our Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares are convertible at any time by the holders thereof into Class A ordinary shares on a share-for-share basis. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares or Class C ordinary shares at any time.

(1) Represents 161,396,567 Class B ordinary shares and 5,700,000 Class C ordinary shares held by ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The registered address of ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD is Ritter House, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110 British Virgin Islands. ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD is owned by Mr. Xi Zeng.

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(2) Represents 29,249,399 Class A ordinary shares held by XUANYU NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD, a British Virgin Islands company controlled by Jiaorong Pan. The registered address of XUANYU NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD is Ritter House, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola VG1110, British Virgin. Islands. XUANYU NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD is owned by Ms. Jiaorong Pan.

(3) Represents 329,021,793 Class B ordinary shares held by CC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. The registered address of CC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD is Vistra Corporate Service Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, VG 1110, British Virgin Islands. CC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD is controlled by CC Network Holding Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of British Virgin Islands. CC Network Holding Ltd is controlled by CC Trust, a trust established under the laws of the British Virgin Islands and managed by Cantrust (Far East) Limited as the trustee. Mr. Yi Duan is the settlor of CC Trust and Mr. Duan and his family members are the trust’s beneficiaries. Under the terms of this trust, Mr. Duan has the power to direct the trustee with respect to the retention or disposal of, and the exercise of any voting and other rights attached to, the share held by CC NETWORK INTERNATIONAL LTD in our company.

To our knowledge, as of March 31, 2023, a total of 1,792,471,025 Class A ordinary shares, representing approximately 8.4% of our total outstanding ordinary shares, were held by one recorded shareholder in the United States, which is The Bank of New York Mellon, the depositary of our ADS program. The number of beneficial owners of our ADSs in the United States is likely much larger than the one record holder of our ordinary shares in the United States.

We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

F.Disclosure of a Registrant’s Action to Recover Erroneously Awarded Compensation.

Not Applicable.

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ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

A.Major Shareholders.

Please refer to “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—E. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—Share Ownership.”

B.Related Party Transactions.

Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and Its Respective Shareholders

Please refer to “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure.”

Shareholders Agreement and Registration Rights

Shareholders Agreement

We have entered into the amended and restated shareholders agreement on June 30, 2015 with our shareholders, which consist of holders of ordinary shares and preferred shares. The shareholders agreement provides for certain preferential rights, including redemption right, right of first refusal, co-sale rights, preemptive rights and provisions governing the board of directors and other corporate governance matters. In June 2019, holders of Series A-2 preferred shares and Series B preferred shares confirmed to us in writing that they will not exercise their redemption right under the shareholders agreement at any time prior to June 30, 2020. The foregoing preferential rights automatically terminated upon the completion of our initial public offering.

Registration Rights

Pursuant to the amended and restated shareholders agreement on June 30, 2015, we have granted certain registration rights to our shareholders. Set forth below is a description of the registration rights to be granted.

Demand Registration Rights

● Registration other than on Form F-3 or Form S-3. Holder(s) holding 10% or more of outstanding registrable securities held by all holders may request us in writing to effect a registration for their shares. Upon receipt of such a request, we shall promptly give written notice of the proposed registration to all holders of registrable securities and use our best efforts to register the shares requested to be registered within fifteen days. We have the right to defer filing of a registration statement for a period of not more than 90 days if our board of directors determines in the good faith judgment that filing of a registration statement in the near future will be materially detrimental to us or our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right for more than 90 days on any one occasion or more than once during any 12-month period and cannot register any other securities during such period. We shall be obligated to effect no more than three registrations that have been declared and ordered effective. Further, if the registrable securities are offered by means of an underwritten offering, and the managing underwriter advises us that marketing factors require a limitation of the number of registrable securities to be underwritten in a registration, the underwriters may (i) in the event of our initial public offering, exclude from the underwritten offering all of the registrable securities (so long as the only securities included in such offering are those sold for the account of our company), or (ii) otherwise exclude up to 75% of the registrable securities requested to be registered but only after first excluding all other equity securities from the registration and underwritten offering and so long as the number of registrable securities to be included in the registration is allocated (a) first, among holders of ordinary shares issued or issuable upon conversion of series A-2 preferred shares, series B preferred shares and series C preferred shares in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective amounts of registrable securities requested by such holders to be included, and (b) second, if there are any available registrable securities remaining to be allocated, among holders of other registrable securities in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to the respective amounts of registrable securities requested by such holders to be included.

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● Registration on Form F-3 or Form S-3. Any holders of registrable securities may request us to file registration statements on Form F-3 or Form S-3 if we qualify for registration on Form F-3 and Form S-3. We should promptly give a written notice to all other holders of registrable securities, and make best efforts to effect the registration of the securities on Form F-3 or Form S-3 within 15 days after we delivered such written notice. We have the right to defer filing of a registration statement for a period of not more than 90 days if our board of directors determines in the good faith judgment that filing of a registration statement in the near future will be materially detrimental to us or our shareholders, but we cannot exercise the deferral right for more than 90 days on any one occasion or more than once during any 12-month period and cannot register any other securities during such period. We shall be obligated to effect no more than two registrations that have been declared and ordered effective within any 12-month period.

Piggyback Registration Rights

If we propose to register for our own account any of our equity securities, or for the account of any holder, other than current shareholders, of such equity securities, in connection with the public offering, we shall offer holders of our registrable securities an opportunity to be included in such registration. If a holder decides not to include all or any of its registrable securities in such registration, such holder will continue to have the right to include any registrable securities in any subsequent registration statement as may be filed by us, subject to certain limitations.

Expenses of Registration

We will pay all expenses, other than the underwriting discounts and selling commissions applicable to the sale of registrable securities pursuant to the registration rights (which will be borne by the holders requesting registration on a pro rata basis in proportion to their respective numbers of registrable securities sold in such registration), incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to the registration rights, including all registration, filing and qualification fees, printers’ and accounting fees, fees and disbursements of counsel for us, reasonable fees and disbursement of one counsel for all selling holders and all fees charged by our depositary agent of in connection with our conversion of the shares into depositary shares. However, we are not obligated to pay any expenses of any registration proceeding if the registration request is subsequently withdrawn at the request of a majority-in-interest of the holders requesting such registration (in which case all participating holders will bear such expenses pro rata based upon the number of registrable securities that were to be thereby registered in the withdrawn registration).

Termination of Obligations

The registration rights set forth above will terminate on the earlier of (i) the date that is five years after the date of closing of a qualified initial public offering and (ii) with respect to any holder, the date on which such holder has sold all of such holder’s registrable securities under Rule 144 of the Securities Act.

Share Issuance to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD and Mr. Xi Zeng

In November 2022, our board of directors approved the creation of Class C ordinary shares for the purpose of enhancing our ability to execute long-term business strategies and enabling new equity financing while maintaining a stable corporate structure and senior management team. Holders of Class C ordinary shares have certain special voting rights and conversion rights. In particular, each Class C ordinary share entitles the holder thereof to 10,000 votes on all matters subject to a shareholder vote. Each Class C ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at the option of the holder thereof. For a summary of the rights of Class C ordinary shares, please refer to “Item 10. Additional Information—B. Memorandum and Articles of Association” in this annual report on Form 20-F.

On November 30, 2022, we entered into a share subscription agreement with ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD, a company controlled by Mr. Xi Zeng, our chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer. Pursuant to this agreement, we issued 75,000 newly created Class C ordinary shares of par value US$0.0000001 each to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD at a per share price of US$1.193, equal to the average closing price of the ADSs for the 30 trading days up to and including November 28, 2022, adjusted by the ADS-to-share ratio.

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On January 13, 2023, concurrently with our entry into a note purchase agreement for a convertible note, we entered into another share subscription agreement, under which we agreed to sell and issue up to 7,875,000 newly created Class C ordinary shares of par value US$0.0000001 each to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD in connection with the conversion of the convertible note. On March 9, 2023, we issued 5,625,000 newly issued Class C ordinary shares to ZX INTERNATIONAL LTD at a per share price of US$0.00271.

The abovementioned share issuances received prior approval by our audit committee and board of directors.

Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements

Please refer to “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—Employment Agreements and Indemnification Agreements.”

Share Incentives

Please refer to “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees—B. Compensation—2018 Plan.”

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Transactions with Gefei Chengyun, Jiushen, Jiufeng, Jiusheng, Jiuchuan, Decheng, Longshu Tianye, Longshu Qianli, Yunde, Jiuyi, Detong, Derong, Jiuzhen, Deyan, Jiushi, Qixing, Longshu Tianlin, Chongkai, Deyu, Honggeng, Muju, Fangjin, Chenji Zhaozhao and Tinghaozhu Space

We are a limited partner of Shanghai Gefei Chengyun Investment Limited Partnership (“Gefei Chengyun”), Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Area Jiushen Investment Partnership (“Jiushen”), Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Area JiuFeng Investment Partnership (“Jiufeng”), Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Area JiuSheng Investment Partnership (“Jiusheng”), Ningbo Meishan Jiuchuan Investment Limited Partnership (“Jiuchuan”), Ningbo Meishan Decheng Investment Limited Partnership (“Decheng”), Yiwu Longshu Tianye Investment Management Limited Partnership (“Longshu Tianye”), Yiwu Longshu Qianli Equity Investment Limited Partnership (“Longshu Qianli), Ningbo Meishan Yunde Investment Limited Partnership (“Yunde”), Ningbo Meishan Jiuyi Investment Limited Partnership (“Jiuyi”), Ningbo Meishan Detong Investment Limited Partnership (“Detong”) and Ningbo Meishan Derong Investment Limited Partnership (“Derong”), Ningbo Meishan Jiuzhen Investment Limited Partnership (“Jiuzhen”), Ningbo Meishan Deyan Investment Limited Partnership (“Deyan”), Ningbo Meishan Jiushi Investment Limited Partnership (“Jiushi”), Ningbo Meishan Qixing Management Limited Partnership (“Qixing”),Yiwu Longshu Tianlin Investment Management Limited Partnership (“Longshu Tianlin”), Shanghai Chongkai Enterprise Management (LLP) (“Chongkai”), Ningbo Meishan Deyu Investment Limited Partnership (“Deyu”), Hangzhou Honggeng Investment Limited Partnership (“Honggeng”), Ningbo Meishan Muju Investment Limited Partnership (“Muju”) and Shanghai Fangjin Management Limited Partnership (“Fangjin”), all of which are also our funding partners in connection with some of our exclusive selling cooperation agreements with real estate developers. We have entered into separate collaborative agreements with these funding partners under the sales arrangements, and we share a portion of the base commission income and sales incentive income with them, based on the agreed profit sharing terms as set out in the collaborative agreements. In 2022, we made equity investments in Shenzhen Chenji Zhaozhao Technology Co., Ltd (“Chenji Zhaozhao”) and Shanghai Tinghaozhu Space Design Co., Ltd (“Tinghaozhu Space”).

The following table sets forth the base commission income and sales incentive income shared to each funding partner under the exclusive sales arrangements (whether with or without sales commitment) for the years presented:

	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2020	2021	2022
	RMB	RMB	RMB	US$
	(in thousands)
Jiufeng	—	95	31	4
Jiushen	1,196	—	—	—
Jiusheng	2,734	—	—	—
Jiuchuan	1,825	—	—	—
Decheng	532	—	—	—
Longshu Tianye	1,922	—	—	—
Longshu Qianli	—	—	—	—
Jiuyi	8,578	—	—	—
Yunde	734	—	—	—
Detong	117	—	—	—
Derong	945	—	—	—
Qixing	—	—	—	—
Jiuzhen	2,640	179	4,022	583
Deyan	—	251	—	—
Jiushi	—	4	—	—
Muju	—	—	875	127
Chongkai	—	100	69	10
Total	21,223	629	4,997	724

In 2022, other income shared with Chenji Zhaozhao and Tinghaozhu Space were RMB183.7 thousand (US$26.6 thousand) and RMB1.3 million (US$186.3 thousand), respectively.

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The following table sets forth the amounts payable for income shared to our funding partners as of the dates presented:

	As of December 31,
	2020	2021	2022
	RMB	RMB	RMB	US$
	(in thousands)
Gefei Chengyun	10,759	10,759	10,759	1,560
Jiushen	29	29	29	4
Jiufeng	240	706	736	107
Jiuchuan	9,175	6,828	9,403	1,363
Longshu Tianye	11,207	10,140	10,140	1,470
Jiuyi	7,341	—	—	—
Yunde	9,794	9,383	9,383	1,360
Detong	3,274	3,274	3,274	475
Qixing	—	964	964	140
Jiuzhen	3,792	—	—	—
Jiushi	—	65	65	9
Derong	9,733	9,733	9,733	1,411
Total	65,344	51,881	54,486	7,899

As of December 31, 2022, other amounts payable to Jiushen, Chongkai, Jiufeng, Muju, Jiuzhen and Chenji Zhaozhao were RMB789.8 thousand (US$114.5 thousand), RMB3.7 million (534.8 thousand), RMB149.3 thousand (US$21.6 thousand), RMB5.6 million (US$806.3 thousand), RMB4.0 million (US$577.2 thousand) and RMB191.3 thousand (US$27.7 thousand), respectively.

In 2021 and 2022, Jiushi and a company owned by the spouse of Mr. Xi Zeng, our co-founder, director and chief executive officer, pledged their real estate properties as a collateral for bank borrowings of us.

Transactions with Shanghai Lianlian

Certain of our directors and officers are principal shareholders of Shanghai Lianlian Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (“Shanghai Lianlian”, previously known as Shenzhen Jinyiyun Supply Chain Technology Co., Ltd.), a company engaged in blockchain-based parking space sales. In 2019, we started to cooperate with Shanghai Lianlian where we leverage the real estate agents on our platform to provide parking space transaction services for Shanghai Lianlian. Our service fees are chargeable to the relevant real estate agents. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, we recognized revenue of RMB184.3 million, nil and nil in service fees from transactions with Shanghai Lianlian, respectively.

C.Interests of Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

A.Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information.

Please refer to Item 18 “Financial Statements” for our audited consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.

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Legal Proceedings

We have been, and may from time to time in the future, be subject to various legal and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. As we routinely enter into business contracts with real estate developers, agencies and agents, housing customers, and other marketplace participants, we have been and may continue to be involved in legal proceedings arising from contract disputes. In response to the heightened credit risks of real estate developers amid the downturn status of China’s real estate market in 2021 and 2022, we have initiated an increased number of lawsuits against real estate developers to protect our accounts receivable. In the meantime, as commissions are payable to real estate agencies by us after we have collected payments from real estate developers, we have also seen an increased number of lawsuits initiated by real estate agencies against us. We believe these lawsuits are immaterial to our company on an individual basis or a collective basis. Regardless of the outcome, litigations or other legal or administrative proceedings may result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources and attention. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risk Related to Our Business and Industry—We have been and may continue to be subject to legal and administrative proceedings from time to time. If the outcomes of these proceedings are adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.”

Dividend Policy

Our board of directors has discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by an ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if we decide to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.

We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulation—Regulations Related to Dividend Distribution.”

If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such Class A ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

B.Significant Changes.

Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report.

ITEM 9. THE OFFER AND LISTING.

A.Offer and Listing Details.

See “—C. Markets.”

B.Plan of Distribution.

Not applicable.

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C.Markets.

Our ADSs, each represents 375 Class A ordinary shares, have been listed on the Nasdaq Global Market since November 1, 2019, under the symbol “DUO.”

D.Selling Shareholders.

Not applicable.

E.Dilution.

Not applicable.

F.Expenses of the Issue.

Not applicable.

ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

A.Share Capital.

Not applicable.

B.Memorandum and Articles of Association.

The following are summaries of material provisions of our currently effective fifth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or our memorandum and articles of association, as well as the Companies Act (As Revised) insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.

Exempted Company

We are an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary resident company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:

● an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

● an exempted company is not required to open its register of members for inspection;

● an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

● an exempted company may issue no par value shares;

● an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

● an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

● an exempted company may register as an exempted limited duration company; and

● an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

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Ordinary Shares

General

Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our Register of Members. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our shareholders who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their ordinary shares. Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares shall have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A Ordinary Share shall, on a poll, entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, each Class B ordinary share shall, on a poll, entitle the holder thereof to ten votes on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, and each Class C ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to 10,000 votes on matters subject to vote at general meetings of our Company.

Conversion

Each Class B ordinary share or Class C ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time at the option of the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares or Class C ordinary shares in any event.

Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person other than our founders or an affiliate controlled by one or more of our founders, or upon a change of ultimate beneficial ownership of any Class B ordinary shares to any person who is not one of our founders or an affiliate controlled by one or more of our founders, each such Class B ordinary share shall be automatically and immediately converted into one of Class A ordinary share.

Upon (i) any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class C ordinary shares by a holder thereof or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such number of Class C ordinary shares through a voting proxy or otherwise to any person that is not an affiliate of such holder, (ii) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of, or the direct or indirect transfer or assignment of the voting power attached to such voting securities through voting proxy or otherwise, or the direct or indirect sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of, a holder of Class C ordinary shares that is an entity to any person other than an affiliate of such holder, (iii) Mr. Xi Zeng, our chairman of board of director and chief executive officer, ceasing to be the ultimate beneficial owner of at least 80,698,283 Class A ordinary shares (on an as-if-converted basis) at any time, or (iv) Mr. Xi Zeng being permanently unable to attend board meetings and manage the business affairs of our company as a result of incapacity solely due to his then physical and/or mental condition, Class C ordinary shares held by a holder thereof will be automatically and immediately converted into the same number of Class A ordinary shares.

Dividends

The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors subject to our memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Act. In addition, our shareholders may by an ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, dividends may be paid either out of profits or out of share premium, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid of this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they become due in the ordinary course of business.

Register of Members

Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there must be entered therein:

● the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member, and such statement shall confirm (i) the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member, (ii) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (iii) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;

● the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

● the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

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Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted). The shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their names.

If the name of any person is, without sufficient cause, entered in or omitted from the register of members, or if default is made or unnecessary delay takes place in entering on the register the fact of any person having ceased to be a member, the person or member aggrieved or any member or the company itself may apply to the Cayman Islands Grand Court for an order that the register be rectified, and the Court may either refuse such application or it may, if satisfied of the justice of the case, make an order for the rectification of the register.

Voting Rights

Holders of our ordinary shares have the right to receive notice of, attend, speak and vote at general meetings of our company. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares shall, at all times, vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote by our shareholders at any general meeting of our company. Each Class A ordinary share shall be entitled to one vote, each Class B ordinary share shall be entitled to ten votes, and each Class C ordinary share shall be entitled to 10,000 votes, on all matters subject to a vote at general meetings of our company. At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman of the meeting or any shareholder holding not less than ten percent (10%) of the votes attaching to the shares present in person or by proxy. An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast in a general meeting, which can be an annual general meeting or a special meeting of shareholders. A special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast in a general meeting. Both ordinary resolutions and special resolutions may also be passed by a unanimous written resolution signed by all the shareholders of our company, as permitted by the Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our memorandum and articles of association. Our shareholders may, among other things, divide or combine their shares by ordinary resolutions.

General Meetings and Shareholder Proposals

As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we will specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting will be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors. We, however, will hold an annual shareholders’ meeting during each fiscal year, as required by rules of Nasdaq.

Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our memorandum and articles of association allow any one or more of our shareholders who together hold shares that carry not less than one-third of the total number of votes attaching to all of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at general meetings to require an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders, in which case the directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting; however, our memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders.

A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of one or more shareholders holding not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all our shares in issue and entitled to vote present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorized representative. Advance notice of at least ten calendar days is required for the convening of any shareholders meetings.

Transfer of Ordinary Shares

Subject to the restrictions in our memorandum and articles of association as set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board.

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Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid-up or on which we have a lien. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:

● the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;

● the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares;

● the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required;

● in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four; or

● a fee of such maximum sum as Nasdaq may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as the directors may from time to time require, is paid to the company thereof.

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three calendar months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.

The registration of transfers may, on ten calendar days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers, by electronic means or by any other means in accordance with the rules of Nasdaq, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 calendar days in any calendar year as our board of directors may determine.

Liquidation

On the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the paid-up capital, the assets will be distributed so that, as nearly as possible, the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up.

Calls on Ordinary Shares and Forfeiture of Ordinary Shares

Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their ordinary shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 calendar days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The ordinary shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid on the specified time are subject to forfeiture.

Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Ordinary Shares

We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders thereof, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined, before the issue of such shares, by our board of directors or by a special resolution of our shareholders. Our company may also repurchase any of our shares (including any redeemable shares) provided that the manner and terms of such purchase have been approved by our board of directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders, or are otherwise authorized by our memorandum and articles of association. Under the Companies Act, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of a company’s profits or share premium account, or out of the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or, if so authorized by its articles of association, out of capital if the company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Act no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid-up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares issued and outstanding, or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.

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Variations of Rights of Shares

If at any time the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, the rights attached to any class of shares, subject to any rights or restrictions for time being attached to any class, only be materially adversely varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class. In addition, we may only amend, alter, modify or change the rights, restrictions, preferences or privileges of Class C ordinary shares with the written consent of the holders holding a majority of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the shares of that class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation, allotment or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any shares of any class by our company. The rights of the holders of any shares shall not be deemed to be materially adversely varied by the creation or issue of shares with preferred or other rights including, without limitation, the creation of shares with enhanced or weighted voting rights.

Inspection of Books and Records

Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records (except for our memorandum and articles of association, register of mortgages and charges and special resolutions of our shareholders).

Changes in Capital

Our shareholders may from time to time by ordinary resolutions:

● increase the share capital by new shares of such amount as it thinks expedient;

● consolidate and divide all or any of our share capital into shares of a larger amount than our existing shares;

● sub-divide our existing shares, or any of them into shares of a smaller amount than that fixed by our memorandum of association; provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced share will be the same as it was in case of the share from which the reduced share is derived; or

● cancel any shares which, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of our share capital by the amount of the shares so cancelled.

Subject to the Companies Act, our shareholders may by special resolutions reduce our share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorized by law.

Differences in Corporate Law

The Companies Act is modeled after that of the English companies legislation but does not follow recent English law statutory enactments, and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Act and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to Delaware corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to Delaware corporations and their shareholders.

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Mergers and Similar Arrangements

The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (a) ”merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertakings, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company and (b) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertakings, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a declaration as to the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) if they follow the required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.

A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders of that Cayman subsidiary if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of that Cayman subsidiary to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. For this purpose a company is a “parent” of a subsidiary if it holds issued shares that together represent at least ninety percent (90%) of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary.

The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.

In addition, there are statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies, provided that the arrangement is approved by (a) 75% in value of shareholders or class of shareholders, as the case may be, or (b) a majority in number of representing 75% in value of creditors or each class of creditors, as the case may be, with whom the arrangement is to be made, that are, in each case, present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:

● the statutory provisions as to the due majority vote have been met;

● the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class;

● the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and

● the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act.

The Companies Act also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares affected (within four months), the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.

If the arrangement and reconstruction by way of a scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted in accordance with the foregoing statutory procedures, the dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.

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Shareholders’ Suits

In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands courts can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a minority shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in our name to challenge an act which:

● is ultra vires or illegal and is therefore incapable of ratification by the shareholders;

● requires a resolution with a qualified (or special) majority (i.e. more than a simple majority) which has not been obtained; and

● constitutes a “fraud on the majority,” where the wrongdoer are themselves in control of the company.

Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.

In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our memorandum and articles of association.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Directors’ Fiduciary Duties

Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components, the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director must act in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. A director must not use his or her corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interests of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.

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As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company, and therefore it is considered that he or she owes the following duties to the company including a duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a personal profit out of his or her position as director (unless the company permits him or her to do so), a duty not to put himself or herself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his or her personal interests or his or her duty to a third party and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his or her duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his or her knowledge and experience. However, there are indications that the English and commonwealth courts are moving towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.

Under our memorandum and articles of association, directors who are in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction with our company must declare the nature of their interest at a meeting of the board of directors. Following such declaration, a director may vote in respect of any contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction notwithstanding that he or she may be interested therein and if he or she does so his or her vote shall be counted and he or she may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the board of directors at which such contract or transaction or proposed contract or transaction shall come before the meeting for consideration.

Shareholder Action by Written Resolution

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. The Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association provide that our shareholders may approve corporate matters by way of a unanimous written resolution signed by or on behalf of each shareholder who would have been entitled to vote on such matter at a general meeting without a meeting being held.

Shareholder Proposals

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.

The Companies Act provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our memorandum and articles of association allow any one or more of our shareholders who together hold shares which carry in aggregate not less than one-third of the total number of votes attaching to all issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our board is obliged to convene an extraordinary general meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Other than this right to requisition a shareholders’ meeting, our memorandum and articles of association do not provide our shareholders with any other right to put proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings.

Cumulative Voting

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled for a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.

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Removal of Directors

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles of association, directors may be removed with or without cause, by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. In addition, a director’s office shall be vacated if the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from three consecutive meetings of the board and the board resolves that his office be vacated or; (v) is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our memorandum and articles of association.

Transactions with Interested Shareholders

The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date on which such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is one which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting shares within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware public corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.

Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions entered into must be bona fide in the best interests of the company, for a proper corporate purpose and not with the effect of perpetrating a fraud on the minority shareholders.

Restructuring

A company may present a petition to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for the appointment of a restructuring officer on the grounds that the company:

(a)is or is likely to become unable to pay its debts; and

(b)intends to present a compromise or arrangement to its creditors (or classes thereof) either pursuant to the Companies Act, the law of a foreign country or by way of a consensual restructuring.

The Grand Court may, among other things, make an order appointing a restructuring officer upon hearing of such petition, with such powers and to carry out such functions as the court may order. At any time (i) after the presentation of a petition for the appointment of a restructuring officer but before an order for the appointment of a restructuring officer has been made, and (ii) when an order for the appointment of a restructuring officer is made, until such order has been discharged, no suit, action or other proceedings (other than criminal proceedings) shall be proceeded with or commenced against the company, no resolution to wind up the company shall be passed, and no winding up petition may be presented against the company, except with the leave of the court. However, notwithstanding the presentation of a petition for the appointment of a restructuring officer or the appointment of a restructuring officer, a creditor who has security over the whole or part of the assets of the company is entitled to enforce the security without the leave of the court and without reference to the restructuring officer appointed.

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Dissolution; Winding Up

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. The Delaware General Corporation Law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board of directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so.

Variation of Rights of Shares

If at any time, our share capital is divided into different classes of shares, under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles of association and as permitted by the Companies Act, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may materially adversely vary the rights attached to any class with the consent in writing of two-thirds of the holders of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class.

Amendment of Governing Documents

Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under the Companies Act, our memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of our shareholders.

Inspection of Books and Records

Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our corporate records (except for our memorandum and articles of association, our register of mortgages and charges and special resolutions of our shareholders).

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Anti-takeover Provisions

Some provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including a provision that authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preferred shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders.

However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.

Rights of Non-Resident or Foreign Shareholders

There are no limitations imposed by foreign law or by our memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our ordinary shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our memorandum and articles of association that require our company to disclose shareholder ownership above any particular ownership threshold.

Staggered Board of Directors

The Companies Act and our memorandum and articles of association do not contain provisions that require staggered board arrangements for a Cayman Islands company.

C.Material Contracts.

We have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described in “Item 4. Information on the Company,” “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions—B. Related Party Transactions” or elsewhere in this annual report on Form 20-F.

D.Exchange Controls.

See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulations—Regulations Related to Foreign Exchange.”

E.Taxation.

The following summary of the material Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this annual report, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, such as the tax consequences under U.S. state and local tax laws or under the tax laws of jurisdictions other than the Cayman Islands, the PRC and the United States.

Cayman Islands Taxation

The Cayman Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to us levied by the government of the Cayman Islands except for stamp duties which may be applicable on instruments executed in, or, after execution, brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our ordinary shares or ADSs will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of our ordinary shares or ADSs, nor will gains derived from the disposal of our ordinary shares or ADSs be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporation tax.

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People’s Republic of China Taxation

Although we are incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we may be treated as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law. The Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that an enterprise established under the laws of a foreign country or region but whose “de facto management body” is located in the PRC is treated as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. The implementing rules of the Enterprise Income Tax Law merely define the term “de facto management body” as the “body that exercises full and substantial contro