2021 marked the first full year of the post-pandemic era. As China’s social and economic activities gradually normalized, investment and financing activity across industries began to rebound. Amid rapid business iteration, moments of disruption and renewal continued to emerge.

As the global economy entered a period of recovery, China’s venture capital community—both institutions and investors—actively embraced change. Through insight and courage, they captured new opportunities that arose from the economic rebound. While delivering financial returns, they also contributed to technological innovation and industrial transformation in China and around the world.

Looking ahead to 2021—the first year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan—this post-crisis moment offered companies across the value chain an ideal window to reshape their businesses, accelerate technological breakthroughs, innovate business models, optimize operations, and build long-term competitive advantages. Pandemic dynamics, evolving policies, and China-U.S. trade relations together ushered in new market opportunities and growth drivers.

Since its inception, the Lieyun Venture Capital Awards has, over six years, released hundreds of rankings recognizing thousands of emerging companies and investment institutions. The companies and firms featured on Lieyun’s lists have become an influential force in China’s new economy, evolving into industry leaders, market favorites, and drivers of meaningful change.

The 6th Annual Lieyun Venture Capital Awards continues its mission to spotlight emerging powerhouses and honor leaders shaping the business landscape. With support from industry experts and major media outlets, Lieyun launched the 2021 “21 Most Insightful Investors” selection. The ranking evaluates investors across two primary dimensions—domain expertise and investment performance—using detailed criteria such as alignment between investment focus and portfolio results, number of investments made, number of high-profile deals, and investment return multiples.

Alan Song, Founder, Managing Partner, and Chairman of Harvest Capital, was named among Lieyun’s “21 Most Insightful Investors of 2021.”