High-Value Life GuideLife's expensive mistakes
中文

Policy, legal and insurance guides primarily concern mainland China. Scope and sources ↗

Back to the life guide

Business and platforms

34 chapters. 765 guides. Search a problem or browse the complete source order.

Browse all 34 chapters in source order
01Avoiding Premature Death48 guides02Preventing Chronic Decline47 guides03Protecting Your Mental Energy27 guides04Stopping Time Wasters18 guides05Cutting Financial Waste50 guides06The Anti-Checklist35 guides07Surviving Broke23 guides08Staying Out of Trouble46 guides09Everyday Legal Traps29 guides10The Economics of Dating and Marriage23 guides11Legal Boundaries for Developers21 guides12Starting and Running a Business28 guides13Handling Emergencies48 guides14Digital Security and Privacy12 guides15Renting and Buying a Home18 guides16Managing Chronic Illness14 guides17Caring for Aging Parents13 guides18The True Cost of Raising Kids7 guides19Workplace Rights and Injuries24 guides20Newborn Survival Guide17 guides21International Travel Safety13 guides22Science-Backed Relaxation12 guides23High-Leverage Skills to Learn25 guides24Navigating Healthcare15 guides25Handling End-of-Life Affairs12 guides26Building a Compliant Platform13 guides27Pregnancy and Childbirth20 guides28Appearance vs. Health10 guides29Recovering from Major Life Blows14 guides30Raising School-Age Kids21 guides31Life Paths After Eighteen17 guides32Studying Abroad Pragmatically12 guides33Navigating Life with Disability21 guides34Safe Home Medication12 guides

41 guides found

Page 2 / 2
Chapter 12 · Guide 25Author's grade A

Registered companies and sole proprietorships must submit their annual reports between January 1 and June 30 each year, even with zero revenue; annual reporting is completely free of charge

Every registered company and individual sole proprietorship must file an annual information report online during the first half of each calendar year.…

Cost
Zero monetary cost. Complete the filing online once per year via the official National Ent…
Benefit
Under the Interim Regulations on Enterprise Information Disclosure (State Council Decree N…
Chapter 12 · Guide 26Author's grade A

When pooling capital for a business, solicit only known relatives, friends, and employees face-to-face: never advertise publicly on social media or allow friends to solicit strangers

Borrowing money or pooling capital privately from friends, relatives, and internal employees is not illegal. What crosses into criminal territory is p…

Cost
Zero monetary cost. When borrowing operational funds or soliciting equity partners, negoti…
Benefit
Article 176 of the Criminal Law governs the crime of illegally absorbing public deposits o…
Chapter 12 · Guide 27Author's grade A

When leasing commercial storefronts, verify permitted statutory usage before signing: converting residential units requires unanimous consent of all building co-owners, and residential buildings cannot host new fume-producing restaurants

Converting a residential apartment into a commercial shop requires unanimous approval from every homeowner in the entire building; a single dissenting…

Cost
Zero monetary expense. Before executing a commercial lease, transferring security deposits…
Benefit
Under Article 279 of the Civil Code: "Where an owner changes a residential property into a…
Chapter 12 · Guide 28Author's grade C

When forming a multi-partner business, execute a comprehensive written agreement beforehand covering capital contributions, profit splits, management authority, executive salaries, and exit mechanisms

Without a written agreement, default statutory rules govern your venture. Strategic decisions require unanimous consent, profits are divided strictly …

Cost
Zero financial outlay. Partners sit down for one or two structured meetings to define stat…
Benefit
Article 4 of the Partnership Enterprise Law provides that partnership agreements must be n…
Chapter 26 · Guide 1Author's grade A

Platforms must never collect payments themselves and then transfer them to sellers; funds must be settled directly via a licensed payment institution.

If a platform first receives buyer payments into its own account and then forwards them to sellers, it is effectively operating a payment business. Ru…

Cost
No monetary cost is involved. However, it requires some time to integrate a product from a…
Benefit
According to regulations, a payment business is defined as “transferring monetary funds ba…
Chapter 26 · Guide 2Author's grade A

Paid websites require a license; platforms that facilitate transactions need a different type of permit; free sites only need to be registered.

Websites that charge users must first obtain a Value-Added Telecommunications Business License. This license is issued solely to companies; individual…

Cost
Registration is free of charge. Obtaining a Value-Added Telecommunications Business Licens…
Benefit
The regulations state: “The state implements a licensing system for commercial Internet in…
Chapter 26 · Guide 3Author's grade A

Obtaining a license for online cultural activities is required to run live streams; private companies rarely qualify for the permit needed to distribute audiovisual content

To host live streams or game commentary sessions, you must secure a provincial-level Online Cultural Activities License that explicitly lists “online …

Cost
The so-called “Online Cultural Activities License” governs whether one may earn money via …
Benefit
Securing the proper licensing framework ensures legal operation within China’s digital med…
Chapter 26 · Guide 4Author's grade A

Servers placed in China must be registered; ISPs must hold a value-added telecom license

If you host a server inside China, you must register it before launching your website. Registration itself costs nothing and is handled alongside the …

Cost
There is no fee for registration. It is submitted together with the server application at …
Benefit
The regulation explicitly states: “Without prior registration, no entity may provide non-c…
Chapter 26 · Guide 5Author's grade A

Requiring sellers to join the platform means the platform must verify identities, register data, report information, and retain records for three years

If you allow third parties to sell goods on your platform, you must first verify their identity, address, contact details, and business licenses, then…

Cost
No direct monetary cost. However, the platform must perform background checks on sellers’ …
Benefit
Legal regulations set specific obligations for platforms. The official wording states that…
Chapter 26 · Guide 6Author's grade A

You must regulate user-generated content: moderation mechanisms, reporting portals, and immediate takedown plus reporting of illegal material

Platforms are legally responsible for any issues arising from user content. You must set up a full system: user registration, post and comment moderat…

Cost
It costs money to hire moderators — this is the platform’s biggest ongoing expense. Report…
Benefit
Regulations require platforms to “fulfill primary responsibility for managing user-generat…
Chapter 26 · Guide 7Author's grade A

Providing information publishing and instant messaging services requires users to provide authentic identity information

If your website allows posting or chatting, you must collect users’ real identity details at sign-up. Those who refuse to provide such information can…

Cost
Implementing a real-name verification system involves paying per-use fees for the verifica…
Benefit
The law explicitly states: “Internet service providers offering network access, domain reg…
Chapter 26 · Guide 8Author's grade ADisputed

No live streaming accounts may be created for anyone under 16; tipping limits are set by age group

People younger than 16 cannot sign up for a live streaming account on this platform. Those aged 16 or older must have their identity verified and must…

Cost
There are no direct costs. The process simply requires adding two extra steps during regis…
Benefit
The law clearly states that “online live streaming service providers must not offer accoun…
Chapter 26 · Guide 9Author's grade A

Respond promptly to infringement notices; restore content after 15 days if no response

If someone sends you an infringement notice with preliminary evidence, you must promptly delete, block, or remove the relevant content and forward the…

Cost
No cost involved. You must establish a fixed workflow: receive the notice, forward it to t…
Benefit
Rights holders are entitled to request e-commerce platforms to take necessary measures suc…
Chapter 26 · Guide 11Author's grade C

When picking a server, first consider how much downtime you can tolerate, then check whether there’s any support available, and only then compare prices.

The main difference among these three options isn’t price — it’s what resources you’ll have at hand when something goes wrong. Big providers offer reg…

Cost
Cloud instances from major providers typically cost several hundred to several thousand yu…
Benefit
Again, the key distinction isn’t price but the support you can rely on during an emergency…
Chapter 26 · Guide 12Author's grade A

If user data in your website or app is breached, immediately remediate, notify affected users and regulatory authorities, and report cyberattacks to public security

If a breach, tampering, or loss of personal information occurs or is suspected, you must immediately deploy remedial containment, notify regulatory au…

Cost
Free. Requires having a predefined data incident emergency response plan in advance: desig…
Benefit
Article 57 of the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) provides that upon the occurr…
Chapter 26 · Guide 13Author's grade A

When offering auto-renewing subscriptions, display prominent reminders before enrollment and prior to each billing cycle, and ensure cancellation options are easily accessible

When selling auto-renewing memberships, operators must display conspicuous disclosures before initial user signup and prior to each recurring charge d…

Cost
Free. Clearly describe recurring terms on subscription enrollment pages, dispatch an autom…
Benefit
Under Article 18 of the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Transact…