(CFP)

Liu Qiangdong, Chairman of the Board and CEO of 360Buy Jingdong mall, one of China's biggest online retailers, was given the Economic Figures of the Year 2011 award on December 12 for the impressive expansion of his company in the past year. The award honors successful Chinese businessmen and economic contributors for their achievements over the past year

Liu, 37, graduated from Renmin University of China in 1996. During college Liu spent most of his time teaching himself computer programming. After working in a foreign company for two years, Liu started his own business in 1998 in Beijing. In 2004, he founded the 360Buy multimedia website, the predecessor of today's 360Buy. Ever since its foundation, 360Buy has been expanding at a very high speed and gained much investment from the capital market.