However, due to the low probability of a major IPO in the near term, PwC expected new listings to drop to 320 in 2011, raising around 400 billion yuan ($60.8 billion).

Logistics Boom

China's logistics industry—combining transport, storage, freight agencies and express delivery—picked up momentum last year.

The output value of the industry added up to 2.7 trillion yuan ($410.3 billion) in 2010, soaring 16.7 percent from a year ago and more than doubling that of 2005, said the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP). This represented a remarkable turnaround from two years ago when many logistics companies struggled to make ends meet, bearing the brunt from a slowing economy.

From warehouse management to home delivery, the logistics industry provides efficient connections between each link of the industrial supply chain. The sector accounted for 7 percent of China's GDP in 2010 and 16 percent of the service industry.

"But the industry still has a long way to go toward substantial competitiveness," said He Liming, Director of the CFLP.

Congestion bottlenecks, together with soaring labor and land costs, have forced up the logistics expenses in the country, he said. Logistics costs were 18 percent of GDP, compared with around 10 percent in developed countries.

The prices of gasoline and diesel, which account for almost 30 percent of logistics costs, were raised three times last year by the National Development and Reform Commission.

Worse still, the middle and western areas lag far behind the eastern counterparts in terms of infrastructure and service quality, said He.

In early 2009 the government started a national program to revitalize the logistics industry, but many of the favorable policies were not well implemented, he said.

Haier Cashes In

Haier Group, China's leading household appliance giant, reaped juicy returns last year, gaining steam from vibrant domestic demands.

The Qingdao-headquartered company said it generated 6.2 billion yuan ($942.2 million) in profits last year, an increase of 78 percent from the previous year. Its sales revenues stood at 135.7 billion yuan ($20.6 billion), up 9 percent from 2009.

The bright performance is attributable to the group's successful transition of business model and product innovations, said Du Fangyuan, a spokesman of Haier.

The company in 2008 initiated a business shake-up to focus more on customer services and boost operational efficiency.

Meanwhile, it has gained a solid market foothold overseas. Its exports and overseas sales accounted for 26 percent of total revenues last year, said Du.

In addition, Haier led global appliance makers, winning 12.6 percent, 9.1 percent and 14.8 percent of the refrigeration appliances, home laundry and electrical wine cooler markets in 2010, respectively, said Euromonitor International, a global business intelligence provider.

Domestically, Haier will continue to benefit from the government subsidies for farmers to buy appliances, said Zhu Zheng, an analyst at the Ping An Securities Co. Ltd.

This year, the massive construction of affordable houses will also help shore up demands for appliances, he said.