On the evening of 15 May 2026, at the Chambers Greater China Region Awards 2026, internationally renowned legal ranking organization Chambers and Partners presented Lihua Wang, Founding Partner of Tian Yuan, with the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his remarkable contributions over four decades to the development of China's capital markets legal framework, the legal profession and law firm management.

As a founding partner of Tian Yuan, Mr. Wang has led the firm under the principles of fairness, transparency, efficiency and compliance, while fostering a culture of equality, inclusiveness, freedom and progress. Under his leadership, Tian Yuan has established itself as a market-leading firm known for its comprehensive capabilities, collaborative partnership culture and commitment to professional excellence.

As one of the representative figures of China's first generation of professional lawyers, Mr. Wang has participated in and witnessed many of the key stages in the reform and development of China’s capital markets. He served as a full-time member of the Seventh and Eighth Public Offering Review Committees of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), overseeing or participating in the review of nearly 200 IPO, refinancing and M&A transactions.

Mr. Wang has also played a significant role in supporting the globalization of Chinese enterprises. He led teams that assisted Lenovo in becoming the first Chinese company to join the International Olympic Committee’s Worldwide Partner Programme, represented Huawei in multiple cross-border intellectual property disputes, advised New Oriental on its landmark U.S. listing as the first Chinese education company to access U.S. capital markets, and participated in major Belt and Road investment and M&A projects involving China Yangtze Power and China Three Gorges Corporation.

 

Chambers' Citation

Wang Lihua's outstanding contributions to China's corporate and capital markets legal services have become widely recognized benchmarks within the profession. For decades, he has remained at the forefront of legal practice in China, actively participating in and witnessing the evolution of China's company law and securities law framework. Since the founding of Tian Yuan, he has guided the firm's steady growth with exceptional professionalism and a long-term institutional vision, championing specialization, standardization and sustainable development.

 

Acceptance Remarks

“This honor is not a recognition of me alone. Rather, it is one of the greatest gifts bestowed upon legal professionals by our era, and a tribute to China's entire commercial legal services profession.

I am deeply grateful to have practiced law during a transformative period in China’s reform, opening-up and capital market development. Over the past forty years, I have witnessed China's capital markets evolve from their infancy to a more mature, standardized and open system. Together with my colleagues, I have had the privilege of participating in pioneering legal practices and contributing to the development of China's rule of law in the capital markets.

I thank the entrepreneurs and enterprises whose innovation and courage have continuously created opportunities for legal services to demonstrate their value. I also pay tribute to generations of Chinese lawyers whose dedication has helped advance China's commercial legal services framework.

Throughout my career, I have firmly believed that lawyers are not merely service providers in commercial transactions, but also guardians of the rule of law and market order. Looking ahead, I remain committed to supporting younger lawyers, helping them grow professionally and uphold the ideals of justice and the rule of law.”

Mr. Wang has received continuous recognition from leading international legal directories and has been ranked by Chambers for 16 consecutive years in both Capital Markets and Corporate/M&A, consistently receiving the designation of Eminent Practitioner.

This Lifetime Achievement Award not only recognizes Mr. Wang's distinguished career but also affirms Tian Yuan's longstanding commitment to professionalism and sustainable development. The firm will continue to contribute to the advancement of the rule of law and the high-quality development of China's legal profession.