Lixiang Education Holding Co (LXEH) Risk Analysis

Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: - the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;- the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;- the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and - the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a half-year basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

We have adopted a forum selection provision under our memorandum and articles of association that provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum within the United States of America for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This forum selection clause does not apply to claims under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of U.S. federal district courts, and it does not require investors to waive the requirements of the U.S. federal securities laws. In addition, the forum selection provision in our memorandum and articles of association provides that the courts of the Cayman Islands shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or its members, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands or the memorandum and articles of association including but not limited to any purchase or acquisition of Shares, security or guarantee provided in consideration thereof, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company which if brought in the United States of America would be a claim arising under the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America from time to time). This forum selection provision may limit a shareholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Our forum selection provision seeks to reduce litigation costs and increase outcome predictability. While forum selection provisions in corporate charters and by-laws are becoming more commonplace for public companies in the United States and have been upheld by courts in certain states, it is possible that in connection with any action a court could find the forum selection provision contained in our memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If a court were to find our forum selection by-law inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions and we may not obtain the benefits of limiting jurisdiction to the courts selected. If a court were to find the forum selection provision to be inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, the Company may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our and the VIEs' business, financial condition and results of operations.

As an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, together with the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under the Cayman Islands law are largely governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived partly from the comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands and also the common law of England and Wales, whose precedents are only of persuasive but not binding authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under the Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws compared to that of the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. Moreover, a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. In addition, controlling shareholders owe a fiduciary duty to the companies they control and the minority shareholders under Delaware laws, while our Controlling Shareholder do not owe any such fiduciary duties to our company or to our minority shareholders under the Cayman Island laws. As a result, our Controlling Shareholder may exercise their powers, including the voting rights in respect of their shares, as shareholders in a manner as they think fit. Shareholders of Cayman Islands companies like us have no general rights under the Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies, other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the registers of mortgages and charges of such companies. The Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands shall make available the list of the names of the current directors of the Company (and where applicable the current alternate directors of the Company) for inspection by any person upon payment of a fee by such person. Our directors have discretion under our memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. Certain corporate governance practices in our home country, the Cayman Islands are significantly different from the requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we will rely on home country practice with respect to our corporate governance subject to the applicable Nasdaq listing standards and the U.S. securities law, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to the domestic issuers in the United States. In light of the above, public shareholders may experience more difficulties in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors, or our Controlling Shareholder than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of the significant differences between the provisions applicable to companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands and their shareholders, and the Companies and the relevant provision in laws of the United States, see also "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Differences in Corporate Law."

The deposit agreement governing our ADSs provides that, (i) the deposit agreement and the ADSs will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, and (ii) as an owner of ADSs, you irrevocably agree that any legal action arising out of the deposit agreement and the ADSs involving us or the depositary may only be instituted in a state or federal court in the city of New York. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any our ADSs, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. This choice of forum provision may increase your cost and limit your ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that you find favorable for disputes with us, the depositary or our and the depositary's respective directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us, the depositary and our and the depositary's respective directors, officers or employees. However, it is possible that a court could find such choice of forum provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, actions by our ADS holders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or the respective rules and regulations thereunder must also be brought in federal court. Our ADS holders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, holders and beneficial owners of ADSs irrevocably waive the right to a jury trial of any claim that they may have against us or the depositary arising from or relating to our ordinary shares, our ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. The waiver continues to apply to claims that arise during the period when a holder holds the ADSs, even if the ADS holder subsequently withdraws the underlying ordinary shares. However, you will not be deemed, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, to have waived our or the depositary's compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In fact, you cannot waive our or the depositary's compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. If we or the depositary opposed a demand for jury trial relying on above-mentioned jury trial waiver, it is up to the court to determine whether such waiver was enforceable considering the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. If this jury trial waiver provision is prohibited by applicable law, an action could nevertheless proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court or by the United States Supreme Court. Nonetheless, we believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a federal or state court in the City of New York. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor's negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor's demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim, none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement or the ADSs. If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary relating to the matters arising under the deposit agreement or our ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not have the right to a jury trial regarding such claims, which may limit and discourage lawsuits against us or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us or the depositary according to the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may have different outcomes compared to that of a jury trial, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action. Moreover, as the jury trial waiver relates to claims arising out of or relating to the ADSs or the deposit agreement, we believe that, as a matter of construction of the clause, the waiver would likely continue to apply to ADS holders who withdraw the ordinary shares from the ADS facility with respect to claims arising before the cancelation of the ADSs and the withdrawal of the ordinary shares, and the waiver would most likely not apply to ADS holders who subsequently withdraw the ordinary shares represented by ADSs from the ADS facility with respect to claims arising after the withdrawal. However, to our knowledge, there has been no case law on the applicability of the jury trial waiver to ADS holders who withdraw the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs from the ADS facility.

We and the depository are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment are disadvantageous to ADS holders, ADS holders will only receive days' advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADS holders is required under the deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility or when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction. If the ADS facility will terminate, ADS holders will receive at least thirty (30) days' prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that is disadvantageous to ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders may choose to sell their ADSs or surrender their ADSs and become direct holders of the underlying shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever.

We are an "emerging growth company", as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important. The JOBS Act also provides that for so long as a registrant qualifies as an emerging growth company it does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, we have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. As a result, our operating results and financial statements may not be comparable to the operating results and financial statements of other companies who have adopted the new or revised accounting standards.

Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not give timely voting instructions to the depositary to direct how the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are voted, the depositary shall deem you to have instructed the depositary to give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders' meetings unless: - we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;- we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;- a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or - the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands. The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not give timely voting instructions to the depositary to direct how the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are voted, you cannot prevent the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

Holders of our ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights that are carried by the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, then upon timely receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as practicable, to vote the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders for convening a general meeting is 10 calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary at least thirty (30) days' prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

The trading market for our ADSs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our and the VIEs' business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our and the VIEs' business, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.

The trading prices of our ADSs has ranged from US$0.404 to US$8.04 in 2023. The trading prices of our ADSs are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen due to broad market and industry factors, such as performance and fluctuation in the market prices or under performance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in China. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies' securities may affect the attitudes of investors towards China-based and U.S.-listed companies, which consequently may affect the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we and the VIEs have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of our ADSs. In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of our ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following: - regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;- variations in our revenue, profit, and cash flow;- changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other education service providers;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;- changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;- detrimental negative publicity about us, our services, our officers, directors, Controlling Shareholder, or our industry;- announcements by us or our competitors of new service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;- additions to or departures of our senior management;- potential litigation or regulatory proceedings involving us, our officers, directors, or controlling shareholder;- negative publicity on our direct and indirect shareholders;- release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares or our ADSs; and - sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs. Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade. In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we and the VIEs were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management's attention and other resources from our and the VIEs' business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we and the VIEs may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our control over the VIEs is based upon the contractual arrangements with the VIEs. The beneficial owners of the VIEs and the registered shareholders are also our controlling shareholders. Any of them may potentially have conflicts of interest with us and breach any of their contracts or undertakings with us if it would further any of their own interests or if any of them otherwise acts in bad faith. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise between our Company and the beneficial owners of the VIEs, any of them will act completely in our interest or that the conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor. In the event that such conflict of interest cannot be resolved in our favor, we may have to rely on legal proceedings which may disrupt our and the VIEs' business operations and subject us to uncertainties as to the outcome of such legal proceedings. As a result, our and the VIEs' business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on our contractual arrangements to operate private education businesses in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with control over the VIEs as equity ownership. If we had equity ownership of the VIEs, we would be able to exercise our rights as a direct or indirect shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of the VIEs, which in turn could effect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. However, as these contractual arrangements stand now, if the VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under these contractual arrangements, we cannot exercise shareholders' rights to direct corporate actions as direct ownership would otherwise entail. If the parties under such contractual arrangements refuse to carry out our directions in relation to everyday business operations, we will be unable to maintain effective control over the operations of our schools in China. If we were to lose effective control over the VIEs, certain negative consequences would result, including our being unable to consolidate the financial results of the VIEs with our financial results. Given that we derived substantially all of our revenue from the VIEs for 2021, 2022 and 2023 and substantially all of our assets are held by the VIEs (including our permits and licenses, real estate leases, buildings and other educational facilities related to our schools), our financial position would be materially and adversely affected if we were to lose effective control over the VIEs or if our contractual arrangements are invalidated or nullified. In addition, losing effective control over the VIEs may negatively affect our operational efficiency and brand image. Further, losing effective control over the VIEs may impair our access to their cash flow from operations, which may reduce our liquidity. In addition, if the legal structure and the contractual arrangements were found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws and regulations, we may be subject to fines or other legal or administrative sanctions. If government actions cause us to lose our right to direct the activities of our affiliated entities or our right to receive substantially all the economic benefits and residual returns from our affiliated entities and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we would no longer be able to consolidate the financial results of our affiliated entities. Furthermore, we are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations of our own, we conduct a substantial majority of our operations through our subsidiaries established in China, the VIEs, and its subsidiaries in China. We entered into certain contractual arrangements with the VIEs through Liandu WFOE, pursuant to which we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of the VIEs in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our ADSs listed on Nasdaq Global Market represents shares of our offshore holding company instead of shares of the VIEs or its subsidiaries in China. We may not be able to continue to satisfy the applicable requirements and rules with respect to such structure. If we are unable to satisfy the Nasdaq Global Market criteria for maintaining our listing, our securities could be subject to delisting.

Pursuant to the HFCAA, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong (the "2021 Determination"). In March 2022, the SEC issued its first "Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCAA". The identified issuers in the list are subject to the delisting provisions if they remain on the list for two consecutive years. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Even so, the SEC still included the issuers to the "Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCAA" if the issuers filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong prior to the PCAOB's decision to vacate its 2021 Determination. Additionally, each identified issuer that is on the conclusive list must comply with the HFCAA's submission and disclosure requirements for the year that it is identified. As of the date of this prospectus, more than 170 public companies have been listed in as issuers identified under the HFCAA. The PCAOB continues to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward and is making plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond, as well as to continue pursuing ongoing investigations and initiate new investigations as needed. The PCAOB has also indicated that it will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations with the HFCAA if needed. Any lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China may prevent the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspection. Our former auditor, WWC P.C., the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 included elsewhere in this form, is headquartered in San Mateo, California and registered with the PCAOB. On April 24, 2024, we dismissed WWC P.C. as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm and appointed Audit Alliance LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm and to issue the audit report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 included elsewhere in this form. Audit Alliance LLP is located in Singapore and is registered with the PCAOB. Both WWC P.C. and Audit Alliance LLP are subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess their compliance with the applicable professional standards. As of the date of the annual report, neither WWC P.C. nor Audit Alliance LLP is subject to the 2021 Determinations announced by the PCAOB and our listing is not affected by the HFCAA and related regulations. If, in the future, we are identified by the SEC for two consecutive years as a commission-identified issuer whose registered public accounting firm is determined by the PCAOB that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by one or more authorities in China, the SEC may prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the United States, and this ultimately could result in our ADSs being delisted.

We may incur substantial costs on our part to exercise the option to acquire the school sponsor's interests in Lishui International School and Langfang School. Pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreements, if and when the PRC laws and regulations permit foreign investors to directly hold part or all of the equity interests of the VIEs and to engage in the restricted and prohibited business, Liandu WFOE or its designated purchaser may, at its discretion, purchase all or part of the direct and/or indirect equity interests (including the interests in Lishui International School) held by Lishui Mengxiang's shareholders, or purchase all or part of the direct and/or indirect equity interests (including the interests in Langfang School) held by Beijing P.X.'s shareholders at the minimum price permitted by PRC laws and regulations, and the percentage of equity interests to be purchased by Liandu WFOE or its designated purchaser shall be no less than the maximum limit permitted by the PRC laws and regulations in relation to the equity held by foreign investors. Such equity transfer price is not expressly provided for in the current PRC laws and regulations and it is uncertain whether it may be further regulated by future PRC laws and regulations. As a result, the estimated costs associated with the purchase of the equity interests in the VIEs cannot be ascertained as of the date of the annual report. Pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement with respect to Lishui International School, Lishui Mengxiang's shareholders have irrevocably undertaken that if the purchase price is determined at an amount exceeding RMB0, the difference shall be compensated fully by Lishui Mengxiang's shareholders to Liandu WFOE or its designated entity. In the event that Liandu WFOE or its designated party acquires the equity interests of Lishui Mengxiang or Lishui International School and the relevant PRC authorities determine that the purchase price for acquiring such interests in Lishui International School is below market value, the respective equity holder(s), Lishui Mengxiang's shareholders or Lishui Mengxiang, may be required to pay taxes with reference to the market value such that the amount of tax may be substantial. However, pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, all taxes and fees associated with the equity transfer shall be paid by Lishui Mengxiang's shareholders and/or the direct equity holders of the VIEs upon the transfer. We will determine the purchase target after due consideration of the said tax duties and fees before exercising the call option. In the event that Lishui Mengxiang is deemed as the direct interest holder, it may be subject to such tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment penalties on Lishui Mengxiang for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if Lishui Mengxiang's tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties. Pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement with respect to Langfang School, Beijing P.X.'s shareholders have irrevocably undertaken that if the purchase price is determined at an amount exceeding RMB0, the difference shall be compensated fully by Beijing P.X.'s shareholders to Liandu WFOE or its designated entity. In the event that Liandu WFOE or its designated party acquires the equity interests of Beijing P.X. or Langfang School and the relevant PRC authorities determine that the purchase price for acquiring such interests in Langfang School is below market value, the respective equity holder(s), Beijing P.X.'s shareholders or Beijing P.X., may be required to pay taxes with reference to the market value such that the amount of tax may be substantial. However, pursuant to the Exclusive Call Option Agreement, all taxes and fees associated with the equity transfer shall be paid by Beijing P.X.'s shareholders and/or the direct equity holders of Beijing P.X. and Langfang School upon the transfer. We will determine the purchase target after due consideration of the said tax duties and fees before exercising the call option. In the event that Beijing P.X. is deemed as the direct interest holder, it may be subject to such tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment penalties on Beijing P.X. for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if Beijing P.X.'s tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties. The rights and obligations under the Exclusive Call Option Agreement with respect to Qingtian International School were actually terminated on December 31, 2023 pursuant the Acknowledgment Agreement of Contractual Agreements of Qingtian Overseas Chinese Experimental High School dated April 2, 2024. See "Item 3. Key Information-Contractual Agreements with respect to Qingtian International School."