The city of Qingdao, Shandong province, announced its list of Qingdao Economic Figures of 2015 at the Qingdao Annual Economic Achievement Awards on April 8, the Qingdao Daily reported.

Ten business tycoons were listed, including Zhang Ruimin, board chairman and the chief executive of Haier Group; Zhou Houjian, president of Hisense Group; and Zheng Minghui, president of Qingdao Port International.

Several enterprises including the West Coast Development Group and Huizhi Engineering Science & Technology were awarded "Most Influential and Creative Enterprises", and 10 economic events were elected as "2015 Economic Events".

The event was themed "power of innovation", and showcased the innovative explorations of numerous enterprises and entrepreneurs during recent economic transition and structure adjustment, displaying new forces which boosted the city's economic growth.

It is the seventh consecutive year that the awards have been held, becoming an indicator for the city’s economic development and a wind vane for future trends through analyzing economic events, figures and enterprises.

This year’s event was sponsored by Qingdao Business Federation, Qingdao Entrepreneur Association and Qingdao Publishing Group. Since its launch in January, candidates were selected based on recommendations from the media, social organizations and business entities and evaluated comprehensively on their annual working performance. Those who won the most votes from the expert committee and steering committee had the best chance to stand out from the crowd.