Business leaders from private firms across south China's Guangdong Province are boosting their knowledge by returning to school.

Scores of bosses have been furthering their knowledge at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) this year.

Li Xinghao, chairman of the board of Chigo Air-Conditioner Co Ltd, described the teachers as "knowledgeable and humorous."

"My study in the Party school might affect a little on my business, but I can learn a lot and further upgrade myself that would benefit my business in the future," he said

"Moreover, I can know more about the country's political and economic policies and meet smart people through studying in the Party school," Li said.

Li is just one of many private bosses and entrepreneurs in Guangdong who attend the Party school every year.

They study politics, management and economic trends in the school, where previously only senior Party and government officials could enroll.

According to Liu Yang, executive vice-secretary general of Guangdong Provincial Research Institute of Non-Governmental Economy, Guangdong has seen the largest number of private bosses among all provinces, regions and municipalities attending the school.

The Party school annually provides four training courses to private business representatives from across the country. And each time, the students from Guangdong can account for more than one-third of the total 150 participants.

More than 400 managers of private enterprises have participated in the training courses at the Party school at their own expense since the beginning of the year, Liu said.

In addition to Li, many well-known business figures in Guangdong, including Lin Xin, manager of Greenery Caf, a western style restaurant chain company, and Lu Zhiji, chairman of the board of Tin Tin Laundry Co Ltd, have also attended one of the training courses this year.

More than 25 per cent of the bosses from the top 500 private-run companies have completed a course.

Wang Liwen, a researcher from Guangdong provincial government, said the growing number of Guangdong business people showing an interest in furthering their studies at the Party school indicated that many business figures were keen to improve themselves and learn more about science and technologies for their business growth.

It is helping them to become intellectual business people who have strategic visions on both domestic and world markets, according to Wang.

The Party school has selected many prestigious professors and teachers to teach the classes for several years.

(China Daily December 27, 2005)