Property firm stands out from crowd

Wanda Group's decision to raise money online to help develop major shopping center projects has caught the public's imagination

Crowdfunding has taken on a whole new meaning in China. When it first became popular in the United States and Europe in 2003, it centered around small startup companies looking to raise money by enticing a few hundred investors.

But here crowdfunding has reached a different level with the country's leading commercial real estate player using the investment model to finance multibillion-yuan construction projects.