Generally speaking, a company refers to a kind of for-profit corporate body registered in the statutory registration authority. According to Professor Fang's research, the company was once called "CCBA", which is the proper name of the British East India Company. In the history of more than one hundred years, the Chinese word "company" has gradually become clear in its present meaning through constant misunderstanding and reinterpretation.
According to the current Company Law of China (2005), its main forms are limited liability companies and joint stock limited companies. These two types of companies are legal persons (Article 36 of the General Principles of Civil Law), and investors can be protected through limited liability.