The data contains factors which affect firm growth in the setting of the Chinese transition economy, such as size, age, entrepreneurship, resources, and environment. The data were gathered in face-to-face interviews with 83 owner-managers of the Chinese privately owned firms in P. R. China in 2004, as well as in follow-up telephone interviews in 2006.

Data were gathered by face-to-face interviews. The selection criteria of the sampled firms were: (a) privately owned firms, (b) financially independent (not a subsidiary), (c) located in the territory of Guangdong Province. Contacts were gained through networks and colleagues. Critically speaking, this non-probabilistic approach resembles 'snowball sampling', depending as it does on references rather than random selections. The population of 21 major cities economic data and the population of manufacturing firms in 14 cities/counties of Guangdong Province were employed to attest to the representation of the sample, across all sectors.