Liu Jinbao graduated in 1976 from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. He joined the Bank of China right after graduation. He was sent to work in London in 1977, climbed up the corporate ladder while working in the Shanghai offices from 1981 to 1997 (became Shanghai's general manager in 1994), and became head of the Hong Kong operations in 1997.Keith Bradsher, A Chinese Banker Is Convicted, and a Message Is Sent, Nytimes.com, 13 August 2005
