Let It Rain!

China's ascent as an economic powerhouse has been stoked by nearly $500 billion of foreign investment in the past decade. In 2003 alone, $53 billion flowed inthe first time China eclipsed the U.S. as the No. 1 recipient of foreign investment. But all that cash isn't drifting in on global trade winds. Matching a capital-starved Shanghai manufacturer with a New York City financier requires an expert middleman, someone with Chinese-market savvy and an ability to bridge cultural divides. Here, TIME profiles an lite group we have dubbed China's Rainmakers: pioneering venture capitalists, investment bankers and other dealmakers who helped finance...