In 1998, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in the published industrial statistics modified the scope of enterprises covered and the enterprise classification system. This paper highlights the modifications and identifies two implications. First, the use of a proportional allocation rule in data aggregation boosts the size of ''public ownership,'' an important cornerstone of socialism. Second, the switch from compiling detailed statistics on enterprises identified by an administrative criterion to enterprises that exceed a fixed volume of sales revenue poses new difficulties for comparative data analysis but also represents a change in statistical practice that may yet lead to data of better quality.