Current location:politics >>
Founder of beverage giant Wahaha passes away at 79
politics132People have gathered around
IntroductionZong Qinghou, the founder and chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, China's leading beverage manufactur ...
Zong Qinghou, the founder and chairman of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, China's leading beverage manufacturer, passed away on Sunday at the age of 79.
As one of the most respected representatives of China's first generation of entrepreneurs since the country embarked on reform and opening-up in 1978, Zong's down-to-earth style and innovative spirit greatly impressed the public.
Experts said Zong's rags-to-riches life story will surely inspire more Chinese entrepreneurs to focus on the real economy and run their businesses in a pragmatic and steady manner.
Born in 1945 in Suqian, Jiangsu province, Zong took over a small grocery store at a school in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 1987, and worked as a distributor of soft drinks and popsicles for children.
In 1989, he founded Hangzhou Wahaha Nutritional Food Factory, which became Hangzhou Wahaha Group two years later after the acquisition of a local canned food factory on the verge of bankruptcy.
In 1996, Zong launched Wahaha AD calcium milk, which became a great hit with Chinese consumers.
The company's products now cover more than 200 categories, including purified water, milk and yogurt drinks, carbonated drinks, fruit and vegetable juice, tea and coffee drinks, with its sales revenue reaching 51.2 billion yuan ($7.1 billion) in 2022. It has nearly 30,000 employees and 81 production bases nationwide.
As one of the most iconic figures in Chinese business history, Zong was ranked as the country's richest person in 2010, 2012 and 2013 by business magazine Forbes.
However, Zong led a simple and thrifty life. He lived frugally, and it was common to see him dressed in a white shirt and black cloth shoes.
He once said, "I am an ordinary person, but luckily I was born in such an era." He said that Wahaha would not exist without reform and opening-up.
He said that Chinese entrepreneurs should fulfill their social responsibilities, and create wealth for the people, adding that they should create more employment opportunities and participate in public welfare activities, contributing to the country's economic and social development.
Zong was a deputy to the 10th, 11th and 12th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.
Pan Helin, co-director of the Digital Economy and Financial Innovation Research Center at Zhejiang University's International Business School, said, "As a representative of the first generation of Chinese entrepreneurs after the start of reform and opening-up, Zong always focused on the real economy and was not involved in finance and property."
Zong turned a small drinks business into a beverage conglomerate, and his down-to-earth entrepreneurial spirit, perseverance and courage to face difficulties will encourage further generations of Chinese entrepreneurs to expand their businesses step by step, Pan said.
Guo Tao, deputy head of the China Electronic Commerce Expert Service Center, said Zong's deep understanding and insightfulness regarding the real economy not only laid a solid foundation for the company's development, but also made a contribution to the development of China's manufacturing sector.
Moreover, Zong attached great importance to technological innovation, which was conducive to ensuring the quality and diversity of Wahaha's products in a highly competitive market, and providing strong impetus to the company's sustainable growth, Guo said. "Zong's management philosophy has set an example for the development of China's private economy."
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Stellar Station news portal”。http://britishvirginislands.antjekoch.com/content-66e399921.html
Related articles
Medics remove 150 MAGGOTS from a woman's mouth after dental procedure left her with rotting tissue
politicsA team of shocked medics removed 150 maggots from a woman's mouth that had appeared after a dental p ...
【politics】
Read moreChina's top legislature to hold closing meeting on Monday
politicsThe 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature, will hold the closing meeting of its s ...
【politics】
Read moreChina reprimands U.S. for economic bullying over semiconductor restrictions
politicsThe Chinese embassy in the Philippines criticized the U.S. for voicing further restrictions on chip ...
【politics】
Read more
Popular articles
- Seven sneaky clauses in estate agent contracts that can cost you dear
- China to continue to prioritize employment promotion
- China story is of benefiting the world, Wang Yi says
- Xi congratulates Putin on reelection as Russian president
- David Cronenberg's new grief
- China advocates for equal and orderly multi
Latest articles
How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could make the first debate stage
Legislators eye growth boost
Xi congratulates Zardari on Pakistan presidency win
FM trip to aid stability in Asia
Biden says Brown v. Board of Education ruling was about more than education
UK gov't considers ban on foreign states owning British news media
LINKS
- Tensions simmer near a shoal both China and the Philippines claim — Radio Free Asia
- Starbucks vs federal labor agency: U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments
- Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist on the steamy love triangle of 'Challengers'
- 11 inmates face charges related to uprising at South Dakota prison
- Activists interrupt Chinese ambassador's Harvard speech — Radio Free Asia
- Judge strikes down North Carolina law on prosecuting ex
- 'Challengers' review: Prepare to get hot and bothered
- Rebel Wilson's explosive memoir is set to be published in the UK
- Trump's 'Truth Social' applied for H
- A legal challenge over the UK's role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead