Current location:style >>
Founder of beverage giant Wahaha passes away at 79
style2People 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.“Worldly Wave news portal”。http://grenada.bankruptcyintn.com/article-43a299866.html
Related articles
Rishi Sunak to apologise for worst treatment disaster in NHS history
styleRishi Sunak will apologise to infected-blood victims today, as a devastating report blames successiv ...
【style】
Read moreSenators demand accounting of rapid closure plan for California prison where women were abused
styleLOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly all inmates have been transferred out of a troubled women’s prison set to ...
【style】
Read moreHamas would lay down weapons after a two
styleISTANBUL (AP) — A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press the Islamic militant group ...
【style】
Read more
Popular articles
- NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
- 'Deadpool & Wolverine' is (almost) ready to shake up the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- GOP mulls next move after Kansas governor vetoes effort to help Texas in border security fight
- White Sox drop to 3
- Not so Cool Britannia! Noel Gallagher gives damning verdict on Keir Starmer
- Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers
Latest articles
Fresh heartache for cancer
Hamas would lay down weapons after a two
The TikTok law kicks off a new showdown between Beijing and Washington. What's coming next?
17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion
Xander Schauffele gets validation and records with one memorable putt at PGA Championship
Ringo Starr reunites with John Lennon's long
LINKS
- Shanghai to build complete care system for children with autism by 2027
- NASA seeks faster, cheaper way to bring Mars samples to Earth
- Decades after a US butterfly species vanished, a close relative is released to fill gap
- Chinese authorities arrest 4 Tibetans for protest over land grab — Radio Free Asia
- Shanghai airports see surge in inbound foreign travelers in Q1
- China activates Level
- The pilots union at American Airlines says it's seeing more safety and maintenance issues
- Tennessee schools would have to out transgender students to parents under bill heading to governor
- Women's soccer coach accused of sexual harassment in Brazil resigns after protests
- Judge awards $23.5 million to undercover St. Louis officer beaten by colleagues during protest