Founder of beverage giant Wahaha passes away at 79
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."
Related articles
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
Amir Khan's £11.5million luxury wedding venue has finally hosted its first marriage after a series o2024-05-21Schumer says US will provide $6.1 billion to Micron Technology for chip plants in NY, Idaho
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has reached an agreement to provide $6.1 billion in gover2024-05-21Vietnam’s ‘Provisional National Government’ offers empty promises, lawyers say — Radio Free Asia
More than 60 people in Vietnam have been given long prison sentences for being members of the so-cal2024-05-21Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever jersey becomes Fanatics' best
Caitlin Clark has broken yet another record, as her Indiana Fever jersey became the top-selling jers2024-05-21Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
A cruise worker on board an Italian ship 'murdered her newborn son' as horrified co-workers raised t2024-05-21Klay Thompson wants do decompress from season before delving into what's next as a free agent
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fighting his emotions from the most frustrating of nights, Klay Thompson peered2024-05-21
atest comment