Why is Huangjiu the "nostalgia wine" of Zhejiang merchants?

In a cold, rainy and red plum-blossom morning, Qian Xiaohua, the chairman of China Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine Group Co., LTD., and I went to Hangzhou Hupan University to visit Mr. Zheng Yumin, the secretary general of Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce and the former director of Zhejiang Industrial and Commercial Bureau. And Mr. Zheng talked about the promotion of traditional industries, the revitalization of Shaoxing Huangjiu industry, and the spirit of Zhejiang merchants and Huangjiu culture with us. The conversation was of inspiration and gave Huangjiu makers confidence.

Huangjiu industry is a potential traditional industry in China.

Mr. Zheng Yumin was appointed as the secretary general of the first Council of Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in 2015. In 2011, Mr. Zheng had been praised by netizens for a dialogue with a CCTV host named Dong Qian. Mr. Zheng answered questions in a witty and humorous way, so some netizens called him the most powerful government official.

Mr. Zheng said that the Huangjiu industry is a classic industry in Zhejiang Province. Thus, Zhejiang merchants should give full support to Huangjiu industry. Supporting Huangjiu industry is supporting the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. There are three classic industries in Zhejiang Province, namely, silk industry, tea industry and Huangjiu industry. These industries have been brilliant in history, but they need to be saved nowadays. The provincial party committee and the provincial government also attach great importance to these industries and have supported them by policies, which can be reflected in the government reports.

Mr. Zheng also said that compared with other traditional industries, Huangjiu industry is of greater potential because the main production areas of Huangjiu are more concentrated. At present, we should expand capacity of Huangjiu, increase the market share of Huangjiu, and enhance its competitiveness. Ma Yun, the president of Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, is also very concerned about Huangjiu.

The primary stage of China's reform and opening up was mainly focused on introducing foreign products and technologies into China. For example, a lot of red wine and beer was introduced into China at that time. As a result, the market had been occupied by foreign enterprises. However, this is no longer the case. China is strong now. It`s time to compete with developed countries. But if we continue to imitate their technology, our products will be less competitive. Therefore, if we want to enhance our national competitiveness, we must promote traditional industries such as Huangjiu industry and do not lose our own excellent products.

The quality of Huangjiu is a reflection of the spirit of Zhejiang merchants.

Mr. Zheng said that we must find out problems and motivations before revitalizing Huangjiu industry. How does the government play a good role in allocating resources? How to reform the internal incentive mechanism? Of course, it is important to expand the market. Thus, we should consolidate the regional market, promote the global market and get the international market in gear. In addition, we should adopt a variety of sales channels, including export, direct sales, agency sales, online sales and so on. But we should avoid low-end sales.

Shaoxing Huangjiu should highlight its quality. Mr. Zheng said that Huangjiu is the soul of literati, white liquor is the courage of heroes, beer is the mouth of the public, and red wine is a slightly luxurious way of life. Therefore, Huangjiu is the wine with the highest quality. We should strengthen the quality of Huangjiu, so as to form a strong brand. Huangjiu is the "nostalgia wine" of Zhejiang merchants. Zhejiang merchants should keep Huangjiu with them at all times. Zhejiang merchants and Huangjiu cannot be separated and Huangjiu represents the nostalgia of Zhejiang merchants. It is their pursuit of a better life to drink Huangjiu and listen to Yue Opera.

Mr. Zheng also said that the spirit of Zhejiang merchants is also reflected in stories of Huangjiu. For example, Zhejiang merchants have gone through a lot of hardships, said a lot of words, visited a lot of places, and tried their best to expand the business map. They are similar to Gou Jian, the king of Yue State, who underwent self-imposed hardships so as to defeat the enemy. Therefore, we can develop the heroic wine, customize the treasury wine for Zhejiang merchants, and open up a treasury wine store area in the central warehouse of Gu Yue Long Shan in Shaoxing.

Of course, we need to forge ahead to revive traditional industries in the modern market competition. The traditional technology can be promoted in a modern way. For example, we can develop Huangjiu for women by combining the brand of Nv Er Hong. The alcohol content of the product is between the alcohol content of red wine and that of beer. And as Coca-Cola making money with its unique formula, we can also patent the formula. In addition, we can utilize big data to promote products in a precise way, and add special effects to advertising films so as to give people a sense of amazement.