Mr. Zong Qinghou, the founder and chairman of Wahaha Group, passed away on February 25, 2024 due to ineffective medical treatment. We have lost a good entrepreneur and a mentor. Perhaps, the way to say goodbye to him is to remember that he was here, to remember that he was there for us, and to let everything about him stay permanently and vividly in our hearts.
I still remember that on May 10, 2021, the theme activity of the China Brand Day of ** Radio and Television Station "Brand Power Project" and the special program recording of "Dialogue" were held in Shanghai.
Mr. Zong Qinghou was a guest on the special program of the 5.10 China Brand Day of the main station, Mr. Zong Qinghou is an old friend of the first radio and television station, and has worked closely with the first TV station since the 90s of the last century, and has accumulated deep friendship. After the establishment of the main station, he led Wahaha Group to further deepen the cooperation with the main station and establish a strategic partnership, and we had more opportunities to communicate with him face-to-face.
Mr. Zong Qinghou is not only an iron man, but also called him an "ascetic", he spent half his life interpreting the responsibility of a generation of national enterprises and the soul of self-improvement, and engraved the entrepreneurial spirit of Zhejiang businessmen in his bones, "going through thousands of mountains and rivers, trying every possible way, saying thousands of words, and enduring thousands of hardships" vividly and vividly displayed in the entrepreneurial spirit of Zhejiang businessmen. In 2002, he won the honor of "CCTV China Economic Person of the Year", and in his acceptance speech, he said affectionately: "As a beverage industry to win this award, I am very emotional today, I feel that the society is in the industry." I hope that in the near future, people all over the world can see Wahaha. ”
Mr. Zong Qinghou came from the ordinary, and he had the original intention and great love in his heart. He has been a guest on the main station talk show many times to share his values and life experience. In an interview with "Face to Face", he said: "I am a rich person now, but I think money is still social. "Make people happy with your business. Wealth also helps more people to prosper together, and the wealth of entrepreneurs will be respected. He also said: "My dream was to make Wahaha a century-old store with an everlasting foundation, and my dream now is to make Wahaha a century-old store that protects the health of the people and benefits the people." ”
Mr. Zong Qinghou was interviewed by the main station's "Face to Face", and Mr. Zong Qinghou often publicly called for entrepreneurs to often raise wages for employees. He has repeatedly emphasized that individual entrepreneurs do play a key role in the enterprise, but without the efforts of all employees, the enterprise cannot be run. In an interview with CCTV's "Meet the Big Coffee", he also put forward his own views on "996", thinking that the boss should be "996", because career should be his fun. But employees can't be forced to "996", because employees have their own lives and fun, and bosses can't tie employees to their chariots.
As an entrepreneurial senior, Mr. Zong Qinghou has a high prestige and appeal in the entrepreneur community. On August 22, 2020, he cheered everyone up when he attended the Guizhou Forum of the "Brand Power Project" of the National Radio and Television Station: "At present, affected by the epidemic, the international chain of many countries has been interrupted, the circulation of goods has been blocked, and the huge domestic market demand still exists, which is a major turning point for the rise of our national brand." His words brought great confidence to the entrepreneurs in the audience and the entire business community that is suffering from the epidemic.
Since Mr. Zong Qinghou delivered a speech at the Guizhou Forum of the "Brand Power Project" of the main station, he has dedicated all his enthusiasm to the cause and to Wahaha. In 2023, he said in the CCTV "Dialogue" column: "I don't want to see Wahaha decline in my lifetime." Wahaha is my whole life, and it is a proof that I have existed in this world. ”
Because of this, he is still fighting on the front line in his old age, and he may be the "most war-loving" and "most dedicated" one among the older generation of entrepreneurs. There are multiple deep-seated reasons behind the "old man's nest". On the one hand, in his view, unlike the "torrent retreat" of Internet entrepreneurs, the real economy is more complex and it is more difficult to retire. In an interview with CCTV reporters, he talked about responsibility: "Although Wahaha has achieved automation, there are still 30,000 employees behind it. They also want me to live a little longer and work for them for a few more years. On the other hand, affected by the internal and external environment and market changes, Wahaha has also encountered some new problems in recent years, and he can't completely let go.
The more reassuring you are, the more you think long-term. He is very concerned about Wahaha's long-term development and brand building. In recent years, he has led Wahaha to join the "Brand Power Project" of the main station, and cooperated with the Spring Festival Gala for three consecutive years, relying on the main communication platform of the main station to create a new image of its flagship products such as Very Coke, Nutrition Express, and AD calcium milk, and promote the Wahaha brand to change and change.
Mr. Zong Qinghou (third from right in the front row) attended the 2021 "Brand Power Project" launch event of the main station, no matter how busy he was in the past few years, he tried his best to participate in the activities of the "Brand Power Project" of the main station, wearing his iconic cloth shoes, or giving speeches, or participating in dialogues, or signing contracts on the spot, and exchanging new measures and achievements of Wahaha brand building with everyone. In November 2022, the main station held the 2023 "Brand Power Project" cloud release event, and he specially recorded a message to the main station: "Wahaha firmly believes in the credibility, influence, and communication power of the main station, and has always regarded the main station as the most important partner. ”
Because of his love for the Wahaha brand, he is very concerned about the development of the entire Chinese brand and is full of confidence. In September 2021, he said in an interview with CCTV's "Economic Information Network": "Our domestic brands are developing very well now, which has inspired national self-confidence. ”
Mr. Zong Qinghou was interviewed by the main station's "Economic Information Network", and the Si people have passed away, and the meditation lives on. Mr. Zong Qinghou's innovative and hard-working spirit, as well as his ardent expectations for China's national brand, will continue to inspire us to brave the wind and waves and forge ahead on the road ahead.
Finally, to borrow a famous saying, bid farewell to this outstanding entrepreneur whom we respect: "If you have contributed to the world, then people will always remember you, and you are immortal." ”