On February 28, 2024, it was rainy in Hangzhou, and the memorial service ceremony for Zong Qinghou, the founder of Wahaha Group, was held at the Xiasha base of Hangzhou Wahaha Group. Visual China Diagram.
On the morning of February 28, the memorial service of Zong Qinghou, founder and chairman of Wahaha Group, was held in Hangzhou. Zong Qinghou died of illness on February 25 at the age of 79.
Farewell to the people after Zongqing at the Xiasha base of Wahaha Group. Surging News reporter Lu Mei pictured.
More than a month ago, Zong Qinghou was absent from the 2023 "Zhejiang Entrepreneurs" award ceremony, an annual ceremony in Zhejiang's economic circles, which was almost a must-attend event, and his daughter, Zong Fuli, vice chairman and general manager of Wahaha Group, was present as a guest to present awards to the winners.
The annual "Zhejiang Entrepreneur of the Year" selection began in 2003 and is known as the "Oscar" of Zhejiang's economic circles. Over the past 21 years, with the passage of time, the award ceremony has also been like a stage to show the passing of the torch from generation to generation.
In July 2002, Hangzhou held a "rejuvenating the city by industry" conference, set the first Taiwan to support the supporting policies of industrial development, the municipal party committee, the city at the meeting to reward three entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to the local economic development - Feng Gensheng, chairman of Qingchunbao Group, Zong Qinghou, chairman of Wahaha Group, and Lu Guanqiu, chairman of the board of directors of Wanxiang Group, each 3 million yuan.
In 2017, Feng Gensheng and Lu Guanqiu passed away successively, and with the death of the youngest of them, Zong Qinghou, three outstanding first-generation Zhejiang businessmen have traveled far away.
Flowers & Messages. Surging News reporter Lu Mei pictured.
But we also see that the younger generation of Zhejiang businessmen is growing rapidly. In August 2022, the Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce will be re-elected, and according to the "Zhejiang **", a total of 100 people under the age of 45 will be elected to the executive committee of the private economy, accounting for 334%, of which the post-80s generation is the backbone, and the post-90s generation also emerged, the youngest of which was born in 1995.
Zong Qinghou started his own business from scratch at the age of 45, and was listed in the Forbes list of "China's richest man" three times, won the "Senior Zhejiang Entrepreneur Award" in the first "Fengyun Zhejiang Entrepreneur" selection, and was re-elected as "Zhejiang Entrepreneur of the Year" at the age of 64 in 2009. Three years later, Zong Fuli was elected as the "Zhejiang Entrepreneur of the Year", the first post-80s entrepreneur to receive this honor.
Zong Fuli also has an identity: the first and third presidents of the Zhejiang New Generation Entrepreneurs Association - this is the association of Zhejiang second-generation entrepreneurs initiated by the Provincial Party Committee. She took the lead in hosting the "Living Room of the CPPCC Committee of Zhejiang New Enterprise Federation" with the purpose of "inheriting the spirit of Zhejiang businessmen and doing a good job in the Qinglan relay", condensing the new generation of private entrepreneurs in Zhejiang, building a platform for the orderly inheritance of private enterprises, and guiding the new generation of entrepreneurs to play a role in participating in politics, making suggestions, starting a business and innovating, and repaying the society. In November last year, the "New Enterprise Federation" was re-elected, with a total of more than 400 members, with an average age of 38 years old, nearly 40% of whom have a master's degree or above, and more than 70% belong to the decision-making level of the company, basically realizing full coverage of the industry.
Zhejiang businessmen are the golden signboard of Zhejiang's private economy, and the new generation of Zhejiang businessmen after 80 is the most energetic and stamina group, which is showing more and more edge. The Paper has learned that three of the ten "Zhejiang businessmen" in 2023 are "second generation of Zhejiang businessmen", the largest number in the past; Six of the top 30 candidates were the youngest, born in 1996.
At last year's national "two sessions", Lu Weiding, chairman of Wanxiang Group, Tu Hongyan, chairman of Wanshili Group, and Zhang Yabo, vice chairman of the board of directors of Sanhua Holding Group, attended the meeting as representatives of the National People's Congress. Lu Weiding has been in the company for more than 20 years before taking over in 2017, Zhang Yabo is familiar with the business in various business lines, Tu Hongyan started from the front-line workers, from the sewing workshop to the pattern-making workshop, the quality control department, familiar with the entire production process of the garment industry, before taking charge of Wanshili.
At last year's 20th anniversary award ceremony of "Fengyun Zhejiang Entrepreneurs", Zong Qinghou's father and daughter attended together as representatives of previous award-winning companies, and Zong Fuli spoke on behalf of the younger generation of Zhejiang businessmen"This is 20 years of fighting side by side with my parents, and it is also 20 years of witnessing growth, and I deeply feel that the mission is on my shoulders, and the new era should have new responsibilities and new actions. ”