Tang Yihan. Photo by Zhong Zhihui, a reporter from the south.
Three o'clock, tea time. At Cuihua Restaurant in Liede, Guangzhou, a plate of handmade egg tarts with 128 layers of puff pastry is freshly baked, and many diners have been waiting for a long time in front of the window of the open baking room. In the restaurant, waiters and robots shuttle back and forth to serve food, and Tang Yihan, CEO of Tsui Wah Group China, dressed in a casual suit, is also among them, asking customers for their opinions on the dishes, learning about the operation of the branch from the manager, and tasting and appraising the quality of the dishes of the day.
Tang Yihan appears in restaurants more often than in the office. More than 30 years ago, when he started his career in Hong Kong, he started in the back kitchen of a fast food restaurant. After taking up the management position, he led the team to the mainland and opened more than 100 stores. In 2018, he joined Tsui Wah Group to help the Hong Kong-style tea restaurant brand adjust its strategy in the mainland market.
The category of tea and tea restaurant is the representative of Hong Kong's food culture, and Tsui Wah is the brand representative. In Tang Yihan's view, the development direction of Hong Kong-style tea restaurants in the mainland is no longer to win by quantity, but to emphasize brand culture. He believes that, on the one hand, the Pearl River Delta cities are deeply influenced by Hong Kong culture, and customers here are more familiar with and more receptive to tea restaurants. On the other hand, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has brought more space and more opportunities, so Tsui Wah focuses on the core areas of the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area with the strategy of "one district, one ***", and at the same time opens the "Tsui Wah Express" brand in the transportation hub, which focuses on light food and takeaway, to attract more young consumers.
While developing his own business in the mainland, Tang Yihan is also constantly thinking about how to help young people better grasp the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area. In recent years, he has served as a "Greater Bay Area Workplace Mentor" in Guangzhou, hoping to share his experience in the workplace and life in the mainland with young people as a passer-by, answering their questions and providing advice. Knowing me may not have a number of (benefits), but it should not make you lose (suffer). He laughed.
Walking through Liedeyong and looking at the Canton Tower not far away, Tang Yihan recalled the more than 30 years he had been in the mainland, and couldn't help but sigh: "The development here is changing rapidly, it is difficult to describe it with pen and ink, you must feel it with your eyes and heart." He encouraged young people from Hong Kong and Macao to visit the mainland more often and broaden their horizons, "Coming to the mainland for development is not the only way out, but a broader vision will definitely allow you to find more outlets." He said that now that the one-hour living circle in the Greater Bay Area has become a reality, and Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are increasingly moving towards deep integration and development, "I hope that young people can also understand, adapt and embrace the Greater Bay Area, realize their dreams here, and live a better life." ”
Dialogue. Nanfang**: As early as more than 30 years ago, you came to the mainland from Hong Kong to develop. Why did you make this decision at the time?
Tang Yihan: In 1992, I was working in a fast-food chain in Hong Kong, and the company was interested in finding a group of young reserve cadres to explore the market in the mainland. I think that Hong Kong will return to the embrace of the motherland in 1997, and it would not be a good opportunity if we could return to the mainland as soon as possible to understand the country's development and market environment in advance? On the other hand, although Hong Kong is still an international metropolis, it is small in size and has limited room for development. For young people, there may be more opportunities if they can go to a larger, fast-growing market, so I didn't hesitate to sign up.
Nanfang**: In 2018, you joined Tsui Wah Group, and then in 2019, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was officially released. What opportunities does this bring to the development of Tsui Wah?
Tang Yihan: When I was developing the mainland market for fast food chains, we didn't have the concept of the Greater Bay Area, but we have already opened restaurants in the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. It's not that we're looking ahead, but we've analyzed a key economic data – the GDP of different cities, and decided to do so.
One of my key tasks since joining Tsui Wah has been to help the brand adjust its marketing strategy in the Mainland. The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a shining light for me, and it reinforces our desire to focus on the layout of the mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. The 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area have their own advantages, and if we can complement each other's advantages and develop in a coordinated manner, we can achieve the effect of 1+1 2, and we will be more competitive in the national and even global markets, and enterprises will be more willing to develop here in the long run.
For Cuihua, as a tea restaurant brand, we must also find our own advantages. What comes to mind when you think of a café? It should be Hong Kong. Originating from Hong Kong, the café is a product of the fusion of Chinese and Western dining cultures. It can be said that the café is one of the representatives of Hong Kong culture. The Pearl River Delta cities are close to Hong Kong and are heavily influenced by Hong Kong culture, and customers here are more familiar with and more accepting of Hong Kong-style tea restaurants. In addition, with the concept of the Greater Bay Area, we have both inherent advantages and greater space and potential for development here. Up to now, Tsui Wah has nearly 40 restaurants in the mainland, of which 26 are in the Greater Bay Area. In the future, we will continue to lay out the core area here with the strategy of "one district, one ***".
At the same time, as a "time-honored brand" in Hong Kong with a history of more than 50 years, Tsui Wah should not only maintain the traditional craftsmanship and craftsmanship, so that customers can taste the authentic taste of Hong Kong, but also adapt to the changes of the trend of the times and learn to "sing old songs and new songs". In recent years, we have made new attempts in the store model, and created the "Cuihua Express" brand, which focuses on light food and take-out, in transportation hubs such as airports, high-speed rail stations, and subway stations, which caters to the needs of young people and is quite popular.
Nanfang**: As a "Greater Bay Area Career Mentor", what advice would you give to young people who are looking for a future career direction?
Tang Yihan: I often share my experience with young people, I was born in an ordinary family in Hong Kong, lived in a housing estate when I was a child, and entered the society at the age of 15 to work and study, starting from the back kitchen, and gradually growing into management and CEO. In order to make up for my academic shortcomings, I went back to school after work to continue my undergraduate and master's degrees. At that time, I worked and ran hundreds of restaurants during the day, and went to school in the evenings and weekends, and I barely took a vacation for nearly 10 years. I think it's important to be hardworking and have a positive mindset, and it's only by keeping yourself in a state of readiness that you can seize opportunities when they come.
In recent years, with the continuous development of the Greater Bay Area, I am very happy to see that more and more young people from Hong Kong and Macao are willing to start businesses, work and live in the mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. Many young people have also asked me if I have to leave Hong Kong and go to the mainland to develop. I would say that this is not the only way out, but if you have the opportunity, you can go to this bigger place in the mainland to see more and broaden your horizons, so that you can find more ways out of life.
Southern ** reporter Zeng Meiling.