Xinhua Focus | Craftsmanship and Innovation — The Revival of Old Brands

■ Feigee: A “new-feather” bicycle

Walking into the showroom of Feigee Group Co., Ltd. in Tianjin, several glossy, old-style “Feigee” brand bicycles stand quietly. They are witnesses to the first bicycle produced in the new People’s Republic of China, and they were also once used as state gifts to cross the ocean.

Entering the 1990s, private enterprises sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain. “Small and specialized” private bicycle factories rose flexibly, but Feigee failed to adapt to market changes in time. Costs ran counter to one another, talent left, and in the midst of transformation, Feigee “fell short of flight,” dropping from its position.

To address the heavy historical burden facing traditional time-honored brands, Tianjin Boqing Group established new development platforms for time-honored brands such as Feigee bicycle industry and others. It adopted a light-asset operating model, focusing on brand operations, to drive R&D, production, and sales—awakening new vitality in these time-honored brands.

By increasing R&D investment, Feigee rolled out multiple “high-newness” products in areas such as mountain bikes and road bikes. In 2025, sales revenue grew by nearly 40% year over year, with annual sales reaching 4.5 million units.

■ Wan Ziqianhong: The “reborn” “little tin box”

Wan Ziqianhong—China’s time-honored brand that hails from Tianjin. Open this little tin box covered with flourishing flowers: the cream is snow-white, and its fragrance fills the air. That touch of scent once nourished the youth of several generations.

Time-honored brands are precious because they are “old,” and they have also been weighed down because they are “old.” After the 1990s, foreign brands flooded in. Consumer groups changed, but the products remained the same, and even the packaging looked “outdated.” Wan Ziqianhong fell, for a time, to the bottom of the valley.

In 2023, Tianjin Boqing Group made a key decision: to establish an independently operated company dedicated specifically to reviving Wan Ziqianhong.

The turning point also came that year, when a livestream put this little tin box online. Riding the wave of homegrown-brand enthusiasm, Wan Ziqianhong came back. But what truly refreshed the products was still the products themselves.

Apart from classic fragrance types, the company, based on netizens’ votes, integrated traditional Chinese culture into the products. More than a dozen new skincare products with Chinese-style fragrance profiles were rolled out one by one to the market. The “sensible” Wan Ziqianhong was quickly recognized by consumers.

■ Haihe Milk: The “old taste” from someone who loves to tinker

For many people in Tianjin, the taste of Haihe Milk is a daily staple at the morning dining table, as well as a shared memory of a city.

However, this Chinese time-honored brand, founded in 1957, had once fallen into a situation of losses. At that time, Haihe Dairy had unclear strategy, and people’s hearts were unsettled.

In 2022, Dr. Zou Yang, born in the 1980s, was put in charge in a moment of crisis. At that time, a “better to do less than risk more” atmosphere pervaded the company. When you have too many people and too much to do—this was the first reform challenge Zou Yang encountered after taking office.

The company implemented a “Strivers’ Model.” Each month it held performance review sessions; each department publicly reported on their work. The total wage amount was linked to performance, and干部 selection leaned toward performance. Internal organizational capability gradually took shape.

In addition to traditional dairy products, the company focused on younger consumers. Not only should the milk be delicious, it should also be “fun.” New flavors such as “jianbing guozi,” “cilantro and avocado,” and “Tianjin-style mahua” kept rolling out, igniting young people’s “trending conversation” topics. With culture and dairy blended together, Haihe colorful-flavor milk somehow “broke into” young people’s social circles.

Planning: Li Jie, Li Jialin, Wang Bingdi

Director: Wang Liang

Reporter: Yang Zichun

Cinematography: Hao Jie, Hu Zhenze, Sun Tianshu

Packaging: Xia Yong

Produced by the Xinhua News Agency Audio-Video Department