Published by ChinaMNC · Haining
Zhejiang's 'Zhe Ge Hao' Brand: A Guide for Foreign Founders on Individual Business Excellence
Learn how Zhejiang's 'Zhe Ge Hao' public brand recognizes outstanding individual businesses and what foreign founders can learn for registering and operating a company in China.
Zhejiang's 'Zhe Ge Hao' Brand: A Guide for Foreign Founders on Individual Business Excellence
Foreign founders looking to register and operate a company in China can gain valuable insights from local recognition programs that highlight best practices. One such initiative is Zhejiang Province's 'Zhe Ge Hao' public brand, which honors outstanding individual businesses (getihu). In 2026, five individual businesses from Haiyan County were included in this prestigious list. This article summarizes the key facts from the official announcement and explains their relevance to foreign entrepreneurs.
What is the 'Zhe Ge Hao' Brand?
According to the source, 'Zhe Ge Hao' is a provincial-level public brand jointly created by the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Administration and the Provincial Association of Individual Workers. Its purpose is to identify and nurture exceptional individual businesses that demonstrate integrity, high quality, and excellent service. Those selected are often 'famous, special, excellent, and new' entities, provincial or municipal intangible cultural heritage inheritors, or recipients of the 'Zhejiang Style Good Gift' honor. They represent the highest level of Zhejiang's individual economy.
For foreign founders, this brand signals a commitment to quality and service that can serve as a benchmark for their own operations in China. Understanding such recognition programs can help in building a positive brand image and gaining local trust.
The Five Selected Businesses from Haiyan
The five businesses recognized in 2026 are: Lianfeng Forestry Farm, Zhuliang Delicatessen, Qinxin Family Farm, Putaoxiang Family Farm, and Yanhua Family Farm. Each exemplifies unique qualities that contribute to the local economy.
Lianfeng Forestry Farm: A Heritage of Tea Production
Located in Tongyuan, Lianfeng Forestry Farm was established in 1965 and is one of the earliest forestry farms in Haiyan to introduce and produce tea. The farm currently has over 60 mu of tea gardens, mainly planting high-quality tea varieties such as Wuniuzao, Longjing 43, and Yingshuang. Its 'Lanfeng Xiangming' tea is well-known in Haiyan.
In December 2020, the 'Handmade Green Tea Production Technique' inherited by the farm was included in the seventh batch of Jiaxing Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage projects. The farm's head, Xu Yueming, was recognized as a representative inheritor of the fifth batch of Jiaxing Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage. Foreign founders can learn from this example of preserving traditional craftsmanship while building a reputable brand.
Zhuliang Delicatessen: A Legacy of Sauce-Duck Making
Zhuliang Delicatessen, run by Shen Zhuliang, specializes in sauce duck. The founder of the recipe was Liu Yufu, Shen's grandfather-in-law, born in 1888. At age 8, Liu worked at Dingfeng Sauce Garden in Nanqiao, Shanghai, where his sauce duck received wide acclaim. In middle age, he returned to Haiyan and founded Chengzheng Sauce Workshop, and his technique has been passed down to the present.
Shen learned the craft and opened Zhuliang Delicatessen in 1985. He starts work at 4 a.m. daily, and making one duck takes 36 hours due to the complex process. Currently, the store sells about 30 ducks per day. This story highlights the value of perseverance and quality in food businesses—lessons applicable to foreign founders in the culinary sector.
Qinxin Family Farm: Scale and Quality in Agriculture
Qinxin Family Farm, located in Qinxing Community, Qinshan Street, has been operating for 24 consecutive years. The farm covers over 1,050 mu and mainly grows strawberries and kale. It is run by the couple Li Minghua and Gu Xuejun, who also grow grapes and persimmons. The farm has 20 mu of steel-frame greenhouses equipped with pipeline spray, buried pipes, and intelligent electric joysticks, implementing full standardized management.
Li Minghua strictly controls product quality, applies organic fertilizer to improve soil, uses sticky traps and sex pheromones for green pest control, and reduces chemical fertilizer and pesticide inputs. The grapes from this farm won a gold award at the 2024 National High-Quality Grape Competition. Foreign founders in agribusiness can note the emphasis on standardization and quality certification.
Yanhua Family Farm: Diversified Services and Education
Yanhua Family Farm is located in Yucheng Bazi Village. The farm owner, Feng Yanhua, adopts a scientific vegetable production management model combining multiple varieties, intercropping, and crop rotation, growing pumpkins, eggplants, beans, and kohlrabi. Leveraging its high-quality self-produced fruits and vegetables and characteristic farming scenes, the farm offers diversified services. It innovatively offers holiday-themed vegetable flower baskets and regularly conducts farm picking experiences and farming study activities, creating a comprehensive modern agricultural farm integrating ecological planting, agricultural innovation products, leisure experiences, and science education.
This model shows how adding value through experiences can enhance a business, a strategy useful for foreign founders in tourism or education.
Local Government Support and Future Plans
In recent years, the county market supervision department has been promoting the construction of the 'Zhe Ge Hao' public brand to help individual businesses develop with high quality. To date, Haiyan has cumulatively had 11 individual businesses successfully enter the provincial brand echelon, with steady improvement in cultivation quality and effectiveness. Next, Haiyan will continue to discover individual business entities with honest operations, distinctive features, and excellent skills, tell the story of Haiyan's individual economy, and polish the local brand名片.
For foreign founders, this indicates active government support for small businesses that meet certain standards. Registering a company in China and aligning with such values can open doors to recognition and support.
Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders
- Embrace Quality and Integrity: The 'Zhe Ge Hao' brand prioritizes integrity, quality, and service. Foreign founders should embed these values into their business models to gain credibility.
- Leverage Heritage and Unique Selling Points: Many recognized businesses have strong cultural or traditional elements. Foreign founders can highlight their own unique stories or technologies.
- Invest in Standardization and Certifications: As seen with Qinxin Family Farm, standardized management and participation in competitions can enhance reputation.
- Diversify Revenue Streams: Yanhua Family Farm's example shows the benefits of combining production with experiences and education.
- Engage with Local Government Initiatives: Keeping informed about provincial branding programs can provide networking and growth opportunities.
Foreign founders should also be aware that China offers various incentives and support mechanisms for small and medium-sized enterprises, and aligning with recognized brands can facilitate market entry.
This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.
For assistance with registering and operating a company in China, foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.