Twenty years of cold chain

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival was much more lively at Tongxing than in previous years, not only because more and more people have joined Tongxing since the second phase, but also because of the large number of people coming and going to give festival gifts.

People carried gift boxes of all sizes, some carrying specially ordered mooncakes, others crabs from famous production areas, taking the opportunity to chat with Hu Shutong in his office. To outsiders, it might seem like normal footsteps.

But the people of Tongxing know best that this Mid-Autumn Festival is particularly different from previous years.

Is it because of the momentum of Phase II? While there is some connection, it's not the whole story.

The pilot project of transporting vegetables to the south in Yuncheng has been underway for almost a month. The entire cold chain industry in Qingning is closely watching its operation. In addition to the scheduling of internal storage capacity and transportation within the park, people are also concerned about the end market of the products. This is also where Hu Shutong has been working hard for many days.

The specific operations were not complicated for Hu Shutong. In other words, if it were just about running this part of the operations, Hu Shutong wouldn't be involved at all.

The key to the problem lies in the word "pilot program." A pilot program is not simply about trying something out; its more important significance lies in summarizing experiences and producing a detailed pilot program report, which is Tongxing's task.

Hu Shutong adhered to the principle he had previously mentioned to Lu Jianhua: major regional production and sales connections would be negotiated by relevant departments, while specific operational details would be left to the market. He suggested that all cold chain enterprises undertaking the transport of vegetables to the south should establish independent operating departments to specifically promote winter greenhouse vegetables. He also heeded the advice of Tongxing's marketing department to establish a unified brand for Qingning vegetables and jointly promote this major brand.

Winter vegetable prices are high, and Qingning greenhouses offer superior quality. Once both price and quality advantages are achieved, large-scale production will become a reality, not just empty talk. Taking Yuncheng as an example, Hu Shutong analyzed the entire operational chain, broke down potential problems, and wrote a pilot report of more than twenty pages.

Once the Tongxing pilot program is complete, the next step will be for each company to conduct large-scale pilot programs using their respective transshipment centers.

When things reached that point, the latter was no longer a pure pilot project, but rather a way to follow Tongxing's experience and, in Lu Jianhua's words, to solve this year's thorny problems.

So, what about next year?

Understanding what next year will bring makes it easier to see why Tong Hing Association is celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with such festivities.

This year, the focus is on addressing the immediate needs using existing facilities, with at most minor renovations within a limited timeframe. Next year, the construction of a new transshipment park will be involved. The export of Qingning vegetables is a matter of vital importance to people's livelihoods, and the special funds allocated under the "Seven Measures for Cold Chain Logistics" will undoubtedly be solidified and implemented here. It's worth noting that the eight major cold chain projects included are all substantial hardware projects, inevitably inspiring considerable interest.

In reality, many people don't care about the experience gained from the Yuncheng transit pilot program. The market is constantly changing, and not everything mentioned in the report will be applicable. What people are really concerned about is what level the transit park can reach next year, or to put it bluntly, what percentage it can achieve.

The whole matter was initiated by Hu Shutong through a proposal submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission.

The moment the plan was approved,

Tongxing became the undisputed leader of this project in the industry. During the process of dividing the regions, he, along with department leaders and the expert team, participated throughout, and Tongxing's proposals carried considerable weight in meetings large and small.

The reason we are in the current situation is that Tong Hsing has played the most outstanding role. Therefore, it is highly likely that Tong Hsing will be involved in the implementation of certain matters next year, and even in providing suggestions at the source.

Beyond courtesy exchanges, Tong Hsing has also received numerous offers for concrete business collaborations during this period. Some people in the industrial park with reliable connections in Qingyan have contacted Tong Hsing's marketing department, connecting them with food companies and pushing for practical cooperation.

This Mid-Autumn Festival, Hu Shutong declined all social engagements for the day and stayed in the park to celebrate the festival with everyone.

When Tongxing was in its first phase, there was no money to build buildings. A row of bungalows was used for offices, and an even longer row was used for accommodation. In the beginning, there wasn't even a shop.

With the second phase of operation, Tongxing's working environment has also improved significantly. A three-story office building, a four-story dormitory building, and the second phase of cold chain facilities are under construction simultaneously. In addition to the improved environment, the welfare of Tongxing employees is also getting better and better.

Hu Shutong is well aware that Tongxing's success today is not due to benefactors or peers, but rather to the hard work and dedication of the people of Tongxing themselves.

He still can't articulate what kind of corporate culture Tongxing has, but he knows that if people can feel a greater sense of belonging, the company will always thrive.

The people at Tongxing are quite interesting in private. In the first phase, people called Tongxing "Yuanzi" (Garden). When colleagues talked about it, they would say things like "Yuanzi East," "Yuanzi West," "Yuanzi Warehouse No. 3," or "Something good happened at Yuanzi today." When the second phase came, they added the word "big" to complete the conversation: "The big Yuanzi needs goods," or "The big Yuanzi has received another big client."

After the meal, Hu Shutong and Liu Zhiying walked in the park.

The moon was bright, the trees were still, and the breeze was cool but not cold. The two walked side by side aimlessly.

"Zhiying, I think you should personally oversee the flower garden project for a while. People like Guan Wentao are only responsible for giving orders. They say they are satisfied with the plan, but they are more concerned with whether it is implemented properly. So we still need to put in a lot of effort in execution."

"I'm already making preparations. There's a Chairman Guan and a General Manager Guan over there, one behind the scenes and the other in front of the camera, but they're actually far from being good at flower arrangement. We need horticulture professionals for this. I've contacted Mingda University, and it would be best if they could bring a team over. When it comes to the actual execution, some things need to be more refined."

"Then you may have to stay in Yuncheng for a while. You can bring a research and development team with you, and the staff is up to you."

Liu Zhiying nodded, then adjusted her glasses and smiled at Hu Shutong, "Senior, perhaps I could take a look around the west side of the city sometime?"

Hu Shutong couldn't help but smile. His question had really hit a nerve. This student Liu was far more than just interested in his major; he not only had some thoughts on the big picture, but he could also hit the nail on the head.

The east side of the city is the Flower Garden, and the west side is the Cloud City Transfer Center. Everyone is considering what will happen next year, and Tongxing certainly can't fall behind. Whether Tongxing will have a say at that time is uncertain, but its participation in the competition is inevitable. At this moment, neither of them considers the former, because that is someone else's will that they cannot control, while what Hu and Liu can do together should not be afraid of any competition.

Under the bright moonlight, the grass and trees shimmered, and as we strolled along, few words were spoken.

Sometimes, the fewer words exchanged between people, the more reassuring they feel. Don't be fooled by these two walking silently forward, each looking at the ground as if counting stone slabs; in their hearts, they're actually counting another milestone—

How far are we from "Yuncheng Phase II"?

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.