During the BBS Beijing summit on china-africa cooperation, traditional Chinese medicine culture was brought to all parts of the world

The 2018-11-28 People's Daily online

During the BBS summit on china-africa cooperation in Beijing in 2018, over 60 media journalists from more than 40 countries and regions walked into tongrentang, Beijing, and had a close experience of this magic time-honored brand that brings new choices for African people to prevent and treat diseases and keep fit.

"Less than two years after entering South Africa, tongrentang has opened five stores in three cities, and tens of thousands of south africans have experienced the charm of 'traditional Chinese medicine'. In the future, we will deliver quality TCM services to more African people. Zhong peng, executive director and general manager of Beijing tongrentang (Africa) co., LTD., introduced the booming development of tongrentang in Africa to journalists.

Forty years later, in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, time-honored brands are full of youth. Tongrentang has opened more than 140 retail terminals in nearly 30 countries and regions, with a total of more than 30 million patients receiving treatment. In these countries and regions, tongrentang has achieved the goal of "wherever there is health demand, there is tongrentang". The 349-year-old time-honored brand is bringing traditional Chinese medicine culture to all parts of the world...

Hong Kong is preferred as the new portal

We will expand markets in southeast Asia and other countries and regions to achieve our goals

Ding yongling, director and deputy general manager of tongrentang group, is one of the pioneers of tongrentang's overseas entrepreneurship. She has been working in tongrentang's export department since the mid-1990s.

In the late 1970s, Beijing tongrentang was just a pharmacy in the daliandistrict. In 1992, along with comrade xiaoping's southern talk, Beijing municipal party committee and government integrated the production and management resources of traditional Chinese medicine in the city to build Beijing traditional Chinese medicine industry cluster, and Beijing tongrentang group company emerged at the historic moment.

In the second year after the establishment of the group, tongrentang began to explore the international market, and its export business also changed from the mode of borrowing ships to go out to sea to the vertical plate of the enterprise itself. The first stop was chosen to settle in Hong Kong, and the brand equity model was adopted according to local conditions to open the first pharmaceutical shop, opening the door to the world.

In the past, tongrentang had a tradition of "no drugs left Beijing" to prevent counterfeits. In the era of reform and opening up, leaders of the group have realized that to achieve the strategic goal of "going out", it is necessary to break the old rules of "no drugs can go out of Beijing". Setting up a factory in Hong Kong can not only save production cost and transportation cost, but also help Chinese traditional medicine go global.

At that time, people from all walks of life have been discussing and questioning: "it has always been Hong Kong businessmen who come to the mainland to invest and take advantage of the cheap labor force from the mainland. Now tongrentang is doing the opposite. Isn't it clear that it will lose money?"

In 1993, against the outside world's suspicion and pressure, the construction area of 10,500 square meters of the plant in Hong Kong tai Po industrial zone was erected... This is the first production and research base of Chinese patent medicine and health care products established by tongrentang outside Beijing, and it is the largest, best condition and highest level production and research base of Hong Kong traditional Chinese medicine industry, which also makes tongrentang one of the few traditional Chinese medicine manufacturers in Hong Kong that has obtained GMP certification. Through hard work, tongrentang has gradually gained a firm foothold in Hong Kong...

Ten years later, in 2003, on the basis of completing the dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Beijing tongrentang established tongrentang international company in Hong Kong to expand markets in southeast Asia and other countries and regions.

Seize One Belt And One Road new opportunities

Trademarks are legally registered in 100 countries and regions

Looking at the direction of tongrentang, starting from the opening of stores, tongrentang gradually entered some countries, and then began to discuss how to enter a region.

In 2013, the proposal of "One Belt And One Road" pointed out a new strategic path for tongrentang's international expansion -- global overall layout instead of regional decentralized strategy.

With the listing of tongrentang sinopharm in Hong Kong as the symbol, tongrentang started to go to Europe and America and the western mainstream market along the "One Belt And One Road".

Western countries have strict requirements on access to TCM. Tongrentang is bound to face more challenges on its way to Europe and America...

Safflower, grass safflower is commonly used Chinese traditional medicine, because Australian medicines and administrative bureau is opposite, traditional Chinese medicine has misunderstanding, bring about safflower this medicinal material is faced with the desperate situation that exits from market of this country completely.

How to do? Tongrentang stood in the position of the industry, began a coordinated "red flower action". At that time, ma anyang, the Australian manager of tongrentang, was not disorderly in the face of danger and argued through official channels. Meanwhile, a large number of clinical application data and physical and chemical experimental data of safflower were used to show the scientific truth behind traditional Chinese medicine to the authorities. With continuous persistence and efforts, operation safflower was a good start: Australia soon declared the legalization of traditional Chinese medicine, becoming the first country in the west to recognize the legal status of traditional Chinese medicine.

Since 2015, tongrentang has successively opened terminal stores in the Netherlands, Sweden, Czech republic and Switzerland, and started to have a comprehensive layout in the mainstream world of Europe and the United States. In September 2016, tongrentang opened 5 terminals in the United States, becoming the first time-honored brand of traditional Chinese medicine in the United States. In November of that year, tongrentang entered the African market for the first time and became "a new choice for the health of the South African people". So far, tongrentang trademark has been legally registered in 100 countries and regions, becoming the Chinese medicine enterprise with the widest business coverage, the largest number of people of different RACES and the largest number of terminals on five continents.

Get out of your circle of friends and embrace the five continents. The international development of tongrentang has entered a new era of "One Belt And One Road" serving the world's health destiny.

Take on the new mission of global sharing

With cultural leadership and economic development, the layout features of Europe and the United States have become more and more obvious

"The development of enterprises is closely related to the development of national society. Bathed in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, tongrentang has become a truly global-layout enterprise of industrial chain. The fundamental reason is that we can keep up with the development pulse of this era. As a time-honored brand with a history of 349 years and eight intangible cultural heritage items, tongrentang's mission is also advancing with The Times, which is to create healthy and global sharing. "Ding yongling said.

Although Chinese medicine is good, it is not easy to export. Tongrentang ADAPTS to local conditions and breaks through the bottleneck of development. In tongrentang leadership's view, stores everywhere are not only economic entities, but also cultural carriers. Since Poland, tongrentang has played a cultural card. When the products failed to go into Poland, tongrentang opened a health experience center in Poland, which introduced the traditional Chinese medicine health care to Poland and was loved and recognized by the local people. The stores in the Netherlands and the Czech republic are all accompanied by massive cultural publicity and free clinic activities, which have become the industry window for local people to understand traditional Chinese medicine culture and experience traditional Chinese medicine services.

In July 2016, the tongrentang museum was inaugurated in SAN marino, which is the first truly overseas museum of tongrentang, allowing more overseas friends to experience the extensive and profound traditional Chinese medicine up close. Cultural leadership, economic development, tongrentang European and American layout of the "One Belt And One Road" features more and more obvious.

The overseas stores of tongrentang are equipped with the display area of traditional Chinese medicine characteristic culture. Consumers can not only experience the magic curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine, but also get access to traditional health maintenance methods such as taijiquan and baduanjin. Tongrentang has also cooperated with the national Peking Opera theatre to hold the "night of Peking Opera" twice in Melbourne, Australia.

"Traditional Chinese medicine and Beijing Opera are the two quintessence of China. Both the application of traditional Chinese medicine to the body and the technique of Peking Opera to the heart are vivid depictions of the traditional Chinese culture's emphasis on "entering the tao with skill". Traditional Chinese medicine and Peking Opera are driven by two wheels to promote traditional Chinese culture on the other side of the ocean. "Said zhang huanping, executive vice President of Beijing tongrentang traditional Chinese medicine co., LTD.

"More than ever, TCM practitioners are closer to truly realizing the great mission and dream of 'helping the world and maintaining health'. We are striving to put the golden sign of tongrentang on the world stage and provide TCM solutions for the health of the world's people." "Ding yongling said.