During the National Two Sessions, Dong Mingzhu, a deputy to the National People's Congress and Chairperson of Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai, stated in an interview that the launch of the "Dong Mingzhu Healthy Home" initiative is an essential step in the company's strategic transformation. The goal is to reshape consumer perception of Gree's full range of home appliances, with efforts currently focused on accelerating implementation and establishing rigorous standards.
Addressing key topics such as the "Dong Mingzhu Healthy Home" strategy, the government work report's first mention of "anti-involution competition," and the application of artificial intelligence in manufacturing, Dong emphasized that quality and responsibility form the unshakable foundation of any enterprise.
Regarding the popular concept of the "smart economy," Dong revealed that Gree began investing in smart manufacturing as early as 2013, integrating AI technology into its products many years ago. In 2019, the company introduced self-developed robots that were featured in the Spring Festival Gala. Gree's smart factories now support flexible production, and the company maintains control over core component technologies.
As one of the most influential female entrepreneurs in China, Dong advised young women entering the workforce to identify a direction they are passionate about.
This year's government work report explicitly called for comprehensive measures to address "involution-style" competition. As the leader of a leading home appliance company, Dong commented, "We insist on not engaging in 'involution,' but if others choose to, there is little we can do."
She analyzed that many companies, in pursuit of higher sales volume, fall into a vicious cycle, mistakenly believing that low price is the only factor consumers care about. "If you offer low prices but still want to profit, the only way is to cut corners," Dong stated. She warned that such practices are highly damaging—consumers end up with subpar products, experience poor performance, and face hidden issues like energy waste and unreliable after-sales service. "Frequent repairs, especially high energy consumption, inflict hidden costs on consumers that they may not fully understand."
To address this, she suggested that the government strengthen quality controls and require clear labeling for consumers. "For example, regarding the use of copper versus aluminum in air conditioners, if a product uses aluminum, it should be clearly indicated, along with an appropriate price point. Likewise, copper-based products should be priced accordingly."
Last year, Gree began promoting the "Dong Mingzhu Healthy Home" concept nationwide, attracting significant attention. While some attribute this to the extension of Dong's personal brand, she offered a different perspective.
"This is actually a very interesting question," she said. Gree has long been committed to quality and is deeply rooted in the air conditioning sector, where consumers often think of Gree first. However, Gree is no longer solely an air conditioning company but a comprehensive home appliance manufacturer offering refrigerators, washing machines, kitchen appliances, and other household products.
"If we want consumers to reassess Gree's home appliance products, I believe the name 'Dong Mingzhu' carries the most significance. Everyone knows that Dong Mingzhu is the legal representative and Chairperson of the company—she takes responsibility for the enterprise."
When discussing the progress of the Healthy Home initiative, Dong admitted that it is "not yet sufficient." With changing consumer habits, the rollout must accelerate. Criteria such as store size and operator mindset must meet established standards, with the goal of creating a full-category, whole-house design service system rather than traditional retail stores.
As artificial intelligence sweeps across industries, the smart economy has also become a highlight of this year's government work report. Dong noted that Gree integrated AI into both production and products long ago.
"For instance, last year one of our automated factories was recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a 'pioneer-level' smart factory, which necessarily incorporates AI technology," she explained. On certain flexible production lines, multiple products can be manufactured, with the system gradually optimizing through continuous operation.
Dong revealed that AI has been embedded in Gree's products for years. "The characteristic is that, based on long-term usage habits, the system automatically analyzes and selects the optimal mode for the user, which may also improve energy efficiency." Therefore, while the smart economy is a hot topic for many, Dong considers it "already past the hype stage" for Gree.
Amid fierce market competition, Gree provided subsidies to distributors last year but emphasized that "not everyone receives them," instead adopting a "reward the good, penalize the underperforming" approach.
Dong explained that distributors faced thin profit margins due to intense competition. "I believe we are in an era of win-win cooperation. I would rather sacrifice some of our profit to support them." Subsidies were allocated based on distributors' product sales performance and scale, with rewards given accordingly.
When asked if this approach also constitutes "anti-involution," Dong waved her hand and said, "We simply believe that a company has a responsibility to ensure that every Gree distributor can operate profitably."
As one of China's most influential female entrepreneurs, Dong offered sincere advice to young women starting their careers. She noted that graduates entering the workforce are often inexperienced, and society should provide them with more space—avoiding exploiting their naivety through temptation or misguidance, which can lead to confusion, anxiety, or disengagement.
"Looking back, the reality is that we have not created a sufficiently supportive environment for them," she reflected.
To young people themselves, she encouraged finding a direction they love but cautioned against becoming impatient or influenced solely by trendy online thinking. "Many may be reluctant to enter the real economy, especially manufacturing, considering it both demanding and monotonous," she observed. Noting that more young people are entering fields like gaming and content creation, she expressed hope that they would use these platforms to promote positive values.
Reflecting on Gree's intelligent transformation, Dong highlighted the company's commitment to self-reliance and independent innovation, ensuring that key core technologies remain in its own hands. "It's fair to say we planned ahead, so today our factories are largely fully automated, with the remainder steadily progressing." The company's R&D and response to market demands are not only rapid but often anticipatory.
On the topic of competitors entering the robotics field, Dong noted that Gree has had a presence there for some time—"Our robots appeared in the Spring Festival Gala as early as 2019." She believes that if everyone rushes into the same sector, a process of natural selection is inevitable.
However, Gree remains focused on its main businesses—air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and other consumer goods. "These are items consumers will always need. We should invest greater effort here, developing more advanced products." At the same time, Gree will continue to upgrade its home appliance offerings using advanced equipment such as CNC machine tools, constantly expanding into products related to health and daily life.
Comments