How do people from Sichuan make money? The local icon Li Boqing once outlined a sixteen-character philosophy: find money in leisure, earn money to enjoy leisure, combine earning and enjoyment, with enjoyment as the priority.
The essence of "enjoyment" is freedom, with the ultimate goal being to earn money almost effortlessly.
Applying this philosophy to business management offers some insight. Companies that grow large and strong undoubtedly prioritize "showing face" and taking good care of their people.
Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. is clearly following this path.
According to a report on June 25th, the Korea Tourism Organization announced that 5,000 employees and executives from China's Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. Group will begin visiting South Korea in batches starting that day.
The report states that the Korea Tourism Organization's Chengdu branch had been promoting group travel packages to local liquor companies and conducted targeted marketing towards Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. Group, which was planning an incentive travel program, "ultimately successfully attracting 5,000 group tourists."
According to the report, the 5,000 Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. staff will depart from Shanghai in two groups aboard an Ada Cruises ship. The first group of 2,500 will visit Jeju from the 25th to the 29th, while the second group of 2,500 will visit Busan from the 29th to the 3rd of the following month.
Based on cruise pricing and various subsidies, the estimated actual cost for Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. for this 5,000-person, 5-day, 4-night trip should not exceed 10 million yuan.
It is worth noting that in late October last year, Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. also made a foray into South Korea. At that time, a series of events for the 2025 APEC CEO Summit were held in South Korea, where Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. appeared as a "Platinum Sponsor" and "Official Baijiu Partner."
During that period, Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. also held a themed pop-up event at a trendy Seoul landmark. Chairman Zeng Congqin led a team to visit key South Korean marketing channels such as Incheon International Airport's duty-free shops and Lotte Mart liquor stores.
According to the report, Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. entered the South Korean market around 1997-1998. By the early 2000s, many Chinese liquor brands had entered South Korea, but the market was not well-regulated and was flooded with counterfeit products. In 2006, senior executives from Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. personally went to South Korea to propose "anti-counterfeiting" measures, which yielded positive results.
Two decades later, Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd. is now making another significant move. This large-scale trip for 5,000 people can naturally amplify the brand's overseas presence and potentially pave the way for future cooperation channels, such as Wuliangye Yibin Co.,Ltd.'s overseas distributor conferences, international tastings, and cross-border corporate business events.
In related news, Goldman Sachs has stated that the worst period for China's baijiu sector has passed.
A recent Goldman Sachs research report characterizes the current liquor industry as being in the "very early stages of recovery, but showing signs of stabilization": supply-side reductions are accelerating, wholesale prices for key mid-to-high-end products are stabilizing, and channel inventory is becoming healthier.
Goldman Sachs believes the most difficult inventory destocking phase for China's baijiu industry is over. However, broader commercial demand recovery still awaits confirmation, hindered by macroeconomic uncertainties.
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