While the martial arts masters of Chenjiagou in Wen County, Henan, are still pushing hands and starting their forms in the morning light, another kind of "kung fu" is quietly unfolding with deep intensity in a factory not far from the martial arts township. Starting from a single production line supplying raw materials for Mixue Bingcheng, DAKA International, known as Mixue Bingcheng's central factory, has quietly grown into an industry giant with annual revenue approaching 10 billion yuan. Wen County, this agricultural county in Henan, is not only the "birthplace of Tai Chi" and the "hometown of the four great Huai medicinal herbs," but has also quietly become a core global production base for tea beverage ingredients. In this county located in northwestern Henan province, a fascinating fusion is taking place, driven by the dual engines of industrial roots and cultural breakout, tradition and modernity.
On January 19, 2025, in the Economic Development Zone of Wen County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, the Snow King mascot of Mixue Bingcheng. Rural revitalization begins with industry. In early 2025, during a press conference on the "Comprehensive Rural Revitalization Plan (2024-2027)," a responsible official from the National Development and Reform Commission stated that a key task for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization in the coming years is to promote the high-quality development of rural industries and increase farmers' incomes. This includes building a modern rural industrial system, deepening the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in rural areas, strengthening measures to increase farmers' income, and comprehensively promoting rural consumption.
The path of industrial upgrading in Wen County is a typical model of integrated development along the "point-chain-cluster" path. In terms of resource endowment, Wen County's starting point is its very traditional agricultural resources: the annual output of iron rod yam is nearly 100,000 tons, with an output value reaching 3 billion yuan, continuously holding the top position for Jiaozuo Huai yam; its wheat cultivation has a long history, earning it the reputation as the "hometown of wheat." If it stopped here, Wen County would be just another story of a county with agricultural specialties.
On the path of rural revitalization, Wen County does not stop there. When young people around the world drink Mixue Bingcheng, they might not know that the ingredients in their cups come from the hometown of Tai Chi; when martial arts enthusiasts travel to Chenjiagou to study, they are also surprised to find that this place harbors a global central kitchen for tea beverages. The most iconic leap for Wen County is undoubtedly the "Snow King" phenomenon. This enterprise, which started by supplying tea beverage ingredients for Mixue Bingcheng, has now built a globally leading production base for tea beverage raw materials. It is not just a factory, but a hub: connecting upwards to global origins for tea, dairy products, fruits, and more, and radiating downwards to over 50,000 Mixue Bingcheng stores worldwide.
This supply chain drives an annual output value of tens of billions of yuan, further transforming Wen County from a mere geographical coordinate into a value coordinate within the global tea beverage industry. The progression of Wen County's industry, from "growing yams" to "formulating tea drinks," is a microcosm of rural revitalization's shift from resource dependency to climbing the value chain. The most direct manifestation of industrial revitalization is the tangible benefits it brings to farmers. Taking the ripple effect of the "Snow King" as an example, public information shows that DAKA International, fully leveraging its role as a national key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization, has combined with local yam industry advantages to successively research and develop products like yam cans and yam powder, broadening the yam product industry chain and promoting industrial revitalization.
Its annual procurement volume of local agricultural and sideline products reaches 150 million yuan, greatly expanding the sales channels for these products, helping over 8,000 farming households onto the path to prosperity, and promoting the upgrade of the agricultural industry. In terms of rural industrial revitalization, in 2024, all 262 village-level collective economies in Wen County achieved an annual income exceeding 50,000 yuan. Among them, 182 villages had incomes over 100,000 yuan, accounting for 69%; 52 villages had incomes over 500,000 yuan, accounting for 20%; and 22 villages had incomes over 1 million yuan. Furthermore, the integration of industry and culture has opened a new development path for Wen County—leveraging the two international IPs of Tai Chi and Mixue Bingcheng to create the Tai Chi-Mixue Cultural Tourism Integration Demonstration Zone.
According to statistics, the county received 8.03 million tourist visits in 2024, generating tourism revenue of 650 million yuan, representing growth of 12% and 19.4% respectively. As the "Holy Land of Tai Chi" and the "Origin of Mixue Tea Drinks" together constitute Wen County's city IP, the "one martial, one beverage" combination has升华ed from an industrial symbol to a cultural symbol, carving out a new track for county-level cultural tourism that is "both rooted and trending." This practice of integrating tradition and modernity, industry and culture, as seen in Wen County, is quietly growing across the Central Plains, awaiting the arrival of its next breakout moment.
