Around the 20th year of the Republic of China, Wu Baiheng, an influential national industrialist, emerged in Wenzhou. With the dream of saving the country through industry, he gradually embarked on the road of establishing national industry. When Wu Baiheng was young, his family

Around the 20th year of the Republic of China, Wenzhou had a relatively influential national industrialist Wu Baiheng. With the dream of saving the country through industry, he gradually embarked on the road of establishing national industry.

When Wu Baiheng was young, his family was poor. His father was a hawker and supported the family by setting up a snack stall. Wu Baiheng was diligent and studious since he was a child. After graduating from a missionary school, he entered Wenzhou Puyi Pharmacy as an apprentice in 1911. A few years later, he was appreciated by his father-in-law for his outstanding work, and he funded Wu Baiheng's business. Moreover, his father-in-law betrothed his daughter Chen Ji'an to his wife.

Wu Baiheng founded Baiheng Pharmacy in 1923. Because he was good at management and the business was very good, he not only accumulated a sum of funds, but also accumulated rich marketing experience. To lay the foundation for better development in the future.

Later, after conducting market research for a period of time, he decided to invest in the dairy industry. In 1926, he founded my country's first dairy factory, Baihao Condensed Milk Factory, in Ruian, and designed the product trademark with the pattern of "catching the carvings in the day"; the next year, he registered it with the Trademark Office of the Nanjing Central Government at that time to prepare for future business negotiations with foreign businessmen. The trademark lawsuit was foreshadowed in advance;

Photo of the pharmacy founded by Wu Baiheng in 1923

The product trademark registered by Wu Baiheng for the production of dairy products

At that time, in the 1920s, the condensed milk products on the Chinese market were all manufactured by the British manufacturer Flying Eagle. Monopoly operation, and frequent out-of-stock situations in the Wenzhou market, Wu Baiheng spotted the huge opportunity in the condensed milk market, and after countless experiments, he finally produced a new product that was comparable to foreign products. Once on the market, the response was good, so Wu Baiheng founded my country's first dairy factory in 1926, named Wenzhou Baihao Condensed Milk Factory, and used "Hundred Days to Capture the Eagle" as the registered trademark of the product; this trademark means breaking the British The "Flying Eagle" condensed milk produced by Rui Company monopolized the Chinese market; in the following years, the scale of the company developed rapidly and became the first modern factory with semi-mechanized production in the country at that time. The annual output reached a maximum of 26,000 boxes and 200,000 pounds of butter, which was still in short supply. In 1929, it won the special prize at the West Lake Expo.

The British-Swiss Condensed Milk Company was jealous of the development of China's dairy companies and tried to acquire its trademark at a high price of 100,000 Ocean , but was rejected. Later, charges were filed for infringement of the "Eagle" trademark. In court, because Wu Baiheng registered the trademark first, he finally won the trademark lawsuit, which was very valuable in the social situation at that time and greatly boosted the aspirations of the Chinese people.

Unwilling to fail, the British businessmen came up with another plan. They bought a batch of Baihao condensed milk products in the market to stockpile them, and then put them into the Fuzhou market after they went bad, in an attempt to destroy the reputation of their products. When Wu Baiheng heard the news, he resolutely bought back all the spoiled condensed milk at all costs, and dumped it in the river in public. This shattered the conspiracy of the British businessmen and caused a sensation in Fuzhou City at that time. On the contrary, it made the "Eagle Capture" condensed milk famous.

Mr. Wu Baiheng has never been blindly xenophobic. He has visited abroad many times to learn advanced foreign technologies, expand factories, introduce advanced production equipment, and add special equipment for condensed milk plants: vacuum evaporator, fresh milk preheater , condensed milk cooler , cream mixer and other advanced foreign equipment, strive to improve product quality and competitiveness, and strive to expand the scale of production and operation. In short, in the process of fighting wits and courage with British businessmen, Baihao Condensed Milk Factory continued to grow and develop step by step.

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the government of the Republic of China was corrupt and incompetent, and prices fluctuated greatly. Wu Baiheng founded a bank to absorb deposits. Seeing opportunities, he successively opened paper mills, breweries, etc., and his influence in Wenzhou's industrial and commercial circles increased day by day, becoming a prominent figure. A great industrialist with vision and perseverance. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, because the enterprises he founded were all industrial and beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood, Wu Baiheng changed his condensed milk factory, Xishan Porcelain Factory, and Xicei Paper Factory into public-private partnerships with the correct guidance of the government.In 1958, Paihao was expanded into Wenzhou Dairy Factory and Ruian Paihao Dairy Factory. Its products also expanded from a single condensed milk to whole milk powder, cream, malted milk and other products;

Photo of the gate of Wenzhou Paihao Dairy Factory, a public-private partnership in 1958

Wu Baiheng was shrewd, cautious, and good at management all his life. He started from scratch, and his production and operation scale increased from small to large. During this period, he experienced many ups and downs. He never backed down and was unyielding in the face of difficulties, which reflected the perseverance, integrity and style of a Wenzhou national industrialist.

Wu Baiheng himself was successively elected as the people's representative of Zhejiang Province and Wenzhou City, member of the CPPCC Committee of Zhejiang Province and Wenzhou City, and a member of the Zhejiang Province Federation of Industry and Commerce.