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"LAO-ZI-HAO", which means "time-honored brands" in Chinese, is a national honor to companies whose products have stood the test of time and are widely recognized.
First launched by the Chaoyang District government of Beijing, the National Fair for Chinese Time-Honored Brands is running in its second year in "Chinatown Shopping Centre" near the Olympic Park.
From brewed beverages made in Harbin, baked pancakes from Shandong, to Sichuan spicy bean sauce and Shanxi vinegar, there’s no need to go back to your hometown if you’re longing for a familiar taste.
Mu Fangzhou says, "Here you can grab a bite of authentic snacks from all parts of the country.And standing right beside me is a master chef from Zhejiang Province, now he’s gonna show you his best trick."
Wu Jianming, a sesame cookie maker says, "Whenever I demonstrate this skill here in the mall, people are attracted to my booth, and they do enjoy my cookies. But the skill is actually quite ancient. When the recipe was first created by our ancestors, they invented this skill to avoid using hands, in order to keep the cookies fresh and clean. So you see there’s simple wisdom in our precious heritages. "
In 2011, Chinatown Shopping Centre in Beijing turned its ground floor into a retro fair, inviting hundreds of time-honored brands to present their products together. The fair soon became one of the most influential platforms for brand promotion. This year the category has expanded from food to other forms of art, including traditional handicrafts and painting.
Qing Linhai, the manager of Beijing Miao Art Centre says, "We come from a remote area of Southwest China’s Guizhou Province, and it’s a pleasure joining this fair in the capital of China. For the Miao and Gelao people in my hometown, painting is our exclusive language to keep track of our lives, so it’s inspiring to see shoppers here are interested in our culture. They will ask about the meanings of the paintings. "
The fair is set to last five months till the end of this October. Several individual events are also on schedule, including a summit of company leaders, a business competition of salesclerks, and a treasure hunting gala for shoppers, which all hope to create excitement among the public.
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