Written By Song Xiangqian (Alan Song) CEO of Harvest Capital

"Vileness is the pass for the vile, nobility is the epitaph for the noble." This sentence is from the poem "Reply" by the poet Bei Dao. Behind this beautiful juxtaposition, I discern the vicissitudes of time and the joys and sorrows of life. Observing life, one realizes that behind the tranquility of time, there is always someone carrying the burden for you. Reverence for heaven and love for humanity do not always reap understanding, while the vile always seem to find an unimpeded pass to survive in the world.

Amidst rumors of a lockdown, the entire city of Shanghai awaited the arrival of midnight like a New Year's Eve, picking up the pen to write the second diary entry after the unsealing. I firmly believe that words are the gymnastics of thought, language is the freedom of will. Standing on the side of common sense and conscience, using the inspiration bestowed by the night to dispel the darkness and seek the light.

01

A farcical play of public opinion

After this year's 315 Gala exposed the atrocious manufacturing process of "Old Tan Pickled Mustard Greens," various pieces of information began to ferment on the internet, implicating two instant noodle giants, Kangshifu and Uni-President. Subsequently, the product "Old Tan Pickled Mustard Greens Noodles" was all taken off the shelves, and the two companies successively issued public apologies, stating that they would strictly control quality in the future. In addition to Kang and Uni-President, the two giants, Today's and White Elephant, also issued statements, saying that they had not cooperated with the implicated pickled vegetable production company, reassuring the public that they can consume their products with confidence.

Ironically, the surging public opinion did not hold onto Kangshifu, Uni-President, and the culprit "Inserting Flags Vegetable Industry." Instead, public opinion, with an uncanny consensus, found the next center of the storm. Numerous articles spread rumors that among the four instant noodle giants in China, only one is a domestic brand, and the other three are all Japanese-controlled enterprises. Even on Today's live streaming platform, users harassed and made a female anchor cry, forcing Today's to come forward multiple times with statements, affirming that they are a 100% domestic private enterprise.

For Today's, as long as the quality is assured, food safety is guaranteed, and it operates in compliance with the law, whether it is a foreign-funded enterprise or not should not be a reason to trample on it. It is precisely because China has resolutely implemented "reform and opening up" that it has achieved its current status as the world's economic center. This is the result of joint efforts and cooperation between domestic and foreign-funded enterprises, state-owned and private enterprises.

Since the 19th of this month, Today's, seeking to be spared, has repeatedly emphasized its 100% Chinese private enterprise identity. Interestingly, Today's competitors are highly praised, even for past stories such as employing disabled people and rejecting Japanese acquisition attempts. The taste of instant noodles has not been smelled, but the taste of marketing is overwhelming, with a hint of conspiracy. This self-speaking and self-proving network hype and marketing farce instantly disrupted the normal business competition pattern in China, lowered the moral bottom line of commercial society, and to some extent, also broke through human conscience and business ethics. I can't help but ask, is it so difficult to conduct fair and legitimate business competition?

02

"Taking a Stand" with Chinese Consumption, Harvest in Action

Both parties involved are my old friends and acquaintances. I have no intention of blaming anyone, as Chairman Mao once said, "Without investigation, there is no right to speak." Moreover, expected investigations and possible legal proceedings against unfair competition are on the way, and the truth will not be left "white." I will not deny Harvest Capital's investment of 600 million RMB, fully supporting Today's ambition and willingness to become the "Nestle" and "Kraft" of China.

In January of this year, Harvest Capital and Today's jointly announced that they had reached a cooperation agreement. Harvest Capital has always been committed to supporting Chinese consumption, helping national brands, entering the worldly life, and empowering people's lives. Today's is one of the few industry giants that spans both the food and beverage tracks in the country, ranking among the top 500 private enterprises in China, with a revenue scale exceeding 20 billion RMB and the potential to become a national consumer brand with the ability to endorse categories.

After the incident, I contacted Mr. Fan, the CEO of Today's, for the first time. We both believe that it is acceptable to clarify and declare externally, unprecedentedly using "not a penny of foreign capital" to prove oneself, and prevent resistance from causing unintended harm. However, it does not mean bowing to the internet's dark and evil forces that manipulate populism; there needs to be a "clean-up" action online. The Cyberspace Administration of China is also vigorously conducting a series of special actions for a "clear and bright" internet environment, and the day when the online environment is clear and calm will eventually come.

The business world welcomes competition, and orderly business competition brings consumer benefits, drives industry progress, and creates consumer surplus. The consumer goods world places more emphasis on marketing, as Kotler once said: "All media can be retailed, and all retail can be media." However, in being human, one should have virtue, and in business, one should have ethics. Pure national sentiments are often exploited by divisive business marketing, and social morality is often kidnapped by baseness, with arrows of slander quietly shooting at the innocent "Today's." The shouts of self-proclaimed justice often become accomplices in harming innocent enterprises. Self-proving "no foreign capital" is a trap. Today, it may let Today's prove the distinction between domestic and foreign capital, and tomorrow, it may let everyone prove whether they are "good or bad" or "big or small." The endless harm of "bloodline theory" has no end. For the public, do not dance to the tune of the flute that incites national sentiment; it will naturally wither and die.

From Hongxing Erke to Today's, from wild consumption to innocently taking the blame, the capricious national sentiment and unpredictable business environment seem to have turned everyone into Truman. Occasionally, companies may unintentionally cater to "bloodline theory" and taste the sweetness of populism and national sentiment. Some companies even deliberately pursue this toxic "milking." However, this approach can greatly damage our reform and opening up, harm the country's reputation, and disrupt a healthy and orderly business environment. Today, with the regulation of the platform economy, the "Anti-Monopoly Law" has finally grown teeth, and we look forward to China's "Anti-Unfair Competition Law" growing its teeth as well.

The General Secretary has said that "the Internet has never been a lawless place." The tricks of manipulating populism to promote marketing are being exploited by a few unscrupulous marketing companies and public relations by enterprises. Compared to marketing plans that create opposition, it is more worthwhile to ask: why can this "enterprise bloodline theory" trigger so many mindless online responses? Who is creating this online violence and opposition? Who is repeatedly using rumor-mongering and manipulating populist methods to stage stories of "expelling the good and keeping the bad" for brands on the Internet? In an era of relatively confined online space, why is the obviously anti-intellectual "online Boxer Movement" so prevalent? How can we create a fair business environment in our online world and truly become the "law net" and "clean net" that leaves no room for public sentiment?

03

Rivers Won't Reverse Their Flow

Every grain of rice and every mouthful of food should be appreciated for its difficulty. From the time of the industrial revolution, humanity has shared the benefits of technological development and social progress. Today's food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and all aspects of life owe their progress to advances in productivity and socio-economic development, including the Western industrial revolution and recent technological advancements. Consumer goods have no borders, just like science knows no boundaries. Whether it's toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilets, bathtubs, or larger items like mice, computers, and network satellites, we live in a world full of so-called "foreign goods." Our world is also more harmonious and civilized due to the contributions of the Chinese nation.

As an essential part of the axial civilization, Chinese civilization has always been governed by "ritual, righteousness, thrift, and shame" since the Zhou Dynasty. However, the current fierce online public opinion seems to be squandering the thousand-year heritage of this ancient civilization. The online warriors might as well shut down the servers, unplug the network cables, and completely withdraw from the modern world, returning peacefully to the Stone Age. The "bloodline theory" of domestic and foreign capital and the "withdrawal of private economy" are offspring of the same demon. Essentially, they are expressions against a market economy, social progress, and science. To some extent, they represent a great regression in social intellectualism and the complete failure of the Enlightenment movement.

Premier Li Keqiang, in response to a question from a reporter of Japan's Kyodo News during this year's two sessions, emphatically stated, "I want to make it clear that, no matter how the international situation may change, China will steadfastly expand its opening up. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers won't reverse their flows. In the past over 40 years, China has always advanced through reform and developed through opening up. As long as it is conducive to expanding high-level opening up, we are willing to actively do it, and we will firmly uphold the multilateral trading system, which is also in our own development interests. China has been open to the outside world for more than 40 years. Its development has benefited its people and the world. This is a gateway of opportunity, and we will never and cannot close it." The Premier's speech is uplifting, a heartfelt declaration to history, and a resolute proclamation for the future.

—"If heaven is sentimental, time will age; the correct path in the human world lies in vicissitudes."