In the past, time-honored brands were not the first choice for young people’s employment. However, Han Yuting, born in the 2000s, chose this unusual path. Since the summer vacation of her junior year, she has been exposed to time-honored brands such as “Shao Wansheng” and “Sanyang Nanhuo Store”. After graduation, she directly entered Sanyang Nanhuo Store and has now become the youngest store manager. Free innovation is the key to her career choice.
Han Yuting participated in the Shaowansheng Public Entrepreneurship Training Base through the Huangpu District’s “Old Brand · New Vitality” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Special Action. During the training period, she gained a comprehensive understanding of the time-honored brands under Shao Wansheng, from commercial store operations to market research and product packaging innovation. She found that the Zongzi sold by Shao Wansheng was ordinary, and only the brand name was printed on the outer package. Han Yuting, relying on her own painting skills, drew a cartoon version of Zongzi’s outer packaging, matched with water ripple patterns and Loong Boat elements, which was immediately recognized by the business operator and put into production.
Good ideas receive immediate feedback, and time-honored brands really need young people like us. “Since the training, Han Yuting and her classmates have led the promotion and innovation of nearly 20 products, and now almost all the golden ideas have been implemented. She also has broad personal development space.
Not only Han Yuting, but also the “Old Brand · New Vitality” innovation and entrepreneurship special action for many years, and has cooperated with many universities. Students can participate in the innovation research of old brands in the form of research groups.
Shen Jie, a second year graduate student majoring in art at East China University of Science and Technology, joined the research group during her school years and participated in 5 innovative projects for time-honored brands. During this period, she will embark on an internship at a time-honored enterprise and will also seek employment in this direction in the future.
In the “Old Brand · New Vitality” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Special Action, the establishment of the Old Brand Public Entrepreneurship Training Base provides students with practical opportunities before graduation, and then enables them to become full-time employees or engage in research related to old brands, achieving high-quality employment and career growth. Over the past five years, a total of 167 innovative demands have been released, resulting in 51 intended cooperation outcomes. Not only does it provide job opportunities, but it can also carry the dreams of youth innovation and entrepreneurship, allowing young people who participate in actions to achieve a “two-way journey” with time-honored brands.
This year, the “Old Brand · New Vitality” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Special Action in Huangpu District was selected as a service case in the United Nations’ “Shanghai Handbook: 21st Century Urban Sustainable Development Guide”. It will showcase Huangpu District’s high-quality entrepreneurial environment and strong innovation vitality to the world, providing practical measures for urban actors and helping to promote the localization process of sustainable development goals.
