On May 10, during "Chinese Brands Day," the first batch of 30 recommended sites for the "Travel with Brands" experience program was officially announced. The CRRC Changchun brand experience site and the FAW Hongqi brand experience site in Jilin Province were selected.

Recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the development of the service sector, emphasizing the need to "cultivate more 'China Service' brands" . The State Council's Opinions on Promoting the Expansion and Quality Improvement of the Service Sector calls for "supporting enterprises in strengthening brand building and communication, and creating new scenarios for brand experiences". To implement the decisions and policies of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on brand development, and to leverage the guiding role of brands and the driving effect of tourism, the Department of Industrial Development of the National Development and Reform Commission, together with the Department of Industrial Development of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, launched the "Travel with Brands" initiative. Based on criteria including strong brand reputation, distinctive value, and rich experiential content, while also taking regional balance and industry representation into consideration, the first batch of 30 brand experience sites was selected.

The "Travel with Brands" experience sites serve as an innovative platform for advancing brand development, showcasing brand image, and creating brand experience scenarios. Relying on enterprises with outstanding brand strength and technological innovation capabilities, these sites offer open and immersive experiences, enhance cultural and tourism interaction, and enrich cultural narratives, thereby creating a series of memorable and engaging brand communication platforms. The initiative not only helps further enhance the influence of Chinese brands, but also leverages branding to foster new growth drivers for cultural and tourism consumption, while supporting the expansion and quality upgrading of such consumption.

The brand experience sites announced this time cover 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) as well as separately planned cities, spanning four major categories: manufacturing, producer services, agriculture, and cultural industries. "Travel with Brands" highlights the strength of Chinese manufacturing: represented by FAW Group, CRRC Changchun, and YTO Group — iconic "first factories" from the First Five-Year Plan period — these sites demonstrate how major national equipment has supported the rise of the country. Represented by Changan Automobile and BYD, they showcase the development path of the automotive industry as it builds core technologies and establishes an innovation-driven reputation. Represented by Yili, Haier, and Anta, they present vivid examples of how the consumer goods industry meets people's aspirations for a better life. It also highlights the role of modern services in enabling industrial transformation, represented by Shandong Port Group and Deyang Inspection & Testing, showcasing the strong support provided by high-value service sectors such as modern logistics and inspection & testing for the upgrading of manufacturing. In addition, it captures the value leap from soil to gold, represented by Wuchang rice in Heilongjiang and Xinjiang's Eprhan Spice, reflecting the value orientation of cultivating regionally distinctive products while respecting the spirit of labor. It further presents the living heritage of intangible cultural crafts, represented by Hangzhou silk and Jianshui Zitao (a traditional iron-rich, hand-polished ceramic from Yunnan), highlighting the craftsmanship spirit and cultural confidence embodied in traditional Chinese crafts, as well as the revitalization of traditional industries through innovation.

"Travel with Brands" opens a new window into Chinese brands.  When enterprises' technological strength, manufacturing craftsmanship, and cultural depth are deeply integrated with the public's on-site experiences, emotional resonance, and value recognition, the brand stories of the modern industrial system gain more vivid platforms for expression. The arduous yet progressive development journey of Chinese brands also finds a new pathway for communication. The hallmark brands of "Made in China" and "China Service" will shine ever brighter.

Source: National Development and Reform Commission, Changchun Release  Editor: Liu Jiadi