Recently, led by Zhou Jianghua, Associate Dean of Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS), and Lecturer Li Lun, the “Jixi Enterprise Navigator” Practice Team headed for Jixi County, Anhui Province. The team jointly built a university student social practice base with the Communist Youth League Jixi County Committee, conducted comprehensive field research covering high-end manufacturing, digital e-commerce, pharmaceutical healthcare, characteristic agriculture, confidential printing and other industries. Meanwhile, the team carried out themed League study activities at century-old Hui ink workshops and Hu Shi Former Residence. This initiative builds a bridge for collaborative talent cultivation between university and local authorities as well as industry-university-research integration, and explores brand-new pathways for the digital and intelligent transformation of mountainous counties in southern Anhui.

I. Establishing a Joint Practice Base to Build a Long-Term University-Local Cooperation Platform

On the morning of July 14, the unveiling ceremony for the University Student Social Practice Base jointly built by the Communist Youth League Jixi County Committee of Xuancheng City and BNUBS was successfully held at the Jixi County Administrative Conference Center. Xing Hairui, Member of the Standing Committee of Jixi County Party Committee and Director of the Organization Department; Li Xiaolong, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Science, Technology, Economy and Information Technology; Wang Dehui, Associate Secretary of the Communist Youth League Jixi County Committee; Zhou Jianghua, Associate Dean of BNUBS, Lecturer Li Lun and all faculty and student team members attended the ceremony.

At the opening of the ceremony, all participants watched Exclusive Jixi, a promotional video on county-level development. The video showcased Jixi’s time-honored Huizhou cultural heritage, the industrial layout of specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative manufacturers and digital e-commerce, and presented an integrated development panorama of primary, secondary and tertiary industries within the county.

Xing Hairui delivered an address. Referencing the profound cultural ties between Mr. Hu Shi and Beijing Normal University, he elaborated on the inherent foundation for bilateral cooperation. He pointed out that previous short-term university study visits were fragmented and lacked sustainability. The unveiling of the social practice base will create a regular collaborative platform. The county Party committee and government made three commitments to guarantee cooperation: first, set up a special service task force to fully support faculty and student research, and hold special review meetings upon the conclusion of practice activities to absorb professional suggestions from the university; second, fully open research resources including intelligent manufacturing parks, digital e-commerce bases, agricultural industrial belts and Huizhou cultural exhibition halls, and connect local entrepreneurs to provide access to frontline interviews; third, establish a long-term communication mechanism to continuously draw on the university’s disciplinary strengths to support the digital transformation of local enterprises.

Zhou Jianghua, Associate Dean of BNUBS, outlined the one-week summer practice plan. He stressed that economic and management theories should be rooted in industrial realities. The research would cover diverse business forms including high-end new materials, precision automobile manufacturing, established heavy industry, livestream e-commerce and Huizhou cultural tourism. Upon completion of the practice, the team will systematically organize first-hand enterprise data, compile county industrial research reports and develop localized teaching cases. Relying on the base as a bond, the School expects to realize two-way empowerment between university talent and academic resources and local development demands, and steadily advance long-term government-university-industry-research cooperation.

 

 

Scene of the signing ceremony

 

Subsequently, representatives from both sides signed the cooperation agreement for the University Student Social Practice Base on site. Minister Xing Hairui and Associate Dean Zhou Jianghua jointly unveiled the plaque, formally establishing a long-term, stable and mutually beneficial university-local collaborative framework. Moving forward, the School will regularly organize faculty and students to conduct field practice, research projects and case development in Jixi, translate frontline experience of county-level digital transformation into classroom teaching materials, and jointly cultivate interdisciplinary economics and management talents for the digital economy.

 

 

Scene of the unveiling ceremony

II.Themed League Study to Explore Huizhou Cultural Heritage: Visiting Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshops and Celebrity Former Residence to Forge Youth Aspirations

During field investigations, the practice team carried out distinctive themed League activities alongside industrial research schedules. The team visited Jixi Museum, time-honored Laohukaiwen Ink Factory and Hu Shi Former Residence. The activities deeply integrated the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, the study of Huizhou family traditions with ideological and political education for young people, enabling participants to appreciate local cultural heritage and consolidate youth responsibility through experiential learning.

(1) Touring Jixi Museum: Exploring How Huizhou Merchant Spirit Empowers Industrial Development

Between enterprise visits, the practice team conducted League study at Jixi Museum. The museum preserves abundant county historical archives, Huizhou-style wood carvings, traditional costumes and restored ancient architecture exhibits, vividly recreating the historical scenes of Huizhou merchants traveling afar for business and artisans pursuing exquisite craftsmanship. The pragmatic, innovative and industry-focused spirit of Huizhou merchants echoes the development path adopted by local enterprises expanding national markets via digital technologies. The millennia-long Huizhou cultural heritage provides enduring spiritual impetus for the development of manufacturing and e-commerce industries in the county.

(2) Visiting Laohukaiwen Ink Factory: Exploring New Pathways for the Digital Inheritance of Intangible Cultural Heritage

At Laohukaiwen Ink Factory, team members observed the complete set of traditional handcrafting procedures of Hui ink, including smoke making, glue blending, pounding, shaping and ink seasoning, and gained direct experience of the century-old craftsmanship spirit behind this millennia-old intangible cultural heritage. Fueled by the popularity of the TV drama Family Legacy, Hui ink culture has regained public attention. Seizing such traffic opportunities, the ink factory embraces digital communication models: it popularizes ink-making techniques via short videos, expands sales through online cultural and creative stores, and builds digital online exhibition halls to display intangible cultural heritage history. These measures break the closed circle of traditional heritage and help the time-honored brand reach broader audiences.

 

 

Group photo taken during the visit to Laohukaiwen Ink Factory

(3) Exploring Hu Shi Former Residence: Understanding the Core Spirit of Valuing Education in Huizhou

The second stop of the League study was Hu Shi Former Residence for immersive learning. Based on documentary archives, historical relics and scene restoration displays in the museum, faculty and students reviewed Hu Shi’s academic journey, advanced educational concepts and humanistic thoughts, and deeply perceived the unique heritage of valuing education and commerce that has prevailed in Huizhou for thousands of years.

 

 

Group photo taken during the visit to Hu Shi Former Residence

III. Delving into the Real Economy: Visiting Enterprises of Diverse Business Forms to Explore Pathways for Integrating Digital Technology with the Real Economy

Over four days, the practice team completed field visits covering ten business sectors, comprehensively collecting practical samples of digital transformation across industries in Jixi, and sorting out transformation status and challenges in manufacturing, e-commerce, pharmaceutical, agriculture and specialized printing industries by category.

(1) Manufacturing Sector: Research on New Materials, Auto Components and Heavy Industry Enterprises

On July 14 and 15, the team visited three specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative manufacturing enterprises. On July 14, the team toured Anhui Fukai Special Materials Co., Ltd. and Anhui Xiaoxiao Technology Co., Ltd. Anhui Fukai Special Materials operates full-process intelligent smelting and rolling production lines, and develops differentiated special material products through industry-university-research collaboration. Anhui Xiaoxiao Technology has built flexible intelligent production lines and iterated products multiple times to tap into the new energy track. On July 15, the team visited Huangshan Hengjiu Chain Transmission Co., Ltd. As a long-established chain manufacturer, it avoids cutthroat industrial competition via full-process digital management and strives to become a hidden champion by focusing on market niches.

 

 

Exchange and discussion at Fukai Special Materials Co., Ltd.

 

 

Faculty and students visiting Xiaoxiao Technology Co., Ltd.

(2) Digital E-commerce Sector: Research on Agricultural Livestreaming and Park-based Comprehensive E-commerce Enterprises

Meanwhile, the team investigated two types of county-level e-commerce entities. On July 14, the team visited Fannong Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., which builds a livestream e-commerce system relying on local agricultural specialties, incubates multiple proprietary food brands and plans integrated online-offline development. On July 15, the team visited Anhui Bicheng Network Co., Ltd. inside the industrial park. Leveraging AI warehousing and intelligent customer service, the enterprise overcomes geographical disadvantages of mountainous areas and creates jobs for local youth.

 

 

Group photo of research at Fannong Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

 

 

On-site briefing at the office of Anhui Bicheng Network Co., Ltd.

(3) New Materials, Medical Healthcare and Export-oriented Agriculture: Research on Digital Transformation Samples of Diverse Industries

On July 16, the team visited four key industrial enterprises covering fine chemicals, medical care, proprietary Chinese medicine and tea exports.

As an established leading specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative enterprise in fine chemicals, Anhui Lixing New Materials Co., Ltd. has undergone multiple rounds of technological transformation. It has established automated and intelligent production control systems, occupied market niches of electronic chemicals relying on self-developed patents and stable client partnerships. Its full-process digital environmental monitoring system offers references for the green transformation of chemical enterprises in the county.

 

 

 Exchange and discussion at Anhui Lixing New Materials Co., Ltd.

 

 

Group photo of research at Anhui Lixing New Materials Co., Ltd.

Xiaoshan Medical and Health Industrial Park focuses on the production of home medical devices. Automated production lines manufacture medical consumables and high-end hyperbaric oxygen chambers. The park adopts an innovative talent recruitment model of “government recruitment and enterprise training”, collaborates with universities on technological R&D, and develops e-commerce channels to expand domestic and overseas sales. More than a dozen practical patents continuously drive product innovation.

 

 

Exchange and discussion at Xiaoshan Medical and Health Industrial Park

 

 

Group photo of research at Xiaoshan Medical and Health Industrial Park

 

Anhui Gaoshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. specializes in proprietary Chinese medicines and health food. Its clean workshops are equipped with domestically manufactured automated pharmaceutical equipment following strict sterilization and production standards. The enterprise maintains stable partnerships with hospitals while developing health and cultural tourism businesses, actively aligning with Jixi’s masterplan for the big health industry.

 

 

On-site visit at Anhui Gaoshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

 

Exchange and discussion at Anhui Gaoshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

 

 

Group photo of research at Anhui Gaoshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Anhui Ningqing Tea Industry Co., Ltd., a national leading enterprise of agricultural industrialization, mainly exports tea to Northwest Africa. Intelligent automated packaging robots work alongside manual fine packaging. Supported by exclusive tea blending formulas, the enterprise forms irreplicable competitive advantages. It regularly conducts overseas market research to adjust products for foreign consumers, achieving an annual export volume exceeding 40 million US dollars and supporting the county’s agricultural export industry.

 

 

Exchange and discussion at Anhui Ningqing Tea Industry Co., Ltd.

 

 

Group photo of research at Anhui Ningqing Tea Industry Co., Ltd.

(4) Light Industry Confidential Printing and Huizhou Cuisine Cultural Tourism: Research on Digital Innovation in Traditional Industries

On July 17, the closing day of industrial research, the team successively visited Wannan Haifeng Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. and China Huizhou Cuisine Museum.

Wannan Haifeng Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd. is a printing enterprise with national confidential printing qualifications. Its workshops implement classified access authority and closed-loop digital management, balancing confidentiality, production precision and digital upgrading. Restricted by numerous transformation barriers unique to special industries, it provides distinctive research cases for the team to study differentiated digital transformation paths for traditional sectors.

 

 

Exchange and discussion at Wannan Haifeng Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd.

Group photo of research at Wannan Haifeng Printing & Packaging Co., Ltd.

At China Huizhou Cuisine Museum, team members systematically sorted out the development context of the Huizhou cuisine industry. They investigated standardized prefabricated dishes, online cultural tourism promotion and digital production-marketing chains, and explored models for local food culture to expand beyond southern Anhui via digital channels. 

IV. University-Local Joint Efforts to Root Practice and Empower High-Quality Development of Jixi via Youth Think Tank

The five-day summer practice concluded successfully. This activity serves as an important initiative for BNUBS to implement practice-oriented education, deepen government-university-industry-research integration and support the development of county-level digital economy. Giving full play to its disciplinary strengths in digital economy, business administration and industrial economics, and relying on the jointly built social practice base, the School collected first-hand enterprise cases across five categories: intelligent manufacturing, digital e-commerce, medical healthcare, agricultural exports and intangible cultural heritage tourism. The team systematically sorted out common bottlenecks and differentiated development paths for the digital transformation of mountainous counties.

Moving forward, the “Jixi Enterprise Navigator” Practice Team will fully integrate interview records, enterprise operational data and industrial policy documents, sort out experience and difficulties in digital transformation of various business forms, compile a comprehensive county industrial development research report and polish localized teaching cases. The outputs will deliver professional suggestions from a youth perspective to support Jixi’s initiatives in building a digitally competitive county, integrating culture and tourism, and fostering specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative enterprises. BNUBS will continue to advance regular university-local cooperation with the Communist Youth League Jixi County Committee, continuously organize faculty and students to conduct research projects, internships and industrial consultations in Jixi. The School will leverage university intellectual resources to empower the industrial digital upgrading of counties in southern Anhui, and pioneer a distinctive development path featuring university-local coordination, integration of industry and education, and cultural empowerment.

Contributed by “Jixi Enterprise Navigator” Practice Team

Edited by Li Lun, Li Shuaishuai

Reviewed by Zhou Jianghua