Mr Wu, Yingshang County, Anhui

Good flavour comes from genuine commitment, good quality from carefully chosen materials. In Yingshang County, Anhui, Wu Mingming's alkaline egg plant has stayed in the red-clay niche, securing product confidence through strict control of raw materials and building a real edge through traditional craft. To achieve a pure flavour and a distinctive texture, Mr Wu spares no cost on materials, insisting on edible red clay for curing, and sourcing premium quicklime from Henan. Every input is selected and checked, eliminating defects at the source and protecting the authentic red-clay flavour — and giving his product a competitive edge nobody can copy.

While holding on to traditional craft, Mr Wu has embraced equipment innovation, using modern machinery to lift output and efficiency. As one of the first users of the Xianyun XY626, he has witnessed first-hand how mechanisation has transformed the traditional alkaline egg business: compared with hand production, output has more than doubled, reaching forty baskets — over eight thousand eggs — an hour, efficiently and consistently. The machine is solid and durable, running for four or five years without a major fault. Over that time Mr Wu has learned basic maintenance himself and can keep the line running around the clock.

After years in the business Mr Wu has kept to a steady, measured approach to growth, and the company has now entered a new phase. To match larger-scale production and standardise the process, the site has built a new standardised production area with a rational layout and clean, clearly divided zones, improving both the working environment and the workflow. Years of accumulated red-clay curing know-how, production experience and strict quality standards have become the company's core strength. Mr Wu keeps a steady rhythm — no rush for quick results, no blind expansion — building the product and the business one solid step at a time.

Tradition as the root, technology as the wings, craft as the foundation, management as the path. Mr Wu's approach is a balance between traditional craft and modern equipment, and a two-way reinforcement of continuity and innovation. He knows that machines are only a tool: they raise efficiency and standardise production, but what sustains a business over the long run is accumulated craft, a relentless pursuit of quality and a continually improving way of thinking about production. Craft protects quality, equipment lifts efficiency, and original intent guides the business.

Mr Wu (left) with the Xianyun team