Undeterred by rumors, dreams persist through trials. As the saying goes, "Only when the tide goes out do we discover who was swimming without trunks." The tumultuous year of 2020 has finally passed, and it's time to take stock of achievements across industries and look ahead to opportunities in 2021. This year of collective hardship was also a nationwide "test of gold," where past glory could be stripped away. Yet some industries, seemingly ordinary, radiated a brilliance disproportionate to their apparent strength. In the past year, the FMCG industry was exactly such an "ordinary" yet shining sector. Its importance can be summed up by Zhao Benshan's line in the skit "Red Sorghum Model Team": "I believe working people are the most beautiful; without them, what would you eat, what would you drink? Without food and drink, what's there to show off?" As an industry providing basic necessities, it's easy to understand why FMCG food products are deeply recognized by consumers and sought after by capital. Meeting consumers' urgent needs, instant noodles in 2020 were both "ordinary" and brilliant. Food is the paramount necessity of the people. Among basic life guarantees, instant noodle companies provided consumers with the most important meal security, making them the "brightest" stars in the FMCG industry during this special year. -01- Luoyang and the "Rise" Let me share two stories. The first story comes from a friend. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, a friend held his company's mobilization meeting in Luoyang. Luoyang wasn't his best market or the most promising, but as he put it, he wanted the auspicious phrase: "Luoyang, Luoyang, after hitting bottom, it's time to rise." As coincidence would have it, a month later, the phrase "Traveling to the mortal world for a stunning feast, eating instant noodles on Laojun Mountain" turned Laojun Mountain in Luoyang into a national pilgrimage site for instant noodle enthusiasts. Of course, this craze also brought controversies like littering. Setting aside these issues, let's look at the instant noodles that became famous thanks to Laojun Mountain. Since 2014, the instant noodle industry has been one of the most depressed. Although under the leadership of giants like Master Kong, Uni-President, and Nissin, instant noodles halted their decline in 2018 and began to recover, defending their status as the world's largest market, they were still far from their former glory. The national food, instant noodles, began their "rise" journey from Laojun Mountain in Luoyang. Throughout 2020, Master Kong and its peers experienced a greater "upswing," shaking off the grievances and loneliness of previous years. So, it seems fate arranged for Laojun Mountain in "Luoyang" to mark the point of further "rise" for instant noodles, turning the often-questioned "How long has it been since you last had instant noodles?" or "Will they be killed by food delivery?" into a "stunning feast" for consumers. The second story concerns recent hot news: Alibaba and other internet companies were investigated by authorities for suspected monopolistic practices. In response, a netizen wittily commented, "Alibaba and others are investigated for monopoly, so internet companies will hold meetings, meetings require dinners, dinners require Moutai, so this is good for Moutai." Just a week before Alibaba's investigation, a netizen wrote an article titled "I Was Taken Advantage of by Meituan Membership," claiming that without membership, delivery fee was 2 yuan, but with membership, it became 6 yuan. Meituan casually responded that it was due to "location error." However, big data price discrimination is not an isolated case. Platforms, leveraging their monopolistic positions, ruthlessly exploit consumers. They don't produce any products or build any stores, but that doesn't stop them from dining on Moutai. It's easy to harvest leeks, and Moutai tastes good. The more Moutai you drink, the more leeks you've harvested. Conversely, if you ask FMCG professionals to drink Moutai at a dinner, their first thought is: I need to sell a truckload of goods to afford one bottle of Moutai. For the low-margin instant noodle industry, it might take several truckloads. And those truckloads require how many days of selling, how many stores visited, how much upfront capital, how much risk, and how many times you have to humble yourself. Only we in FMCG know the warmth and coldness of the world. Yet in recent years, those companies that utilize resources without producing anything have been saying that distributors earning meager profits charge too much and should be "eliminated," and that companies providing basic food and drink should be "killed." If one day instant noodles are killed by internet food delivery, and distributors are replaced by online platforms, how many consumers will become "leeks" to be harvested, becoming each drop of Moutai they drink? Perhaps by then, internet tycoons won't be satisfied with just Moutai; they may have grander ambitions. But behind their ambitions, there will only be more "bones" of consumers. As the saying goes, "A general's success is built on ten thousand bones," and the success of an internet platform is built on the tears of countless "leeks." Fortunately, some physical enterprises refuse to let these giants become too arrogant. So when Laojun Mountain in "Luoyang" brought instant noodles back into the spotlight, we knew that past "declines" would turn into a powerful "rise." Because "whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." The wisdom of the ancients remains relevant today. -02- Staying True to the Original Mission There's a saying: "Just do your best and leave the rest to fate." When our former "This is the taste" becomes today's "stunning feast," behind this accidental viral "fate" is the result of Master Kong and others staying true to their original mission, undeterred by rumors, unafraid of pressure, and working silently. China's instant noodle market has hovered around 40 billion packs for years. In 2020, on one hand, it met consumers' basic needs; on the other, with the concept of "convenient and delicious," the consumption potential of instant noodles is considered far exceeding 100 billion yuan. Every new force entering the "convenient and delicious" field regards traditional instant noodle giants as their biggest enemy. As the industry leader for many years, Master Kong is naturally the primary target for these challengers, as defeating a general has a greater impact than defeating ten soldiers. Over the years, we've seen phrases like "Master Kong's market value is less than half of food delivery platforms" or "Food delivery will eventually kill instant noodles." Behind these phrases, no one tells you about the "riders trapped in platforms," the "merchants charged high commissions," or the "leeks" being exploited. When the food delivery trend passed and new players entered, their rhetoric changed to "Instant noodles will be replaced by self-heating pots," but they don't mention that Master Kong's self-heating noodles not only satisfy consumer tastes but also offer safer and more reliable quality. Over the years, the rhetoric keeps changing, and "emerging brands are challenging Master Kong," but Master Kong has never flinched. "If you want to defeat the instant noodle industry, you'll have to go through me"—that's the spirit of the industry leader. Similarly, why should Master Kong's nearly three decades of hard work and generations of effort be "killed" by these so-called emerging brands and new trends in just a few years? The instant noodle industry is not made of paper. Master Kong makes instant noodles, but it's not made of dough. You can say it's getting old at nearly 30, but you can't say it's not working hard; you can say its face hasn't changed in 30 years, but you can't say it's not innovating. "Facing cold eyes and ridicule," in response to challenges and provocations from emerging brands, Master Kong is now becoming younger. It actively learns new knowledge and turns it into more suitable methods through experience; it learns new concepts and combines tradition with innovative technology to form strategies better suited for future development. So in the first half of 2020, Master Kong, through firm digital innovation, overcame difficulties, turned crisis into opportunity, achieving record highs in both instant noodle performance and profits, and also received recognition from international authorities like Henderson Research Institute and Harvard Business School. Every year brings new trends, new competitors, and new challenges. But the one that survives and thrives is still Master Kong. Yes, it may experience "turning 30," seeing younger generations riding "wind-fire wheels" and rushing to surpass it. But sorry, you have your wind-fire wheels, and I have brothers and families to support. You can pat me on the shoulder and say you're taller, but you can't defeat me because my brothers and families won't let me give up. Like a 30-year-old middle-aged man, constantly told "the times are leaving you behind," he can't give up his efforts; he must innovate, learn, and strive. He knows he's not just for himself; he can consider everyone except his own fatigue and hardship. If those emerging brands had Master Kong's seasoned vision and steadfast commitment, they might survive longer. For example, capital drove the rise of community group buying, but in public opinion, it sparked another topic: "Ma Yun is still eyeing the old folks' vegetable baskets, while Musk is turning human imagination into reality," also igniting a space craze. In China's aerospace sector, achievements like the BeiDou constellation, the new-generation crewed spacecraft, and Chang'e-5 have continuously captured national attention. From Ma Yun to Musk: focusing on vegetable vendors' wallets vs. looking to the stars and seas. Behind China's aerospace breakthroughs lies the support of as many as 79,000 enterprises across various industries. In fact, Master Kong began contributing to China's aerospace endeavors three years ago. On one hand, it supports Chinese aerospace workers in their pursuits; on the other, it educates young people about aerospace. When the soil brought back by Chang'e-5 was found unsuitable for "growing vegetables," dampening the enthusiasm of the nation's "rice enthusiasts," Master Kong had already been discussing since 2018 how to combine aerospace technology to produce higher-end instant noodles, even noodles that could be eaten in "space." Master Kong and aerospace professionals are both working on "space instant noodle" technology. So although lunar soil can't grow vegetables, in the future, enjoying a bowl of "Master Kong instant noodles" in space should soon become a reality. It is through the persistence and inspiration of companies like Master Kong that more people from all walks of life are now supporting China's aerospace industry. This is despite it being a choice that costs money and may not generate traffic, unlike the flashy traffic-driven tactics of emerging brands. But as an established physical enterprise, it should have its own convictions. Master Kong is not just an instant noodle company; it's the industry leader facing various challenges, and it's also a "Musk" of instant noodles, ensuring consumers get the "familiar taste" while realizing their "beautiful fantasies." -03- About the Future The trials of 2020 brought another benefit to the instant noodle industry, especially Master Kong: a deeper examination of the Chinese market. Before 2020, we kept talking about the development of lower-tier markets, leading to a mistaken view that "lower-tier markets = low-price markets," as if only low-priced products could capture these markets, and cheapness was the only choice for consumers there. However, the market ultimately showed that countless generic and low-priced products fell during this crisis, while big brands, high-value, and high-quality products gained more market share. In the first half of the year, Master Kong and others saw sales rise across the board, thanks to both first- and second-tier cities and lower-tier markets. Conversely, some brands that did well in lower-tier markets didn't achieve great results. That's because previously, consumers had disposable income to try various products. But when economic conditions became difficult and incomes dropped, people preferred to spend on big brands because such consumption is essential. So they chose relatively higher-priced big brands for peace of mind. This is why, despite many manufacturers facing impacts from emerging brands and categories, Master Kong's market share remains firmly in first place. It's not that instant noodles have become too expensive for people to afford; rather, consumers have become more rational and know their needs better. Price is not the absolute factor in purchase decisions; value and meeting consumer needs are. "Lower-tier markets are not low-price markets." Now, consumers in lower-tier markets also pursue brand and quality. Survey data shows that the price lower-tier market consumers are willing to pay for a bowl of instant noodles is not significantly different from first-tier markets. As incomes rise, they are willing to pay more for better products. Despite impacts from emerging brands and categories, Master Kong's market share has risen, not fallen, and remains first. People's Daily commented on community group buying: "If you only look down to pick up sixpence and can't look up to see the moon, then no matter how much traffic or data, it can't be turned into scientific and technological achievements... Don't be obsessed with quick success, don't be keen on short-term monetization... The stars and seas, the infinite possibilities of the future, are even more exciting." Clearly, Master Kong is such a company: not fixated on short-term benefits or monetization, but looking long-term, facing the future, and working steadfastly. In the new year, with a new CEO with a research background taking over, Master Kong will continue to increase investment in product R&D innovation, food safety, and other core priorities, creating more convenient and reassuring foods for consumers. A company that has never relied on traffic, a product-oriented enterprise, is bound to have a promising future and will be "exciting." We have reason to believe that in a "rising" industry, a company that moves people with its products, and an enterprise that takes pride in being a "food maker," will become a true "stunning feast" in the future. Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan once published.