/PRZWT/ has pointed out the future for the industry. Facing this common issue, the Guangzhou-based time-honored tea house "Doudaide" has initiated pioneering exploration by organizing national skills competitions covering 13 cities and establishing a talent pipeline of nearly 3,000 pastry chefs. This has provided a vivid practical example from the market front for the core issues of regulatory concerns.
The true vitality of morning tea culture is rooted in the inheritance of the people.
Founded in 1933, Zhandaode has its name derived from a genuine Cantonese colloquial expression, meaning "everything is fine". It is a Guangdong-style tea house that holds the title of a famous brand in Guangzhou. As a well-known early tea brand with nearly 100 self-operated stores in 13 cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Chengdu, Zhandaode has a profound understanding of the essence of early tea culture inheritance.
By combining the traditional apprenticeship system with systematic and event-oriented modern management, Pointe Deut constructed a sustainable talent cultivation ecosystem. It has trained nearly 3,000 pastry chefs and successfully created over 700 types of pastries. In 2022, Pointe Deut was granted the qualification to conduct the vocational skill assessment for Chinese pastry chefs, becoming one of the few enterprises in the industry with the independent assessment authority. As of now, 568 employees have passed the assessment and obtained the national certified qualification of Chinese pastry chef. They are distributed in nearly 100 stores across the country, adhering to the standard of fresh daily production and handcrafted in situ, allowing the aroma of morning tea to continue to rise.
Doudeduo has also established a monthly new product launch mechanism. Every month, based on seasonal products and health consumption trends, about two to three new products are launched, allowing the creative ideas of the pastry chefs to be directly tested in the market, forming a virtuous cycle of innovation - feedback - motivation. At the same time, the company holds over 10 rounds of process training annually, training more than 40,000 people, continuously strengthening its talent foundation.
Hold the national skills competition and continuously cultivate the talent pool
The Pointeau National Skills Competition is themed around "Craftsmanship in Production and Efficient Operation". It lasts for 25 days and covers nearly 100 stores across the country. Through a series of preliminary and final rounds of selection, 15 elite teams will converge for the final competition in Guangzhou. The event not only assesses the solid skills of traditional techniques such as shrimp dumplings, but also sets up a creative track to encourage innovation, fully embodying the concept of adhering to tradition while innovating.
For a long time, Pointe Deau has always adhered to the service philosophy of "Excellence is the Essence, and Guests Are Like Family". This event is not only a competition of skills among all the staff of Pointe Deau, but also a vivid practice of Pointe Deau educating people through competitions and giving back to customers with craftsmanship. Among the 15 teams that advanced to the finals, there are both pastry masters who have deeply mastered the techniques of Cantonese pastries and operation members who are proficient in services and well-versed in customer relationships. They have gathered from all over the country, not only to compete in skills, but also to exchange ideas on how to present the Guangdong-style morning tea culture of "one cup and two items, leisurely tea drinking", in a warmer and more authentic way to consumers.
Creativity and craftsmanship blend together, presenting a dazzling array of highlights on the final stage.
On the day of the final, creativity and craftsmanship were deeply integrated on the spot. Through team performance demonstrations, creative pastry making, and scenario-based interactive activities, they were all showcased together, presenting a multi-dimensional sensory feast to the judges and the audience.
The team's presentation showcased distinct characteristics of each city. The 15 finalist teams from all over the country incorporated the personality traits of their respective cities into their presentation - the openness of Shanghai, the gentle charm of Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the fiery nature of Sichuan and Chongqing. The diverse styles collectively demonstrated the vitality and cohesion of the Zhandaide team.
The event innovation adopts the form of a food festival. Through the scene-based arrangement, Dian Duo recreated the bustling atmosphere of a market. The stalls in each area were bustling with interaction. The pastry chefs neatly displayed the ingenious and creative point desserts; the operation staff worked efficiently, carefully packaging and explaining the product features and creative inspirations. The close collaboration among the teams not only demonstrated the core of Dian Duo's collaborative spirit of pooling resources, but also visually presented to the public the continuous innovation vitality of a time-honored brand in the process of inheritance.
The colorful and delicious creative pastries are eye-catching. The black truffle and fresh shrimp steamed bun, which won the championship in Guangdong cuisine, ingeniously incorporates innovative ingredients into the traditional recipe; the jade auspicious dumplings have been modified with Suzhou flavors; the Shenzhen Eye presents the charm of modern design. Each of them either breaks the conventional norms in terms of shape or integrates different flavors, and each one is truly impressive.
Industry experts' comments guide the direction of inheritance. The series of practices carried out by Zhanda De in talent cultivation and technological innovation have also attracted the attention of industry experts. On the final review panel, the master of dim sum, He Shihang, expressed with satisfaction: "From all aspects, this skills competition has broadened my horizons." He emphasized that no matter how much innovation is made, the character 'Yue' is the core essence, and the original flavor must be adhered to. Master Xu Licheng, the female champion of dim sum, also praised the works as being both creative and down-to-earth. She affirmed the attempt to modify based on regional characteristics and stated that in the process of innovation, the essence of Yue-style dim sum should be maintained.
From legislative protection to corporate practice, the inheritance path of Guangzhou's morning tea has become increasingly clear. The "Regulations" focus on establishing a training system for morning tea masters. Meanwhile, Dian Da De has constructed a talent ecosystem through skill competitions, systematic training, qualification certification, and innovative mechanisms, which precisely provides corporate responses and exploration practices for the core issue of how to cultivate inheritors. This is not only the brand's conscious commitment to the mission of inheriting the old Guangzhou tea culture, but also offers practical answers from the forefront of practice for the industry on how to balance preserving the art and innovation in the era of commercialized inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
