Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com has upgraded the distribution process for the Chagan Lake bighead carp fishery, enabling faster delivery of the delicacy to more than 300 cities in China.
Known as the “White Holy Lake,” Chagan Lake in China’s northeast Jilin Province plays host to the famous Winter Fishing Festival, in which horses are use to haul in large nets over a course of more than eight hours. The tradition, which dates back more than a thousand years, was featured in 2014 in “A Bite of China,” a CCTV documentary exploring the culture and traditions behind Chinese food. After gaining television fame, the fish caught during the festival is now highly sought-after across China.
After the show aired, JD.com signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chagan Lake Fisheries to improve the cold-chain, logistics, and sales processes for the fish caught during the festival. Previously, the carp were brought by truck to regional centers over the course of several days, according to Chagan Lake Fisheries Director Yan Laisuo. Now, temperature-controlled trucks operated by JD.com are loaded at the lakeshore, then delivered directly across China within 24 hours.
“We appreciate how JD’s strictly controlled cold-chain logistics network preserves the integrity of our delicious Chagan Lake bighead carp as it is distributed to consumers throughout all corners of the country,” Yan said. “This ensures that the traditions of Chagan Lake stay intact and that more people can appreciate this bountiful natural resource and be inspired to visit us one day.”
JD.com is also helping to fight the rise of fake Chagan Lake fish that has recently been popping up in the market. It is now applying blockchain technology to each fish, enabling customers to see the production and transportation details of their purchases, according to Jie Wang, JD.com’s key projects lead for fresh food sourcing. The implementation of blockchain will make a big difference, Jie said, as JD.com now sells one-third of the fishery’s bighead carp both through its online JD Fresh channel and offline 7FRESH supermarket chains.
“JD’s partnership with Chagan Lake Fisheries demonstrates the raw potential of our self-built nationwide logistics network: fulfilling the wishes of Chinese consumers by giving them access to options that were previously unavailable to them,” Jie said. “The partnership also lends a helping to hand to Chagan Lake local residents, increasing fish sales, raising their brand profile, and promoting the continuation of their ancient Chagan Lake winter traditions.”
Photo courtesy of JD.com
