— Shandong Lisheng Group during the epidemic response
On 2 September 2022, COVID-19 swept across Jining once again, and in an instant the whole city seemed to hit pause. To fully meet the urgent need of the city’s residents for wheat flour, dried noodles and other products, Shandong Lisheng Food Group — upholding its mission of “doing work that benefits people’s lives” — declared an emergency response the moment word arrived.
Facing the escalating epidemic-control situation, Lisheng assembled more than 110 employees who, while safeguarding product quality, kept production running 24 hours a day to raise output. Managers and staff ate and slept at the company; when beds ran short and people had to sleep on the floor, managers insisted on giving the limited beds to frontline production workers while they themselves slept on floors and sofas.
Even under such hard conditions, Lisheng’s employees stayed on the production line without complaint. The company also worked hard on logistics — from bedding down to toothbrushes and masks, everything was procured promptly and handed out to staff.
Wang Zhiqiang, Deputy General Manager of Lisheng’s Jining company, said: “As an enterprise that safeguards people’s livelihoods, this is exactly when the people need us most. All Lisheng employees must carry forward the corporate spirit of ‘unity, progress, integrity and innovation,’ overcome every difficulty, and be a strong backing for the people.”
As epidemic controls tightened, Shandong Lisheng coordinated fully with the government on transport, hanging red banners reading “Lisheng Flour Emergency Supplies” on all trucks carrying flour and noodles, and cooperating with regulators and epidemic-control authorities to obtain vehicle passes.
Although raw-grain and production costs rose during the epidemic, management decided to keep flour and noodle prices at pre-epidemic levels as a way of giving back to society.
Truck after truck — laden with flour and noodles, and with the Lisheng people’s hard-working, dedicated spirit and love for the whole city — drove out from the company to supply points across Jining.