Three developments this week illustrate contrasting pressures on China’s consumer economy: a high-profile restaurateur has stepped back from a flagship company amid a reputational storm; short-video platforms are carving up the nation’s biggest TV moment; and a mid-sized dumpling chain is accelerating overseas growth ahead of a Hong Kong listing.
In Beijing, a corporate filing showed that Jia Guolong has relinquished his roles as legal representative, manager and director of a company linked to the Xibei restaurant group, with He Haibin named as his successor and the firm’s name changed. The move follows months of damaging public debate over the group’s use of pre-prepared dishes and an outsize online spat with influencer Luo Yonghao that dented the brand’s reputation and footfall. Jia had already signalled a scaling back of his personal profile and a return to a focus on core operations; the corporate change looks like the next step in that retrenchment.
The significance goes beyond one man’s exit. Xibei is an example of the risks faced by founder-led dining brands in an era when social media can rapidly amplify disputes over quality and authenticity. Unwinding a founder’s visibility can placate consumers and stabilise operations, but it also forces rapid adjustments in governance, management capability and messaging at a moment when revenues are vulnerable.
On the media front, Kuaishou has joined several other major platforms in partnering with China Central Television to distribute the 2026 Spring Festival Gala via livestream, short video and interactive features such as red-envelope promotions. The gala, long a unifying television event, is being repackaged into multiple digital experiences: vertical livestreams, community posts, and seconds-long clips that fit each platform’s strengths. The competition for Spring Gala distribution is as much about user engagement and data capture as it is about one-off ad revenue.
That contest matters because it shows how national cultural programming is being monetised and fragmented across digital ecosystems. Platforms win reach and behavioural data, advertisers get more precise targeting, and the broadcaster extends its audience — but the shift also raises questions about quality control, moderation and the durability of single-event monetisation models.
In the restaurant sector, Yuanji Yunjiao, a Guangzhou-based dumpling chain that has filed for a Hong Kong IPO, announced the opening of its second Thai outlet and said its overseas footprint has reached 15 stores. The company frames the expansion as part of spreading China’s handmade dumpling tradition while improving team management and operational efficiency. International growth is a logical next step for a recognisable, menu-focused brand, but success abroad will hinge on deep localisation of taste, supply chains and service models.
Taken together, these stories highlight three converging trends: consumer-facing companies must manage reputational risk and professionalise governance; digital platforms are aggressively monetising cultural moments; and mid-market food brands are using overseas expansion and capital markets to offset domestic pressures. Investors, managers and regulators will all be watching how corporate governance fixes, platform strategies and local-market adaptations play out in the coming quarters.