North China's Shanxi province recently issued a plan for the passing on and revitalization of time-honored brands and businesses, according to a statement from the Shanxi Department of Commerce on May 26. 

The plan includes measures concerning strengthening the preservation and protection of long-standing brands and expanding established backbone enterprises of cultural importance. It aims to protect leading products and services, especially those with a high brand reputation, to boost their market competitiveness – lending the brands more social, economic and cultural value.

Shanxi will establish digital archives for collected and selected traditional skills and for the development of historical materials about the enduring brands. It will support old-time businesses and social organizations to establish both on-site and digital museums, as well as to preserve the records of disappearing traditional crafts of historical significance. 

The province will explore cooperation between time-honored businesses and universities and vocational colleges. The idea is to construct studios and teaching facilities for handicraft masters – as well as to encourage vintage brand inheritors to teach part-time in schools and to teach apprentices, in order to pass on the arts and crafts. It will support time-honored companies, to carry out training of young craftsmen and technical exchanges. 

To further enhance the market competitiveness of the brands, the province plans to guide and support time-honored companies in innovating their products and making them more appealing and suitable for younger consumer groups, so as to increase younger people's appreciation and recognition of the venerated brands.

These enterprises will be also encouraged to develop cross-border e-commerce, expand imports and exports, develop supply chain and franchise operations, build museums and cultural and technical exhibition centers for time-honored brands and develop industrial tourism projects to realize the integrated development of business, tourism and culture.