A Bite of Innovation: The emotional pull of Chinese noodles

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Fine dried noodles are to Chinese people what pasta is to Italians. For many, the best noodles are homemade and the staple food is a symbol of the family and of home.

Fine dried noodles processed at Xiangnai Food's factory. /CGTN Photo

To mark the Spring Festival in 2016, an advertisement for fine dried noodles was screened in New York City’s Times Square, calling for overseas Chinese to return home to celebrate the New Year.

The thoughtful commercial, which later became a huge hit online, was created by Sun Jungeng, CEO of Xiangnian Food.

Xiangnian Food's advertisement shown on screen in New York City’s Times Square. /CGTN Photo

To Sun, what separates his company from others in the highly competitive market, is their ability to connect with the customers, and place emotion at the core of their brand.

“It was necessary to find something unique in my brand, tell my brand story, and promote repeatedly,” Sun said.

Chef from Xiangnian Food challenging Guinness World Record title for "the longest noodle". /CGTN Photo

Last year, the company achieved the Guinness World Record title of the longest noodle in the world, cooking a 3,084-meter-long longevity noodle for 99 seniors to share on China’s Senior Day.