Dongbei

Biodata

Business and Operations

Restaurant Network

• Origins: Zheng Dong expanded Dongbei from a single thirty-square-meter restaurant into a nationwide chain 236.
• Locations: Its network included highway service areas, transport hubs, and commercial districts 234 242.
• Corporate structure: Dongbei maintained branding, public relations, and legal departments. Its board included seven directors, with divisional vice presidents attending monthly meetings 241 242.
• Public credentials: Headquarters displayed awards including “Consumer Trustworthy Enterprise” and “Provincial Model Catering Enterprise” 242.

Food Production and Advertising

History

Founding and Expansion

Zheng Dong founded Dongbei as a small restaurant, opening its first location with his wife. He later recalled personally selecting live fish and fresh meat in the early morning, presenting ingredient quality as the foundation of its reputation 236 241.

Old Qian became an early backer, investing money and helping Zheng Dong build the business. Dongbei eventually secured a second financing round and received a CCTV Finance interview, during which Zheng promoted freshly cooked food as its core competitive advantage 252 263.

Service-Area Video

The controversy began when Lin Feng and Lü Yi stopped at a highway service area. Lü Yi criticized Dongbei’s fish and twice-cooked pork as frozen or premade, while Lin Feng explained that central kitchens were common among restaurant chains. Food streamer Taste Detective Xiao Yang filmed them; Lin Feng declined his request for an interview 234.

The streamer posted a fifteen-second clip containing Lin Feng’s comments. Dongbei’s public relations staff initially classified it as low risk, but Zheng Dong overruled that assessment. He demanded its removal, an apology from the blogger, and identification of the customers—particularly Lin Feng 235 236.

Pressure on the Blogger and Customers

Dongbei’s legal commissioner Wang threatened blogger Yang Xiaoming with litigation unless he deleted the video, clarified its claims, and apologized. Pressure also reached his commercial partners: Manager Liu warned that continued criticism could cost him promotional work. Yang eventually posted a scripted apology retracting the customer’s unverified remarks and affirming Dongbei’s freshly made promise 237 239.

Zheng Dong then demanded an apology from Lin Feng. Dongbei sent a lawyer’s letter to him and Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm, but Zhou shredded it after Lin Feng told him to discard it. Subsequent pressure included harassing calls, threatening emails, and men watching the law firm 240 241.

At a board meeting, directors urged restraint. Zheng instead acknowledged that many outlets reheated frozen dishes while insisting that Dongbei could not admit it publicly. He ordered Lao Xing to investigate the customers and organize paid comments portraying them as agents of a competitor 242.

Evidence and Public Exposure

The paid-comment campaign involved Xunda Network Media. A Jie recognized Lin Feng’s connection to his own network and secretly documented the assignment. Lin Feng ordered continued monitoring while K investigated Dongbei’s supply chain 243.

K obtained production records, cold-chain contracts, and employee scripts contradicting the company’s advertising. Lin Feng held the material rather than immediately publishing it. Separately, an anonymous former regional manager posted an exposé, and journalist Lao Xu gathered employee testimony and supporting records 244 246 247.

Lao Xu’s article, “Dongbei’s ‘Fresh’ Lie: Central Kitchens, Prepared Food, and an Excessive Crisis PR Response,” spread across major social platforms. Zheng Dong responded by ordering staff to identify the whistleblower, suppress negative coverage, and arrange favorable reporting 247.

Failed Public Relations Campaigns

The kitchen footage made scissors a recurring symbol of the scandal: chefs were repeatedly filmed cutting open food packages rather than preparing raw ingredients. Remixes spread across Douyin and Bilibili, while the Dongbei meme contest reached first place on Weibo’s trending list 249 250.

Cross-Provincial Retaliation

As complaints, shareholder pressure, and regulatory scrutiny mounted, Zheng Dong ordered altered procurement records and nondisclosure agreements for consumer settlements. He then suffered a medical emergency and was hospitalized 252.

From his hospital bed, Zheng offered Lin Feng one million yuan, then additional money and employment, in exchange for a video praising Dongbei. Lin Feng refused and told him to stop the harassment 253.

Zheng subsequently contacted Liu Zhenguo of N Province’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission to arrange a cross-provincial summons on commercial-disparagement allegations. He ordered staff to fabricate evidence linking Lin Feng to paid online attacks and send security personnel to help ensure his transfer. S City authorities resisted N Province’s pressure and arranged Lin Feng’s release 254 259.

Inspections and Financial Collapse

A fire inspection at Li Wei’s restaurant documented blocked exits, faulty equipment, unsafe wiring, and an uncleaned exhaust duct. The outlet was ordered closed until repairs passed inspection; headquarters told Li Wei to cover the costs himself for the time being 261.

Livelihood Watch subsequently reported problems at all twelve Dongbei restaurants inspected. Its coverage combined the prepared-food controversy with safety and management failures, prompting further backlash as outlets closed, displayed official seals, or removed their signs 262.

The crisis then spread through Dongbei’s finances:

• Suppliers suspended deliveries, while banks reconsidered lending 263.
• Shareholders agreed to withdraw from S Province and close or sell unprofitable stores 263.
• Tax authorities opened an investigation into suspected fraudulent invoices, inflated costs, and tax evasion, demanding three years of records within three working days 263.
• Shareholder Sun planned to sell shares to an investment company under Yunchuan Group for 30% of market value 264.

Resignation and Withdrawal

Zheng Dong publicly admitted that Dongbei had sold frozen prepared dishes as freshly cooked food. He also acknowledged dirty kitchens, blocked fire exits, expired employee health certificates, inconsistent records, and improper storage temperatures. He resigned as chairman and from all management positions 265.

Dongbei accepted his resignation, appointed Mr. Qian acting chairman, announced its withdrawal from S Province, and began nationwide rectification. Lin Feng considered the apology a concession to defeat rather than proof of genuine understanding, but agreed to meet Zheng once over a meal 265.

Rebranding as Xibei

One month later, Dongbei reopened as Xibei Central Kitchen Fresh Food Restaurant. The replacement brand openly disclosed standardized central-kitchen production and on-site reheating. Its former flagship received a renovated interior and a bright yellow-and-dark-blue sign 267.

• Every dish carried a small pot icon and a notice explaining its central-kitchen production and on-site heating 267.
• The opening promotion offered 50% off, attracting both curious customers and bargain seekers 267.
• Public responses were calmer, with commenters welcoming the clearer disclosure and lower prices 267.

Key People and Relationships

• Zheng Dong — Founder and former chairman; directed both Dongbei’s expansion and its escalating retaliation against critics before publicly accepting responsibility and resigning 236 242 254 265.
• Old Qian / Mr. Qian — Early investor and longtime supporter of Zheng Dong; helped manage the retreat during the crisis and became acting chairman 263 265.
• Zhao Bin — Brand and public relations director; participated in pressure on the law firm and organized the failed sentimental-video campaign 240 244 251.
• Li Li — Public relations staff member who initially assessed the service-area video as low risk and later reported on its suppression and public reaction 235 236 240.
• Lao Xing — Contractor hired to intimidate Lin Feng, investigate his personal connections, and coordinate online attacks 241 242.
• Lin Feng — Customer targeted over his comments about frozen food; resisted Dongbei’s demands while his network gathered evidence of its practices 234 240 243 246.
• Yang Xiaoming / Taste Detective Xiao Yang — Food blogger whose service-area clip triggered the dispute; pressured into deleting it and posting an apology 235 237 239.
• Zhou Wenyuan — Lawyer who rejected Dongbei’s demands and confronted its representatives with evidence of harassment 240 244.
• K — Investigator working for Lin Feng who obtained Dongbei’s production records, logistics contracts, and internal employee scripts 243 244 246.
• Lao Xu — Investigative journalist whose corroborated reporting turned the prepared-food allegations into a major public controversy 247.
• Li Wei — Restaurant manager who supervised the flagship kitchen’s media preparations and later had to close his outlet for fire-safety rectification 249 261.