From One Fish to an Entire Industry Chain: CCTV Highlights the “Fish with You Model”
On February 3, 2026, China’s Central Government released the No. 1 Central Document, Opinions on Anchoring Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Advancing Comprehensive Rural Revitalization. The document established the strategic direction for agricultural and rural development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, emphasizing key priorities such as increasing farmers’ incomes, preventing large-scale poverty relapse, promoting the integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary rural industries, advancing full-industry-chain development, and fostering internationally competitive agricultural enterprises while supporting exports of high-quality specialty agricultural products.
Following the release of the document, CCTV’s News Live launched an in-depth field investigation report titled “How One Fish Created an Entire Industry Chain.” The report focused on the overseas expansion practices of Chinese restaurant brands represented by Fish With You, showcasing how Chinese restaurant enterprises are leveraging China’s industrial ecosystem to connect agricultural production, food processing, cold-chain logistics, and international market development.
The business model aligns closely with the strategic objectives outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan, particularly in promoting integrated rural industrial development and full-industry-chain growth. It also serves as a practical example of supporting county-level economic development, increasing farmers’ incomes, and advancing rural revitalization through industrial internationalization.
The 15th Five-Year Plan further emphasizes the development of service trade, encouragement of service exports, enhancement of overseas service systems, and the integrated development of trade and investment. As a central focus of the CCTV report, Fish With You has become a key driver and coordinator within the overseas sauerkraut fish industry chain through years of strategic supply chain development and operational expertise.
Today, Fish With You has established a comprehensive global supply chain ecosystem spanning ingredient cultivation and aquaculture, food processing, cold-chain logistics, and restaurant operations. Premium ingredients sourced from across China—including chili peppers from Henan, snakehead fish from Guangdong, pickled mustard greens and Sichuan peppercorns from Sichuan, and soup base products from Liaoning—are being exported overseas through this integrated network. Even Chinese manufacturers of refrigeration and ice-making equipment have become part of this expanding international ecosystem, creating a distinctive Chinese culinary export matrix.
The 15th Five-Year Plan also highlights the importance of safeguarding against poverty relapse through long-term support mechanisms. By December 2025, Fish With You had become the largest rice-based fast-casual restaurant chain in China by store count and the largest Chinese restaurant chain in Malaysia. Its extensive global restaurant network continues to expand rapidly. According to CCTV, during the 2026 Lunar New Year period alone, Fish With You planned to launch six new stores simultaneously overseas for the third time.
Driven by demand from its international restaurant network, Fish With You has established long-term partnerships with snakehead fish farms in Guangdong and “New Generation” chili pepper growers in Baofeng County, Henan. Agricultural and aquaculture products that were once primarily sold domestically have now become core ingredients supplied to international markets.In 2025, Guangdong’s snakehead fish farming bases exported more than 300 tons of fish products overseas, while exports from chili pepper processing enterprises in Baofeng increased by 60% year-on-year, contributing to the development of specialized agricultural value chains in both regions.
Through long-term procurement agreements, Fish With You has helped address farmers’ concerns regarding price fluctuations and market uncertainty. Partner processing companies have also implemented minimum-price purchase mechanisms. Even during periods of drought and flooding that caused market prices for chili peppers to decline, farmers continued to receive guaranteed purchase prices above prevailing market rates. As a result, approximately 350 farming households in Baofeng achieved stable income growth, reflecting national goals of ensuring fair distribution of industrial development benefits.
The company’s standardized overseas expansion model has also promoted agricultural innovation and quality improvement. As highlighted in the CCTV report, Fish With You partnered with the Baofeng County Agricultural Science Research Institute to continuously improve the “New Generation” chili pepper variety. As a result, average yields per acre increased by approximately 9% over the past three years, ensuring ingredient consistency while advancing agricultural technology development.
In addition, Fish With You has collaborated with cold-chain logistics providers to establish a “systems-first, resource-integration” model. This approach has not only improved supply chain efficiency for Chinese restaurants expanding overseas but has also enabled China’s advanced digital warehousing and logistics capabilities to enter international markets, providing critical infrastructure support for both agricultural exports and restaurant expansion.
Supported by its comprehensive industrial ecosystem, Fish With You has achieved remarkable success in international markets and emerged as a benchmark brand for Chinese fast-casual dining overseas. In its core market, Malaysia, the company opened more than twenty stores within just ten months. One of its dual-category “Sauerkraut Fish + Tang Lao” restaurants achieved a table turnover rate of nine times on its opening day and served over 600 customers, with wait times exceeding 45 minutes during peak periods becoming a regular occurrence. Customer retention and repeat visits have remained exceptionally strong.
The brand’s international expansion continues to accelerate. In 2026, Fish With You plans to open more than 100 new overseas locations. During December 2025 alone, the company received several prestigious industry recognitions, including “Most Popular Sauerkraut Fish Brand” at the 7th Malaysia-China Culture and Food Festival and inclusion among the “Top 10 Benchmark Brands for Chinese Restaurant Global Expansion.” Founder Wei Tongrong was also honored with the titles of “Malaysia-China Culinary Culture Promotion Ambassador” and “TopBrand 2025 Top 50 Chinese Global Brand Leaders.”
This journey illustrates the growth path of a new generation of Chinese enterprises. Rooted in China’s vast consumer market and mature industrial ecosystem, these companies pursue commercial success while aligning their development strategies with broader national objectives. Domestically, they serve as market-driven engines for rural revitalization; internationally, they act as platforms for exporting Chinese manufacturing, Chinese services, and Chinese culture.
Li Jun, Director of the Institute of International Service Trade at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, noted:
“The global expansion of Chinese restaurant chains is not merely an investment in restaurant outlets. It represents the cross-border export of an entire industrial ecosystem, including agriculture, central kitchens, logistics management, digital systems, and professional talent. It also demonstrates the growing international competitiveness of Chinese manufacturing and Chinese services.”
For Fish With You founder Wei Tongrong, the vision is both simple and profound:“Our mission is to let the world fall in love with Chinese cuisine. The significance of Fish With You’s global expansion goes far beyond opening restaurants overseas. It is about the systematic export of supply chains, technologies, and operational standards. We hope the Fish With You model will continue creating international market opportunities for rural revitalization, establish a benchmark for industrial collaboration in Chinese restaurant globalization, and inspire more Chinese brands to expand successfully onto the world stage.”