From blueprint to a connected physical network, Yuhu Cold Chain has spent six years building on capital-intensive investment to secure key positions in China's core economic regions and major hub cities.
A national cold chain backbone network is taking shape at pace: from the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area to Chengdu–Chongqing, Central China, East China, Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and the Northwest, more than 10 digital and intelligent trading centres are now in place, serving 800 million people.
01 Capital-Intensive Foundations: A National Cold Chain Network Takes Shape and Connects
KEY MILESTONES
Five trading centres in trial operation — Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Jieyang and Xiangyang.
Incubation and Lease & BD centres in service — the Meishan Digital Incubation Centre and the Lease & BD Centres in Changsha, Tianjin and Nanjing are complete and in service.
Network expansion underway — construction has begun on the Jinan project.Every trading centre completed means stronger cold chain infrastructure for the city it serves, and one more dependable option for the merchants who trade there.
Yuhu Cold Chain (Xiangyang) Trading Centre begins trial operation
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
National recognition has been the most substantial reward of these six years.
National logistics hub network — several Yuhu Cold Chain trading centres now form part of the National Backbone Cold Chain Logistics Base network, and have been designated Airport-type, Commercial Services-type and Land Port-type National Logistics Hubs.
National landmark foreign-funded project — Yuhu Cold Chain has been selected as a National Landmark Major Foreign-Funded Project by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Green and dual-use infrastructure — its operational and under-construction trading centres have earned the First-Grade (Three-Star) Green Warehouse mark — the highest national rating in the field — and several trading centres have been designated peacetime-emergency dual-use public infrastructure projects by their host cities.
CCTV-2 First Time: the NDRC releases a new batch of landmark major foreign-funded projects
OPERATIONS OVERVIEW
02 Digital Transformation Takes Off: Extending Producer Services Towards Specialisation and the High End of the Value Chain
In 2026, entering its second five-year cycle, Yuhu Cold Chain launched a full digital transformation across the cold chain industry and supply chain, embedding AI, big data and the Internet of Things end-to-end in trading centre operations, warehousing and logistics, and trade fulfilment. Digital capability now drives operations and helps customers cut costs and raise efficiency, making the movement of every consignment transparent, efficient and traceable.
Yuhu Cold Chain smart trading centre integrated management platform
TECHNOLOGY HIGHLIGHTS
Fully automated high-bay warehouse — round-the-clock operation.
Intelligent dispatch platform — orders, warehouse receipts and waybills visible on a single screen.
Algorithmic route planning — load factor above 90%.
Yuhu Code — one code, end-to-end: every item traceable from inbound to outbound.
DIGITAL PLATFORMS THAT POWER MERCHANTS' BUSINESSES
Yuhu Buyin — combines its online trading system with the national network of physical trading centres, addressing merchants' core needs in warehousing, distribution, sales and financing. The result is a supply chain service platform that runs from product listing to payment, from storage to downstream delivery, and from online transaction to offline fulfilment — bringing trade, logistics, information and capital flows into a single system.
iYuhu — a closed loop from order to delivery.
Nongxingbao — takes wholesale market traders from handwritten ledgers to running their business from a phone.
Yuhu Buyin one-stop direct sourcing and supply platform — closes the last mile of consolidation and delivery.
IN THE TRADING CENTRES, DIGITAL SERVICES WITHIN EASY REACH
Smart access — entry in seconds, the whole process handled on a phone.
AI monitoring — 24/7 unmanned inspection with alerts in seconds.
Smart energy management — every kilowatt-hour accounted for, with dynamic adjustment cutting peak electricity demand by more than 20%.
Solar PV now live at Guangzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan — generating over 23 million kWh a year and cutting CO₂-equivalent emissions by 16,000 to 20,000 tons annually.
NATIONAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
Yuhu Cold Chain's digital transformation has become a frequent reference point for national media. On 5 June, People's Daily devoted almost half of page 2 to a feature titled “Data Powers Frozen Food Freshness: Over 60 Digital and Intelligent Technologies Integrated at Yuhu Cold Chain's Guangzhou Trading Centre.” The article ran as part of the paper's “Forging Ahead in the 15th Five-Year Plan: Views from the Frontline” series, examining how Yuhu Cold Chain is putting into practice the Plan's call to extend producer services towards specialisation and the high end of the value chain, and using digital capability to drive high-quality development across the industry.
People's Daily Online, CCTV and other central media have followed with features including “New Quality Productive Forces at Work: Yuhu Cold Chain's Digital Transformation Strengthens the Food Safety Line,” framing the company's work in the context of national strategy, food security and public wellbeing.
National media coverage of Yuhu Cold Chain | Greater Bay Area Premium Food Ingredients Expo at the Guangzhou Trading Centre
03 Six Years as Prologue, a New Chapter Begins: Digital Transformation Sets a New Benchmark for Cold Chain
Six years of sustained work — capital-intensive foundations, digitally enabled operations — have redefined the standard and efficiency of cold chain food distribution in China. Yuhu Cold Chain has built not only a national network but a solid core of competitive strengths.
SIX YEARS IN NUMBERS
Honours and intellectual property — 107 honours and qualifications, four patents, 183 registered domestic trademarks and 46 registered international trademarks.
International standards — three international standards drafted with Yuhu participation, forming a standards matrix covering three core scenarios — contactless delivery, B2B services and food traceability — along with two group standards, marking the shift from technical expertise to industry influence.
International standard example: ISO 31512:2024 — Cold chain logistics services in the business to business (B to B) sector — Requirements and guidelines for storage and transport. Published, Edition 1, 2024
LOOKING AHEAD
Entering its second five-year cycle, Yuhu Cold Chain will accelerate its “10+30” national strategy, extending the national cold chain network so that its services reach more cities and more households. From farm to table, from source to end market, Yuhu Cold Chain will hold the line on food safety, using digital capability to protect the quality and safety of every ingredient, and contributing to the extension of producer services towards specialisation and the high end of the value chain.
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