A wake-up call to Hefei, crazy little Yang Ge fell into the high-priced water crisis

Recently, "Brother Yang" has been involved in the "high price of water" controversy.

At the beginning of May, in Luogang Park, Hefei, Anhui, an electronic music festival started lively. It is reported that the electronic music festival cost more than 50 million yuan. On social platforms, related topics received 5.2 billion exposures, and participating videos were played up to 200 million times. The traffic "explosion" effect was astonishing.

The protagonist behind such a massive event is Zhang Qingyang, a local celebrity anchor in Hefei.

However, some netizens complained on social platforms that a cup of purified water sold for 20 yuan, and functional drinks Red Bull and Pulse sold for 28 yuan and 30 yuan respectively. "The prices are really ridiculously high."

Zhang Qingyang quickly released a short video to respond to the controversy and promised that future electronic music festivals hosted by him would distribute free drinking water to the audience. Despite this, Zhang Qingyang’s short video account “Crazy Little Yang Ge” still lost fans. Statistics agency data shows that on the day the response video was released, Xiao Yang's account lost 39,000 followers, and nearly 500,000 followers in the past 30 days.

The electronic syllable festival ended with a "thankless" result. It brought traffic but lost fans. Why does a network anchor put so much effort into organizing an electronic music festival by himself?

Brother Yang once explained in the live broadcast room: "This electronic music energy-saving promotion of Hefei has driven the growth rate of Hefei's cultural tourists to the top, and the growth rate of Hefei's hotel bookings during the 'May Day' period ranks first among provincial capital cities in the country."

Indeed, electronic music festivals have the shadow of "Hefei" everywhere. On the day of the event, Zhang Qingyang released a short promotional video with the text "Welcome friends from all over the world to Hefei, Anhui." In the video responding to the controversy, he also emphasized: "We as businesses are trying every day to think of various business methods to create value for society, solve more jobs, and create more profits and taxes."

Judging from the data, the purpose of diverting traffic to Hefei has been achieved. The electronic music festival lasted for two days, with more than 100,000 spectators inside and outside the venue, 80% of whom came from outside the province. It can be seen that Zhang Qingyang is "showing goodwill" to Hefei and trying to further establish a deep bond. At a time when the growth of live streaming is weak, this may be a key step to extend his career life as a network anchor.

The headquarters building of Sanyang Group in Hefei. Photo by Gong Chiping

For Hefei, Zhang Qingyang and the Three Sheep Group he belongs to do have unique value.

The headquarters of Sanyang Group also listed the China Content E-commerce Industrial Park. CEO Du Gang said: "This is something we proposed ourselves and actively participated in the process of urban development."

In 2022, the output value of Sanguang Group's live streaming products will exceed 10 billion yuan, its operating service income will be 860 million yuan, and its tax payment will be 250 million yuan. What is this concept? That year, there were only 33 companies in Hefei that paid more than 200 million yuan in taxes.

The company continues to expand. "This park accommodates about 700 people, and there are still 300 people working in the eastern center." Du Gang said, "The company is still recruiting people, and the talent gap is very large, and many businesses cannot be launched."

Looking out from Du Gang's office is the National Quantum Experiment Center. "This building looks like a letter symbol of quantum from the air." In the area where Sanguang Group was built, high-tech companies account for the majority, and in the larger area In terms of scope, Hefei has also formed an image of a city that emphasizes manufacturing and technological innovation. The emerging consumption represented by Sanyang Group is Hefei's industrial shortcomings.

In the fields of land use, tax payment, employment opportunities, industrial development and other fields, the contribution is obvious. Zhang Qingyang and the Sanyang Group have officially entered Hefei's field of vision.

In February 2023, Hefei High-tech Zone released the "Financial Contribution Award", focusing on commending 20 well-known companies in the zone, and Three Sheep Group was on the list. On May 5 of that year, at the enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Hefei Municipal Party Committee, Lu Wenqing, co-founder of Sanyang Group, spoke as an enterprise representative. On February 18 this year, at the "First Meeting of the New Year" in Anhui, Sanguangyang Group was awarded the "Excellent Private Enterprise of Anhui Province" commendation. A few days later, on the morning of the 21st, Anhui provincial leaders investigated the development of the modern service industry and private enterprises in Hefei City, one of which was the Sanguang Yang Group.

The headquarters building of Sanyang Group in Hefei. Photo by Gong Chiping

Hefei is known as the "King of Venture Capital", and several "bets" have similar logic - by introducing chain master enterprises, the entire industrial chain will be gradually settled, which has almost become a "Hefei model." Betting on "Little Brother Yang", Hefei has entered the emerging consumer field and entered the competition of "Live Broadcasting E-commerce Capital".

However, the limited bonus period of expert anchors leaves hidden dangers for this model. Some people believe that the anchor Wei Ya, who is from Lujiang, Hefei, was Hefei's first choice to bet on the Internet celebrity economy. Until December 2021, Wei Ya's account was blocked due to tax evasion, and her company never landed in Hefei.

Before the Electronic Music Festival, Zhang Qingyang's condition was not stable. Since this year, he has intentionally reduced the frequency of live broadcasts and supported the live broadcast rooms of other contracted anchors of the company; in January, Three Sheep Network started overseas live broadcasts; in February, it entered the short drama track with a high profile, and the "Three Sheep Theater" account was officially Open for business.

"Strike steadily and make progress while maintaining stability", these are the words of a leader when he inspected the company. Du Gang made these eight words into a plaque and hung it on the wall of his office.

The "high-priced water controversy" at this electronic music festival is a lesson for Zhang Qingyang, and it also serves as a warning to Hefei.