Wen Yaojian: I read over 400 books on beef, all to give you one reason to choose our top chef.

10 PM. The noise of the Helong Sports Plaza in Changsha has long faded, yet the light still glows from the Middle Eastern Kitchen office at Houjiatang Color Building. I've brewed a cup of tea and pulled down "Australian Meat Handbook" from the shelf—its spine worn white from countless readings. Beside it lie "The Bible of Aged Steak," "Beef Cattle Production and Business Decision-Making," and "China Beef Cattle Statistical Data"...

Someone asked me: "Mr. Wen, your home and company have over 1500 books in total. Just the professional books on the beef industry fill four entire walls. The 484 books shown in this picture are just the tip of the iceberg. Why do you, a businessperson, read so many books?"

I say the same thing every time: to give my customers one more reason to choose Dongchu, not someone else.

I. On 2018/3/19, I decided to be "less clever"

On 2018/3/19, I launched my second startup and founded Hunan Dongchu Food Technology Co., Ltd.

Back then, many told me: selling beef is all about connections, pricing, and channels—buy low, sell high, move the goods in and out, and you've got a business.

I don't deny this is a business, but it's not what I want to do.

I've seen too many peers in the beef industry: those who've worked with beef for a decade still can't distinguish between Angus and Simmental cuts; steak sellers who've been in the business for five years struggle to explain the difference between single-cut and whole-cut steaks; and hot pot ingredient suppliers with eight years of experience don't know the optimal cold-chain temperatures for different cuts. It's not that they lack intelligence—it's that they feel it's unnecessary.

But I insist on being someone who isn't needed.

From that day on, I systematically collected, studied, and even "devoured" every beef-related book I could find. From *Meat Science and Technology* to *Microbiology in Meat Processing*, from the *Canadian Beef and Veal Manual* to the *Complete Guide to Japanese Wagyu Cooking*, from *2023 Chinese Cattle Statistics* to *Peptide Clinical Nutrition*... covering breeding, slaughter, cutting, cold chain logistics, cooking, nutrition, and industry economics, I immersed myself like a greedy student into over 400 professional books.

Many people laugh at me for being "old-fashioned": Wenyao Jian, you're the boss, not a researcher.

But I know that in the era of fragmented information, deep reading is the ultimate competitive advantage.

2. 400 books—not just for display, but as "translators."

What have these 400+ books actually brought me?

First, it's about having a sharp eye when selecting products.

When the market hyps a certain "viral beef cut," I can consult *Meat Science* to understand its intramuscular fat deposition patterns and determine if it's just a fleeting trend. When a supplier presents a test report, I can decode the true quality behind the data using *Meat Processing and Testing Technology*, rather than being swayed by glossy brochures.

Second, it's the "solution" presented to customers.

Dongchu's clients include executive chefs at upscale Western restaurants, owners of community fresh food stores, and procurement managers for corporate benefits. They aren't buying "a piece of meat"; they're investing in whether a dish will wow guests, if a gift box will leave a lasting impression on recipients, and whether shipments can reliably meet demand during peak seasons like the May Day holiday.

Without these 400 books as a foundation, I can only be a "quotation specialist." With them, I become a "beef ingredient consultant."

For example, if a client wants to create a premium Wagyu gift box, I can do more than just supply the meat. I'll recommend ideal sauce pairings based on "The Science of Food Flavor Pairing," provide searing times for different thicknesses from "The Bible of Meat Cooking," and design optimal cold-chain logistics using insights from "The Complete Guide to Ingredient Preservation." These are value-added services that sellers who simply buy and resell cannot offer.

Third, it's the anchor on the journey of entrepreneurship.

From 2018 to present, eight years have seen the beef industry endure pandemic shocks, import fluctuations, consumer segmentation, and a shake-up in live-stream e-commerce. Countless players expanded blindly when the tide rose, only to be left with wreckage when it receded.

The books on my shelf—*Beef Cattle Production and Business Decision-Making*, *Catering Management*, and *Corporate Zen*—ground me in common sense, data, and industry fundamentals before every major decision. Reading won't help me predict the future, but it will help me hold firm to certainty amidst uncertainty.

3. Dongchu's Confidence: One More Reason to Choose Us

Frequent new customers ask me: "Mr. Wen, with so many beef sellers on the market, why should I choose Dongchu?"

My answer has never been about "the lowest price"—because there's always someone cheaper.

My advantage: same price, I know the products better; same products, I know how to use them better; same usage, I understand the science behind it better.

This is the "hidden value" built from over 400 books.

Dongchu specializes in fresh beef, prime-cut steaks, marbled beef, Wagyu products, and ingredients for hot pot and BBQ. We also offer the premium "Dongchu Our Beef" gift box. Every cut of meat travels from pasture to plate—not just through cold-chain logistics, but through my deep understanding of breed, cut, aging, slicing, and cooking. These insights come from study and are ultimately delivered on your plate and reflected in customer satisfaction.

The essence of business is value exchange. The ceiling for value depends on the depth of a creator's understanding.

So I'll keep buying, reading, and taking notes. The next book could be *Modernist Cuisine* or a newly released "Report on the Development of China's Beef Cattle Industry." As long as this industry continues to evolve, my bookshelf will keep growing.

Conclusion

Some treat entrepreneurship as speculation; I see it as a practice of self-cultivation.

20 years of supply chain is our foundation, 400 books nourish us, and Dongchu, this great tree, ultimately exists to shelter our customers from wind and rain.

If you're looking for a supplier who doesn't just sell meat, but truly understands it—

Dongchu: One more reason to choose us.

Hunan Dongchu Food Technology Co., Ltd. Founder: Wen Yaojian

2026 5, 7

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