The Gift of Rivers and Mountains

Abstract

Both belonging to the Yangtze River basin, Chenzhou and Hechuan abound in vast differences in geography and history which have given rise to distinct local product systems. The local products of the two places have been taken into consideration across four dimensions: geographical basis, product types, industrial models, and cultural connotations. The study reveals that based on a mountainous ecology, Chenzhou's special products, focused on poultry farming and aquatic product processing, have formed an industrial chain, while grounded in the alluvial plain of three rivers,  Hechuan's local products, based on grain crops and traditional pastries, have built a distinctive industrial system. The two places exhibit different models in brand building, "regional public brand leadership" and "geographical indication matrix-driven development." These revelations can offer insights for the promotion of differentiated development of regional agricultural brands.