In June 1997, Zhang Hongchao, a student at Henan University of Finance and Economics, was on  the hunt for a part-time gig at a cool  drinks kiosk to lighten the load on his family’s finances. While working at the kiosk, he got inspired to start his own business.

With a loan from his grandma, he opened a shaved ice stall in his hometown of Zhengzhou, Henan, selling various types of shaved ice, ice cream, smoothies, and later adding pearl milk tea to the menu. However, his business journey wasn’t a walk in the park, and he faced plenty of obstacles, eventually leading him to close down his first shop.

Not one to give up on his dreams, in 1999, Zhang opened a second ice stall, which he named Mìxuě Bīngchéng (Hanzi: 蜜雪冰城), meaning “sweet snow palace.” He shifted his focus to ice cream products as soft-serve cone treats gained popularity in Zhengzhou since 2006 and ice cream prices soared.

To make his ice cream more affordable, Zhang reformulated the recipes, offering them at about 20 percent cheaper than similar products. His success in selling ice cream prompted him to venture into franchising in 2008.

Since the 2010s, Mixue has blossomed into its own company, expanding its franchise scheme to other regions throughout China. The company has research and development centers in other areas of Henan, as well as warehousing and logistics centers to streamline production costs.

In 2022, Mixue Bingcheng Co., Ltd. plans to go public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Mixue’s ice cream business keeps growing and succeeding thanks to the dedication and hard work of Zhang Hongchao and his team.