"Seafood Qingdao" Breaking the Circle: JD Fresh Teams Up with Qingdao Marine Development Bureau, How to Bring Local Freshness Nationwide?

Chinese New Year is approaching, and the festive atmosphere of preparing New Year’s goods is growing stronger in every household. In recent years, with the upgrade of consumption concepts and the pursuit of quality life, the New Year’s shopping list is no longer limited to traditional delicacies like cured meats and pastries. Specialty seafood such as sea cucumbers, oysters, hairy crabs, and black tiger prawns, with their unique flavors and rich nutrition, have quietly become new symbols of the “New Year’s flavor” on the dining tables of thousands of families, carrying both deliciousness and heartfelt wishes.

To bring more authentic and genuine seafood to consumers, JD Fresh and the Marine Development Bureau of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, reached a strategic partnership in January this year. Under the theme “Qingdao Fresh for the New Year, Good Luck on the Chain,” they jointly promote the value enhancement of the “Seafood Qingdao” regional public brand. In this collaboration, JD Fresh leverages its super supply chain capabilities and strong resource advantages to provide special promotion and traffic support for merchants authorized under the brand, helping them solve the problem of “even good wine fears a hidden alley,” expanding into broader markets, and bringing consumers more reliable, high-quality, and affordable seafood delicacies. Starting now, search for “Seafood Qingdao” on the JD APP to unlock authentic Qingdao specialty seafood.

“Seafood Qingdao” is a regional public brand launched by the Marine Development Bureau of Qingdao City in September 2025. Its goal is to integrate resources across the entire industry chain and promote high-quality development of marine fisheries. The logo combines the initials “Q” of Qingdao’s pinyin with a shell shape, outlining the silhouette of a bay city, symbolizing the vigorous development of the fishing industry and conveying good wishes for a bountiful harvest shared by fishermen and fishing enterprises. Currently, 40 companies and catering units, including Luhaifeng Group, Lao Yin’s Sea Cucumber, and Chuan Ge Fresh Food, have received the first batch of “Seafood Qingdao” authorization, covering four major fields: aquaculture, processing, catering, and seafood dumplings.

As a leading local sea cucumber enterprise in Qingdao, Lao Yin’s Sea Cucumber has been deeply involved in the seafood farming industry for over 20 years. Its ready-to-eat sea cucumbers come from a national marine ranch and are processed with innovative techniques that lock in freshness multiple times, preserving maximum nutrition without any additives, ensuring authentic flavor. Compared to frozen sea cucumbers on the market, Lao Yin’s water-packed sea cucumbers are convenient to eat—no need to defrost or reheat; just tear open the bag and enjoy. They also retain their size and have a fresh, chewy texture.

Although Lao Yin’s has built a good reputation and popularity locally in Qingdao, expanding the brand influence online has been a challenge. This time, JD Fresh’s partnership with Lao Yin’s breaks through with the “Seafood Qingdao” brand endorsement, allowing quality products to gain exposure through “tens of millions” of views and reach more consumers.

As Lao Yin’s flagship product, the Lao Yin’s Golden Bucket Sea Cucumber Gift Box embodies the sentiment of “freshness and good fortune,” making it a prestigious gift. It features thick, flavorful meat, rich nutrition, and health benefits. It is also free of “0 sugar, 0 water-retaining agents, 0 coloring agents, 0 preservatives,” ensuring quality. During JD Fresh’s New Year’s Festival, supported by platform subsidies, this ready-to-eat sea cucumber is offered at a limited-time special price: buy 10 for half a month’s package and get 5 free, only 299 yuan, effectively 50% off, plus a free ready-to-eat abalone and sea cucumber partner; the monthly package of 30 pieces costs only 566 yuan; the double-month package of 60 pieces is just 999 yuan, making it the top choice for New Year’s gifts for visiting friends and family.

Currently, by visiting the “Seafood Qingdao” section on JD Fresh, consumers can not only purchase Lao Yin’s ready-to-eat sea cucumbers but also enjoy a comprehensive seafood feast brought by top local Qingdao brands, including Guoxin Frozen Large Yellow Croaker, Yikoufu Golden Soup Big Pot Dish, Laosixian Seafood Qingdao Seahorse, and Chuan Ge Sea Urchin Large Shrimp Dumplings. This fully meets diverse shopping needs such as “tasting, stocking, gifting, and family banquets,” delivering authentic Qingdao seafood to tables across the country.

Authentic seafood that is “both good and affordable” is speeding from its origin to consumers nationwide, showcasing the strength of JD Fresh’s super supply chain. Through direct sourcing from the source, fixed planting and breeding, and overseas direct procurement, JD Fresh continues to deepen its presence at the source. Previously, it has partnered with local governments to create特色地标农产品, such as exclusive sales of Guangdong Maoming lychees, Chagan Lake fish, and fixed planting of Quangyuan free-range chickens. JD’s Chief of Innovative Retail stated that by 2026, the company will further deepen the capabilities of its super supply chain, making it more efficient, transparent, and open, to boost regional economic development, support partner growth, and enhance consumer experience. Among these efforts, JD Fresh’s 2026 source-based procurement model will cover over 50 core categories and collaborate with more than 120 cities to establish industry standards, promote short-chain operations, and improve product freshness and supply chain efficiency.

This cooperation between JD Fresh and the Marine Development Bureau of Qingdao City marks the first platform for promoting the “Seafood Qingdao” regional public brand, jointly exploring a new model of government-enterprise collaboration to promote industry development. Industry insiders believe that the dual enhancement of brand visibility and sales volume for “Seafood Qingdao” will not only help local Qingdao enterprises go further and break growth ceilings but also establish a “fresh” channel to deliver high-quality seafood to thousands of households, allowing consumers nationwide to easily enjoy authentic, affordable seafood.

Currently, JD Fresh has launched an exclusive “Seafood Qingdao” section, and will continue to introduce more high-quality Qingdao seafood brands. As the Spring Festival shopping season approaches, this story of brand upgrading centered on “freshness” has just begun. The theme activity “Qingdao Fresh for the New Year, Good Luck on the Chain” is expected to become a new engine for high-quality regional industry development and a successful model that can be replicated and promoted nationwide.