A Modern-day myth: "Daphne" leapt onto the list of pharmaceutical enterprises obtaining the national drug GMP certificate.
On the occasion of the first spring of the new millienia, the Yunnan Wenshan Daphne Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. embraced a glorious event: Chairman and President Tang Xiuwen took home a gilt placard of People's Republic of China GMP Certificate for Drug Products from Beijing on April 7. 
This placard is no common. It represents realization of the target sought for by Mr. Tang Xiuwen for the past 6 years. 
This is the product of the effort of the staff of 240.
This is also a dream of the locals coming true, and pride of the Yunnan pharmaceutical enterprises!
In the ancient Greek myth, there is a goddess of moon, who takes curing of the people as hermission. He is an angel not only bringing light to the people in the dark, but also taking charge of the medical affairs. Wherever he appears, poverty and pain will vanish. This Goddess of the Moon is called "Daphne". Tang Xiuwen named his enterprise just after this goddess of the moon. The registered trademark design, a moon and a panax pseudoginseng flower in blossom, reflects the nice wishes of Mr. Tang.
Panax pseudoginseng, as a top treasure in the TCM drug library, grows in a condition with unique geographical and climate environment. China has a territory of 9.6 square kilometers, but panax pseudoginseng only grows in a small area near the the Tropic of Cancer. The Wenshan county is the top producer of panax pseudoginseng. Behind it are Yanshan, Maguan and Guangnan. The Wenshan county, named by the state "Hometown of Panax Pseudoginseng", has growing history of over 400 years, accounting for close to 80% of national panax pseudoginseng growing area and production. "Daphne" just came into being in Wenshan with the hope of taking advantage of the nice resource to benefit the human beings. 
There are piles of evidences proving the benefits of panax pseudoginseng. Li Shizhen, an ancient TCM drug guru, stated in his Compendium of Materia Medica that panax pseudoginseng was "more valuable than gold", and could cure all blood-related diseases. The modern researches further demonstrate that the main function of panax pseudoginseng is to prevent and fight cardio-cerebrovascular diseases. It is also effective in treatment of hepatic diseases and cancers. As a drug and food of same origin, "it quickens the blood flow to eliminate stasis,  improves the stomach, and promotes saliva secretion to stop thirst when eaten raw; and nourishes the liver and kidney to strengthen the bones and sinews when eaten cooked". It is also found effective in delaying ageing, fighting fatigue and improving immunity. 
It is no easy thing for Daphne to stand out among more than one hundred panax pseudoginseng trading enterprises in the Wenshan Zhuang & Miao Autonamous Prefecture. Just like numerous startup enterprises, Daphne also encountered the problems of lack of capital, qualified persons, equipment, technology and production premises at the very beginning. What they had was the energy and determination of Tang Xiuwen, founder of Daphne. If it is a high mountain, white clouds will come to surround it, and if it is a sea, waves will sing in it, says he. From the very beginning, he scrapped the behaviours of earning quick money. In stead, he eyed the overall quality of the staff and normalization of the production and business management. He relied on technical innovation, and led the enterprise to move at a high starting point. By adopting a two-track approach, he trained a qualified backbone team, and employed external experts to give lecture on GMP management from the very beginning. Tang Xiuwen understood that, as a practice guiding pharmaceutical enterprise's drug production and quality management, GMP has been implemented for more than 30 years in the world. But in China, its implementation has only a history of over 10 years. In spite of these difficulties, Daphne still sought for this target. 
In a period as short as 6 years, Daphne overcame the factors restraining its implementation of GMP. It invested RMB 13.30 million yuan in construction or reconstruction of the comprehensive drug shop and extraction shop, addition of advanced pharmaceutical equipment, improvement of the plant environment and organizational structure, and normalization of the SOP operating procedures. With his talent and learning aspiration, Tang Xiuwen led an internal GMP management team, and gave scores of training classes involving over 4000 participants, and over 160 there of were sent to Kunming, Chengdu, Nanjing and Beijing for learning knowledge of pharmaceutical production, inspection, mechanical repair, enterprise management and marketing. Many homegrown professionals were thus developed. After completion of self-check of the pre-certification work, Daphne submitted the application and received preliminary review of the Yunnan provincial drug regulator. After getting through review of the state drug certification center, the enterprise received "People's Republic of China GMP Certificate for Drug Products issued by China FDA in early April, becoming one of the first pharmaceutical enterprises obtaining such certificate. It marked Daphne's production and management complying with the national standard and in line with the international practice.
The fact that such honor was won by the private enterprise in a remote area is arguably a modern myth created by Tang Xiuwen and his Daphne. The Daphne Co., with its unique business concept, stands out and gains ground among the intense competition. This achievement is attributed to effort of the staff led by Tang Xiuwen and understanding, care and support of the provincial, prefectural and local governments. Throughout the years, the Provincial Committee of Science & Technology, 18 provincial offices, Provincial Department of Public Health, and Provincial Office for Drugs have provided key support to Tang Xiuwen, who have lived up the support, and created wider development space for the enterprises on the basis of down-to-earth work.
The care and instructions of the governments and departments of all levels gives Tang Xiuwen infinite wisdom and boldness. Tang tries to work his dream in conjunction with the state direction of reforming and development. Now, he has spread full wings to create another peak!
Jan. 16, 2006  Daphne Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. Yunnan