Ding Shizhong is included in the 'Rebel in the Business World' column because he chose to go against the current when the industry was retreating. During the 2012 inventory tsunami, while the whole industry closed stores and contracted, he led visits to over 500 prefecture-level cities, shifting from wholesale to retail, and was the first to emerge from the darkest moment. This courage to proactively change in adversity is the core trait of a 'rebel'. His archival value lies in recording the complete path of how a Chinese local brand, starting from an OEM workshop, through repeated self-revolutions, finally reached the world's second place. This is not only the growth history of a company but also a microcosm of the transformation from 'Made in China' to 'Chinese brands'.

Ding Shizhong was born in 1970 in Jinjiang, Fujian, a region known for its shoe industry; his father ran a small shoe workshop. In 1987, at 17, he went to Beijing with 600 pairs of shoes and 10,000 yuan, selling on the streets for four years, accumulating 200,000 yuan and sales experience. ^[1] In 1991, he returned to his hometown and co-founded ANTA with his father, adhering to the philosophy of 'start a business with peace of mind, be a down-to-earth person'. ^[2] In 1999, ANTA's revenue reached 50 million yuan; Ding insisted on spending 800,000 yuan to sign table tennis player Kong Linghui, one-third of annual profit. ^[1] In 2000, Kong won at the Sydney Olympics, boosting ANTA's visibility; revenue exceeded 200 million yuan. ^[1] In 2007, ANTA listed in Hong Kong. ^[3] In 2009, ANTA acquired FILA's China business for HK$650 million; FILA was loss-making with fewer than 50 stores. ^[4] In 2012, the industry inventory crisis hit; ANTA closed nearly 600 stores, net profit declined. ^[5] Ding led visits to over 500 prefecture-level cities, driving channel reform from wholesale to retail. ^[1] In 2014, performance recovered with revenue of 8.92 billion yuan and net profit of 1.7 billion yuan. ^[5] Subsequently, ANTA acquired Arc'teryx, Salomon, etc., building a multi-brand matrix. ^[6] In 2022, ANTA's market value surpassed Adidas, becoming the world's second-largest sportswear group with revenue of 53.65 billion yuan. ^[6] In 2024, ANTA main brand revenue exceeded 40 billion yuan, FILA over 30 billion, other brands combined over 10 billion. ^[7]

In Ding Shizhong's entrepreneurial career, the most critical battle was the channel reform after the 2012 inventory crisis. At that time, the industry faced an inventory tsunami; ANTA closed nearly 600 stores and net profit declined. ^[5] Ding did not choose to shrink but led visits to over 500 prefecture-level cities, going deep into stores and warehouses, discovering the drawbacks of the traditional wholesale model: the brand sold goods to distributors and then stopped participating in terminal operations, leading to chaotic pricing. ^[1] He decided to shift from wholesale to retail, strengthening direct control over channels, cutting redundant intermediate links, and providing distributors with store management, digital systems, and other support. ^[1] After the reform pains, ANTA was the first to emerge from the crisis; in 2014, revenue and net profit both achieved double-digit growth. ^[5] Another key battle was the acquisition of FILA China in 2009. At that time, FILA was loss-making in China with fewer than 50 stores, but Ding judged that the expansion of the middle class would bring opportunities in the high-end sports fashion market. ^[4] Leveraging ANTA's operational capabilities, FILA China's revenue exceeded 20 billion yuan in ten years, becoming an important growth engine for the group. ^[6]

Ding Shizhong led ANTA from a small OEM workshop in Jinjiang to the world's second-largest sportswear group. His impact is not only in commercial achievements but also in reshaping China's sporting goods industry. He pioneered brand transformation, breaking the OEM model and setting a brand benchmark for Chinese manufacturing. ^[1] During the industry crisis, he insisted on channel reform, providing a transformation model for the entire industry. ^[1] Through acquisitions of FILA, Arc'teryx, etc., he built a multi-brand matrix, exploring a path for Chinese sporting goods companies to go global. ^[6] In 2022, ANTA's market value surpassed Adidas, marking the first time a Chinese sporting goods company entered the global top tier. ^[6] Ding's pragmatic spirit and insistence on quality have also influenced a new generation of entrepreneurs. His experience proves that starting from the bottom, with perseverance and vision, one can achieve a world-class enterprise.

The business proposition Ding Shizhong leaves behind is: in global competition, how can Chinese brands transform from followers to leaders? He spent 35 years, starting from 600 pairs of shoes, and through branding, channel reform, and multi-brand acquisitions, pushed ANTA to the world's second place. His success is not accidental but based on precise judgment of market trends and persistence in quality. His era significance lies in proving that Chinese entrepreneurs are fully capable of competing with international giants on the global stage, and providing a replicable path for future generations.