A: Ronghua Chicken was one of the first homegrown fast food chains. It was launched in 1991 by a Shanghai catering enterprise with a goal to create a brand image capable of competing with KFC.

B: With its ambitious slogan "Wherever there is KFC, there is Ronghua Chicken" as well as a more Chinese menu and lower price, Ronghua made a big splash initially and soon expanded from Shanghai to Beijing and other big cities. But unfortunately, the chain was short-lived. A few years later it was forced to shut down all of its stores because of poor business.

A: It's a pity these enterprises came and went away in a short period of time, but their practices have provided experience and lessons for their followers and the industry as a whole to learn from.

B: Today Chinese fast food companies are paying great attention to their brand name and corporate culture construction. They are looking into the Western fast food industry as an example while maintaining the unique features of Chinese cuisine to provide food especially tailored to a Chinese palate.

A: Fast food is usually considered a quick and simple meal just for filling the stomach. But with growing public health consciousness, more people are now aware of the health benefits of Chinese cuisine over Western fast food choices which are often rich in fat and calories.

B: Facing growing competition from Chinese fast food companies, many foreign fast food chains are taking steps to localize their menus in order to cater more to the local palate.

A: KFC, for example, has enriched its set menu with the offering of some popular Chinese-style food such as porridge, youtiao, which is a kind of fried dough-stick, egg soup, chicken rolls and shaobing, or toasted sesame seed pancakes.

B: Aimed specifically at the Chinese market, these new items would never be seen in KFC outlets in any other country. They provide local customers with complements to the chain's internationally uniform Western-style food.

A: Although many industries have been suffering during the economic downturn, the fast food business remains strong in China. Based on the booming market which grows by 20 percent annually, many foreign fast food giants are seeking further expansion by opening more outlets around the country.

B: The Chinese market is big but it's also competitive. As foreign competitors continue to expand aggressively, domestic fast food chains are still overshadowed by their overseas counterparts, but they are rapidly catching up.