Recently, with the delivery of new vehicles to Hebei, Hunan, Guizhou, and other regions, Shaolin Bus, once bankrupt and restructured, and formerly known as the "King of Minibuses," has made a comeback.

The screenshot from Shaolin Bus's official website shows the delivery of new buses to Hebei.

Back then, with the reform and opening up, people's travel activities surged, and medium-sized buses became extremely popular in transportation. Shaolin Bus was one of the outstanding examples, known as the "King of Medium-sized Buses." Shaolin Bus originated from humble beginnings. In a year, the printing machinery factory in Sishui Township, Xingyang County, Zhengzhou, faced difficulties and switched to manufacturing automobiles. That same year, the movie "Shaolin Temple" became a nationwide sensation. Thus, the two new models (a touring bus and a passenger-cargo vehicle) successfully developed the following year were given a striking name: Shaolin. Since then, these two words have weathered storms, continuously grown, and ushered in a glorious era, becoming a well-known trademark in China. In a certain year, the "Shaolin" brand was listed among "China's Most Valuable Brands" with a brand value of . billion yuan.

However, after the New Year, the bus market underwent profound changes. The rapid development of the railway began to continuously compress the bus market, while competition within the bus market itself intensified, leading to increased manufacturing costs, market differentiation, and making profits difficult. Shaolin Bus, in response to market changes, attempted to break free from its reliance on the low-end market and transition to the high-end. Unfortunately, this transformation ended in failure for Shaolin Bus due to investment losses. Subsequently, Shaolin Bus shifted its focus to new energy vehicles and obtained the qualification to produce them. At this time, Shaolin Bus was struggling financially and extended its market to "old man's joy" (elderly mobility vehicles) in order to survive.

In the year, the fraud case involving Shaolin Bus erupted. Suzhou Jimxi Bus, King Long United Automotive, Shenzhen Wuzhou Dragon Bus, Chery Wanda Guizhou Bus, and Shaolin Bus were listed by the Ministry of Finance as the "Five Typical Cases of New Energy Vehicle Subsidy Fraud" and announced nationwide. Data showed that in this fraud case, Shaolin Bus was involved in 1683 vehicles, with an amount involved of approximately 0.55 billion yuan. As a result, Shaolin Bus not only lost its eligibility for central financial subsidies but was also removed from the recommended directory by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. According to regulations, Shaolin Bus is also required to pay a fine of 50% of the problematic amount. The fraud case triggered a crisis for Shaolin Bus. The actual controller of Shaolin Bus, in addition to Shaolin Bus (Henan Shaolin Bus Co., Ltd.), also operated another Shaolin Bus company and was involved in diversified businesses such as real estate, education, and food, leading to multiple debt disputes.

On [specific date], Hebei Hongye Yongsheng Automobile Heater Co., Ltd. applied to the Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court for the bankruptcy reorganization of Shaolin Bus due to debt issues. On [specific date], the Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court ruled to initiate a pre-bankruptcy reorganization for Shaolin Bus. Subsequently, Xingyang Chengtou Asset Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Xingyang Municipal Government, became the strategic investor and took over Shaolin Bus. Xingyang Chengtou, a wholly state-owned company of Xingyang City, is responsible for urban comprehensive development and operations, with a registered capital of 1 billion yuan and an asset scale exceeding 10 billion yuan. Xingyang Chengtou stated, "We will provide strong financial, market, and other resource support for the subsequent development of Shaolin Bus."

The local authorities in Xingyang hold a high regard for the bankruptcy pre-reorganization of Shaolin Bus. The head of the pre-reorganization management team is Du Pengyi, a standing committee member of the Xingyang Municipal Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor, who is in charge of the Xingyang Development and Reform Commission and the Finance Bureau. At the relevant meetings, Du Pengyi stated the following:

Advancing the legal restructuring of Shaolin Bus in an orderly manner is a significant initiative by Xingyang City to earnestly implement the central and provincial government's directives on optimizing the business environment, promoting the orderly and legal bankruptcy and restructuring of market entities facing operational difficulties, and fostering the healthy development of the private economy. The restructuring of Shaolin Bus is not only a legal issue concerning the bankruptcy and restructuring of enterprises in financial distress but also a political issue that involves the livelihood of the company's employees and the overall stability of the city.

The advantages of Shaolin Buses have also been brought to the table. Brand Advantages: Shaolin Buses is a bus manufacturer listed in the National Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's announcement directory, a "Top 100" enterprise in Henan Province, and holds a renowned trademark. Product Advantages: Shaolin Buses primarily produces large, medium, and light-duty road buses, urban buses, tourist buses, new energy buses, rural buses, group buses, special-purpose vehicles, and new energy buses, with over a series of products, trademarks, and qualification certificates. Market Advantages: The "Shaolin" brand series products are sold nationwide and have been exported to countries and regions such as Nepal, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. Shaolin Buses is a key enterprise in China for the bulk export of bus整车. Additionally, Shaolin Buses owns industrial plots with a total area of approximately 1 million square meters.

Combining the company's situation, Xingyang Chengtou has identified two key tasks for Shaolin Coach: one is to resume production, and the other is to regain the new energy qualification. After the annual pre-restructuring was completed, Shaolin Coach began recruiting technical backbone from society by the end of that year. In the year, Shaolin Coach laid the groundwork for its return to the road—through technological transformation, achieving comprehensive upgrades. According to Shaolin Coach, this means "fully completing the upgrades in design and R&D capabilities, production capabilities, information management capabilities, and energy conservation and emission reduction capabilities" in the year, "rapidly forming production and R&D capabilities for both fuel vehicles and new energy vehicles."

In the year, Shaolin Bus officially returned as production and delivery commenced alongside domestic and international orders. Data shows that in the first half of the year, the overall sales of buses in China reached 100,000 units, an increase of 50%. Among them, exports totaled 20,000 units, growing by 30%. In the exported vehicles, medium-sized buses sold 10,000 units, an increase of 40%, showing a very strong trend. Although the export growth of large buses did not match that of medium-sized buses, it still saw a rise of 20%. The market trend aligns with Shaolin Bus's development direction. Recently, Shaolin Bus signed a strategic cooperation agreement with a Korean company (details of the company are unknown). The prospects of this cooperation are uncertain, but Shaolin Bus's fundamental stance is clear: relying on the company's history, leveraging the opportunity of restructuring, expanding along the "Belt and Road" initiative, and making significant strides in the niche market.