Dong Mingzhu Responds to Criticism of Her Temper: “I Have High Standards for My Employees, and Many Rumors Abound”

In a significant development for the global refrigeration industry, two key international standards for refrigeration compressors, spearheaded by China, were unveiled today in Zhuhai.

The standards, 《容积式制冷压缩机性能评价》 (Performance Evaluation of Positive Displacement Refrigeration Compressors) and 《离心式制冷压缩机性能评价》 (Performance Evaluation of Centrifugal Refrigeration Compressors), represent a landmark achievement. These are the first new ISO standards in the refrigeration compressor domain in two decades.

At the unveiling, Chairwoman of
格力电器, Dong Mingzhu, expressed her gratitude, stating, “We extend our thanks to all the technical staff at 格力电器 for their contributions over the past four years in the development of these standards.”

The event also provided an opportunity for the often-vocal businesswoman to address perceptions of her management style.

Dong acknowledged, “As everyone knows, I have high expectations of our staff, and there are many external remarks… that Dong Mingzhu is a strong woman, very demanding, and always criticizing people – or, to put it bluntly, always berating them.”

This follows earlier comments from Dong, as featured in the documentary 《她和她的故事》 (Her Story), where she addressed online criticism: “I don’t read the comments online. Let them criticize. Those with free time criticize; those who are busy don’t have the time.”

Further illustrating her approach, Dong added, “I don’t consider myself special, and I am indifferent to being envied.”

The public’s perception of her style, however, was recently reinforced during a live stream celebrating a new store opening. On that occasion, Dong interrupted an employee on the spot after a misspoken word.

Later, she provided a measured clarifying explanation: “Our capabilities are evident from the details. Some will say, why does Dong Mingzhu still criticize? This is not criticism; this is about attention to detail.”

This dynamic leader, often perceived as a figure of ruthless efficiency, also carries with her the poignant past of a single mother.

Early in her career, juggling the demands of work, she would transport her child to and from the nursery and the factory, all while shouldering the responsibilites.

This “paradoxical” combination of traits has led to an interesting assessment from some observers online who commented that “the truly tough individuals often have a soft heart underneath a sharp tongue”.