What Is the Monthly "Recharge"?

At Yibaling, there is a team that races against time differences by day and struggles with emails by night.

They are the Foreign Trade Department.

They prepare quotations at the beginning of the month, follow up on orders in the middle, and arrange shipments at the end. Every day, they deal with clients speaking different languages, calls across different time zones, and communication styles from various cultures. The pressure is heavy, but they never drop the ball.

Last weekend, the Foreign Trade Department held its monthly team-building day. No KPIs, no order reminders, no deadlines. There was only one thing to do: relax properly.

Where did they go this time?

They chose an outdoor campsite on the outskirts of the city. It was not far—just a 30-minute drive, enough to leave the city’s hustle and bustle behind.

The environment was not fancy, but it was spacious. There was wind, trees, and plenty of tables and benches. Above was the sky, beneath was the ground, and beside them was a cooking stove. Instead of barbecue skewers, they cooked proper stir-fry dishes.

Noon: Outdoor stoves, taking turns to cook

The highlight of the team building was lunch.

No reserved restaurant tables, no takeout. They built fires, washed vegetables, and cooked by themselves.

This team, which is organized and logical in emails, looked a bit flustered in front of the stoves. Some cut potato shreds into potato sticks, some forgot to add salt while stir-frying, and some insisted their braised pork “only looks a bit dark, but tastes perfect.”

But in the end, every dish was finished.

Not because the cooking was great, but because everyone was hungry. Or maybe because they had cooked it themselves—they had to finish it even if it was too salty.

Afternoon: Unstructured free time

There were no group activities scheduled for the afternoon. Those who wanted to play cards played cards, those who wanted to fish fished, and those who just wanted to lie down and zone out were left alone.

Several colleagues gathered to talk about clients they were recently following up: an order from Chile was finally confirmed, a client from the Philippines reordered a prototype, and a long-term American client asked if they could lower the price further...

Before long, the conversation drifted back to work. But no one felt annoyed this time.

Because they were outdoors, because there was wind, and because some people were still busy washing dishes by the stove nearby.

Foreign Trade Department: Monthly "Recharge"

The monthly team building of Yibaling’s Foreign Trade Department is not a grand event. No luxurious venues, no professional chefs, no carefully designed schedules.

It is just a group of people stepping out of the office, setting up stoves outdoors, and cooking a meal together with their own hands.

Some call it “team building,” others call it “clearing their heads.” Whatever it is named, there is only one purpose: To let those who deal with the world every day also spend quality time with their own people.