SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Genzon Golf Club, a 100% private golf club in Shenzhen, China, hosted a press conference during which it announced a culmination of its re-branding effort – the new name for its facility: Hidden Grace Golf Club.

As part of the initiative to be constantly building the brand, since the day the club opened, it has consistently enhanced its brand value and influence by creating a unique golf course with unbeatable services. The club launched a brand strategy planning program last year, in a move to redefine its brand portfolio by taking into consideration multiple factors, including not only the cultural aspects but also everything that distinguishes the club from its peers, the history of golf and the humanistic spirit behind the sport.

The concept of Hidden Grace, yinxiu, was first mentioned in Wenxin Diaolong, an important work penned by the literary theorist Liu Xie during the Southern Dynasty. The dialectical unity of yin and xiu describes a rich blend of Chinese humanistic and philosophical achievements. The new name not only reflects the organic unity of the course as well as of golf itself in tandem with the humanistic spirit that is associated with the sport, but also reinterprets the spirit of golf with the words self-reliance, self-victory and yinxiu. It depicts the physical endurance and mindset of new era entrepreneurs, who make tough choices as a result of their top-notch survival instincts by following the rules of nature on the one hand, and by pushing the wheel of history with long-term patience and persistence on the other. The infusion of Chinese philosophy and wisdom creates a club culture that is a true blend of the golf spirit, something distinctly Western, and the deep-rooted Chinese culture.

The golf club was originally designed by Neil Haworth, one of North America’s leading golf course architects. The 36-hole championship golf course surrounded by the 1,000 acres of Dragon Lake has become a venue for international tournaments including the Shenzhen International and the Volvo China Open. In January 2019, the club was invited to join European Tour Destinations (ETD) and became the first ETD golf course in China. In order to better promote sustainable development and achieve a balance between nature, resources and economic benefits, after nearly two years of preparation, the club was certified by GEO (Golf Environment Organization) in October 2020, making it one of the first clubs in China to receive this authoritative certification, bringing it in line with the international standard in terms of sustainability, and serving as the pioneer in China to boost the development of environment-friendly and sustainable golf clubs.

At the conference, Ali Kong, general manager of the club, delivered a keynote speech, during which he elaborated on how the club’s achievements today benefited from the open, inclusive and dynamic culture of Shenzhen, as well as the pragmatic and innovative outlooks of entrepreneurs in the Greater Bay Area and their pursuit of excellence. With Hidden Grace, the new brand value proposition, the club hopes that entrepreneurs in the new era will find spiritual resonance here. Yin represents the wisdom of being pragmatic with a purposely low profile and good survival instincts that calmly waits for the right moment to take action while following the rules of nature, while xiu is the pursuit of ambition, and the determination to stay strong in order to thrive endlessly. As a result, yinxiu is much more than a word. The term helps visualize the place where the club is located, surrounded by the expansive Dragon Lake, in a quiet environment populated by Chinese aesthetic elements that reflect the Chinese wisdom of ‘maintaining one’s strength so as to make a difference‘ and ‘following the laws of nature‘ while highlighting the strong commitment to inheriting Chinese humanistic traditions.

At the press conference, Deng Xueqin, chairman and president of Genzon Group and operator of the club, gave a speech during which he, in his role as a responsible entrepreneur, shared his understanding of yinxiu, and stressed that the re-branding effort is to highlight the club’s temperament and its leading role in future growth. The renamed club is on track to serve as a high-end private place to enjoy the life of Hidden Grace by promoting the lifestyle of yinxiu.

Wang Defeng, a professor at the School of Philosophy, Fudan University, delivered a speech which he entitled Great Invisibility in Today’s Society, in addition to unveiling the new brand value proposition. Prof. Wang talked about the qualities required for a responsible entrepreneur from the perspective of Hidden Grace, as well as the spiritual essence behind new name.

At the subsequent Hidden Grace Forum, entrepreneurs and culture scholars were brought together to exchange their ideas on the spirit of golf and the yinxiu wisdom of entrepreneurs.

Becoming skilled at golf does not happen overnight, and the same is true for the re-branding effort. Mr. Kong stressed, what has changed from Genzon to Hidden Grace is the name, while the pursuit of high quality services as well as the original mission of driving the evolution of the sport of golf remain unchanged. Hidden Grace Golf Club will start a new journey with a new name and never cease in its dedication to the golf community.