Abstract: After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45), the restaurant brand Guanshengyuan founded by Xian Guansheng relocated to the unoccupied inland. A branch of it chose to settle in Kunming, Yunnan Province. The founding and development of Kunming Guanshengyuan are attributed to two principles: adherence to the traditional Guangdong food culture and integration of Yunnan and even international food cultures, not to mention its multi-faceted operation modes adopted to open up the market. Bathed in Yunnan wind and Guangdong rain, Kunming Guanshengyuan has brought elements of Guangdong and even foreign cultures to the southwest, and vice versa, benefiting its overall corporate development in general. Through donation and other funding efforts, it has also greatly assisted the development of Kunming and even Yunnan Province. Undeniably, it also experienced mistakes in its course of development, but eventually found a way to sustain development in the long run. It is a name brand that has won established admiration from consumers in and out of Yunnan. Therefore, the paper adopts as research method historiography and utilizes as data archives, newspapers, diaries and other historical materials to study the business model of Kunming Guanshengyuan during those war years. The research concludes that its business model can be a representative case among businesses relocated to the unoccupied southwest during the wartime, a contention that can provide historical experience and practical guidance for the localization strategies of contemporary enterprises. Moreover, it shows the diversified veins under the development of cultural intermingling so as to re-examine the historical position of businesses in the unoccupied southwest in the history of the Resistance War against Japanese Aggression and even that of modern China in general.

Key words: Guanshengyuan, Kunming, business, business model