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42 tobaccoasia gars of the Netherlands, which has turned out to be an important step in the company's strategy of making Great Wall cigars go global. Through bi- lateral cooperation in raw materials, technology, products, and marketing with the two companies, Great Wall cigars have gathered strength in pav- ing the way for the development of Chinese-style cigars, achieving positive results so far. In particu- lar, new cigar products made in cooperation with Agio have made their debut in markets in China and Europe. CTHIC – Paradigm of Chinese-style cigar production In September 2003, CTHIC and British American Tobacco signed an agreement on joint develop- ment of cigar markets in China, and CTHIC in- troduced the Dutch cigar brand of Schimmelpennck under its authorization. In early 2009, a new "aro- matic, soft, and throat-comforting" cigar product of CTHIC – made with Chinese-style cigar pro- duction technology – went on the market, drawing positive comments. In late 2009, CTHIC exported 550,000 cigars to the Middle East in three speci- fications of the Maoda and Three Gorges brands. In 2010, on the basis of the time-honored "China Cigars No. 1" formula and in light of the smok- ing habits of Chinese smokers, CTHIC succeeded in developing the top-level classic cigar brand of China – the Yellow Crane Tower 1916, adding a hand-rolled luxury- grade cigar product to the list of the Yellow Crane Tower family. In the same year, CTHIC and Zimpex entered into coopera- tion and held talks on topics such as marketing of brands overseas, cooperation in raw materials, export-oriented processing of cigar products un- der license of American brands, etc. In April 2013, CTHIC established in the pro- vincial capital city of Wuhan its Xueyaxiang (gentle aroma of cigars) Category Cigar Technology Re- search Institute. So far, the Xueyaxiang Category has initially included several members in its prod- uct system – Xuezhimeng (the dream of cigars), Xuezhiyun (the rhythm of cigars), and Xuezhijing (the scenery of cigars). Xueyaxiang cigars are man- ufactured by using seven characteristic technolo- gies: the technology for growing leaf tobacco in Hainan Province with tobacco seeds from Cuba; the technology for storing leaf tobacco in karst caves for elimination of harmful bacteria and fer- mentation in constant temperatures and humidity; the technology for moisturizing leaf tobacco with high-mountain tea spray to integrate tea aroma into leaf tobacco; the technology for alcoholizing leaf tobacco with fir and for fumigating cigar wrap- pers; the unique hand-rolling technology learned from Grade Nine cigar rolling masters from Cuba; the unique technology of low-temperature dry- ing; and the technology of four-time, deep-freeze tained its status as the leading Chinese cigar brand. So far, Great Wall covered all provincial-level mar- kets in the Chinese Mainland, and has been ex- ported to Europe and Southeast Asia. It has won such distinctive honors as "the most influential Chinese cigar brand", and "the most influential cigar brand in Asia". By the end of 2012, the output of standard ci- gars made in Sichuan Province had accounted for 50.5% of the national gross, with the sales value accounting for 60.6% of the national total. Stan- dard cigar products of Sichuan entered markets in more than 10 countries and regions in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. So far, the cigar operation of China Chuanyu TIC has successfully maintained its status as the "first cigar brand" of China. Today, Great Wall cigars – as a brand of medi- um- and high-end cigars of Chuanyu TIC – mainly comprise hand-made and hand-rolled. Made un- der the guarantee of the best quality raw materi- als of Chuanyu TIC and with the world's leading formulas, Great Wall cigars apply traditional roll- ing technologies used in making tributes payable to the imperial court. Besides providing diversified cigar products, they also have products intended to satisfy consumers with who enjoy top-level cigar consumption and the experience of luxuriousness. In 1929, Lion cigars – now owned by Chuanyu TIC – entered production, and is the first fruit- flavored cigar product in China. Intended for the young, novel, and fashionable, Lion cigars and mainly machine-made. Lion provide consumers with individualized products, guiding the trends of cigar consumption. In 2006, they were rated as a famous brand of Sichuan Province. Chuanyu TIC has been working in coopera- tion with Altadis of the US and Royal Agio Ci- Slogan of Great Wall cigar: wandering on the top of the Great Wall.