File photo of Zong Qinghou, founder of Hangzhou Wahaha Group. [Photo/Xinhua]

Zong Qinghou, founder of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, a food and beverage giant in China, passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 79 after medical treatment failed, according to the group.

Zong was a deputy to the 10th, 11th and 12th editions of the National People's Congress. He has long been regarded as one of the landmark figures in Chinese business history.

Founded in 1987, Hangzhou Wahaha Group, once a school-run firm, has become a leading enterprise with 81 production bases and more than 180 subsidiaries, employing nearly 30,000 people.

The group again featured on the 2023 list of China's top 500 private enterprises, having achieved total operating revenue of 51.2 billion yuan (about 7.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022.