Hisense Kelon
A Chinese white-goods manufacturer and former listed corporate entity known for Kelon and Ronshen refrigerators, air conditioners, and related appliances. Kelon is a Chinese air-conditioning brand founded in 1984 and now positioned by Hisense Home Appliances Group as a fashionable, technology-oriented brand for younger consumers.
Last updated October 9, 2026
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Overview
Hisense Kelon is the historical corporate name of a major Chinese white-goods manufacturer headquartered in Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong. The business began in 1984 as a refrigerator producer in Shunde, an important manufacturing center in southern China, and later expanded into air conditioners and other household electrical appliances. Its principal consumer-facing brands included Kelon, written as 科龙 in Chinese, and Ronshen, written as 容声. The company therefore occupied both a manufacturing role and a multi-brand position within China’s increasingly competitive home-appliance market. The company’s growth coincided with the development of China’s consumer-appliance industry and the expansion of domestic capital markets. Its H shares were listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1996, followed by A shares on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1999. These listings gave the company access to public-market financing while it continued to build production and distribution capabilities in refrigerators, air conditioning, and small electrical appliances. Kelon experienced a major corporate crisis in 2005. Trading in its H shares was suspended in June of that year while the company prepared a price-sensitive announcement. The suspension followed an investigation into alleged misappropriation of company assets involving former chairman and major shareholder Gu Chujun. Gu was subsequently dismissed by the board, and the matter was ultimately adjudicated by the Foshan Intermediate People’s Court in January 2009. Trading resumed later that month. Hisense Group, a large appliance manufacturer headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong, acquired Kelon in 2006 and became its largest shareholder. The acquisition connected Kelon’s established refrigerator and air-conditioner operations with Hisense’s broader appliance portfolio, technology resources, manufacturing network, and management structure. In 2007, the listed company adopted the English and Chinese name Hisense Kelon Electrical Holdings Limited, reflecting its position within the Hisense group while retaining the Kelon identity in the market. In October 2018, the company proposed changing its corporate name to Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd. This proposal marked a further move away from the narrower Hisense Kelon corporate designation and toward an umbrella identity covering a broader home-appliance business. The Kelon and Ronshen names remained important product and brand references, but the corporate entity became associated with the wider Hisense home-appliances platform rather than operating solely under the historical Kelon name. Hisense Kelon is best understood today as a historical corporate identity within the Hisense appliance family rather than as a separate globally independent appliance group. Its legacy consists of the Kelon and Ronshen brands, its early role in China’s refrigerator industry, its dual-market listings, the restructuring that followed the 2005 governance crisis, and its integration into Hisense’s broader white-goods operations. The business scope associated with the name covers refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, and small electric appliances, although the available reference material does not establish a complete current product catalog or a distinct contemporary corporate website for Hisense Kelon itself. Kelon is a Chinese air-conditioning brand whose official history dates its founding to 1984. The brand says it was among China’s earlier businesses focused on air-conditioner research and manufacturing. Its official account identifies 1988 as the year it produced China’s first split-type household air conditioner, a milestone that became central to its technical heritage and product story. Today, Kelon is described by its official website as a fashionable, trend-oriented air-conditioning brand under Hisense Home Appliances Group. Its stated brand attributes are professional, practical, efficient, and attractive in appearance. The company says it aims to become a preferred air-conditioning brand for younger consumers, with products addressing varied sleep and home-comfort needs. Its messaging emphasizes practical performance and energy efficiency alongside styling. The brand’s current offering centers on household air conditioners, including wall-mounted and floor-standing models, as well as central air-conditioning and commercial air-source heat-pump products. Named ranges and products on its website include the Xiaerduo (“小耳朵”) series, Jing Sheng Dian (“静省电”) series and the Longyan air-source heat-pump system. The official materials describe technologies such as DFC intelligent inverter control, OC boosted heating and cooling, intelligent dual cleaning, and dehumidification without lowering room temperature. Product communications also highlight low-noise operation, energy-saving functions, air delivery, and self-cleaning features. Kelon reports domestic manufacturing bases in Pingdu, Shandong; Jiangmen, Guangdong; and Huzhou, Zhejiang, and research centers in Qingdao, Shandong, and Shunde, Guangdong. The brand’s website says its products are sold in 130 countries. It also reports thousands of research achievements and technical patents, though these figures are self-reported and vary across the supplied official pages. Its longer-running energy-efficiency narrative includes the Shuangxiaowang (“双效王”) and Shuang Gaoxiao (“双高效”) product lines, which the company presents as successive generations of efficiency-focused air conditioners. The official site’s latest supplied product announcement describes a household air conditioner using magnetic-levitation technology, presented as a first for China’s domestic air-conditioning market. This announcement reflects Kelon’s effort to connect industrial and advanced motor technologies with residential use. The brand remains active and focused primarily on air conditioning and related heating and climate-comfort products.
History
Kelon was established in 1984 in Shunde, Guangdong, initially concentrating on refrigerator manufacturing. Shunde’s industrial base helped the company participate in the rapid growth of China’s domestic appliance sector, first through refrigeration products and later through air conditioners and other electrical appliances. The business became associated with the Kelon and Ronshen consumer brands, allowing it to address multiple segments of the Chinese white-goods market. The company entered public markets in two stages. Its H shares were listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1996, and its A shares were listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1999. The dual listings reflected the scale and importance of the business and provided access to both offshore and mainland Chinese investors. A serious governance and legal crisis emerged in 2005. On June 16, Kelon announced that trading in its H shares had been suspended pending the release of an announcement concerning price-sensitive information. The immediate background was an investigation by Foshan police into alleged misappropriation of company assets involving Gu Chujun, then the company’s former chairman and largest shareholder. Kelon’s board later dismissed Gu. The case was settled by the Foshan Intermediate People’s Court on January 9, 2009, and the company’s H shares resumed trading on January 21 of that year. The company’s ownership and strategic direction changed substantially in 2006, when Hisense Group acquired Kelon and became its largest shareholder. Hisense was itself a major Chinese appliance manufacturer based in Qingdao, Shandong. The acquisition brought Kelon into a larger appliance group and enabled the combination of Kelon’s established refrigerator and air-conditioner activities with Hisense’s broader resources. In 2007, the corporate name was changed to Hisense Kelon Electrical Holdings Limited, signaling the new ownership relationship while maintaining the Kelon identity. In October 2018, Hisense Kelon proposed another corporate-name change, this time to Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd. The proposed renaming expressed a broader home-appliance strategy and reduced reliance on the historical Kelon corporate designation. Kelon and Ronshen continued to function as important brand names associated with appliance products, while the corporate structure was increasingly presented as part of Hisense’s wider home-appliance business. The historical Hisense Kelon entity therefore represents several phases of Chinese appliance-industry development: early refrigerator manufacturing in Shunde, expansion into a diversified white-goods portfolio, dual domestic and overseas listings, a major governance crisis and subsequent trading suspension, acquisition by Hisense, and eventual transition toward a broader Hisense home-appliance corporate identity. The available reference material confirms refrigerators, air conditioners, and small electric appliances as core categories, with washing machines included in the broader product description, but does not provide enough detail to reconstruct a complete model-by-model product history. Kelon’s official materials date the brand’s establishment to 1984 and describe it as one of China’s earlier brands devoted to air-conditioning research and manufacturing. The brand’s history is closely associated with the development of household split-type air conditioners in China: its official account says it produced China’s first split-type household air conditioner in 1988. In 1995, it reports producing its first 2-horsepower single-phase cabinet air conditioner. These early milestones helped establish the company’s identity as an air-conditioning specialist. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the brand’s official chronology records quality, environmental, and product recognitions and certifications. It says Kelon received ISO 9001 certification in 1996 and ISO 14001 environmental-management-system certification in 1997. Its “Super Healthy Dragon” room air conditioner was included in national new-product and Torch Program plans in 2000, according to the company. In 2001, the official history says the brand’s full air-conditioner range was included among the first group of products exempted from national inspection, and that it received a China Famous Brand Product designation. Energy efficiency became a prominent theme in Kelon’s product history. In 2002, it introduced the Shuangxiaowang (“Dual-Efficiency King”) air conditioner, which its official account describes as having the country’s highest energy-efficiency ratio at the time. In 2003, the company says the product became the first energy-saving air conditioner included in the national Torch Program. That year it also introduced second- and third-generation Shuang Gaoxiao (“Dual High-Efficiency”) air conditioners. The third generation used digital DC speed-control technology, according to the official history. In 2004, the company says its fourth-generation Shuang Gaoxiao model achieved a cooling energy-efficiency ratio of 6.65 and set a world record at the time. Its chronology describes further generations and efficiency-focused products in subsequent years. Kelon’s official profile identifies a manufacturing and research footprint in China: manufacturing bases in Pingdu, Shandong; Jiangmen, Guangdong; and Huzhou, Zhejiang, and research centers in Qingdao, Shandong, and Shunde, Guangdong. It lists technologies including DFC intelligent inverter technology, OC boosted heating and cooling, intelligent dual cleaning, and dehumidification without lowering room temperature. The company also reports substantial research achievements, patent holdings, and software registrations; these are company-reported figures and should not be treated as independently verified in this dossier. The brand is currently presented as part of Hisense Home Appliances Group. In its modern positioning, Kelon describes itself as a fashionable, trend-oriented air-conditioning brand for younger consumers. It emphasizes practical performance, efficiency, appearance, and sleep-related home-comfort needs. Current website offerings include household wall-mounted and floor-standing air conditioners, central air conditioning, and commercial air-source heat pumps. The Jing Sheng Dian series is promoted as a quiet, energy-saving range, while the Longyan range is presented as an air-source heat-pump heating solution. In a July 2026 announcement supplied in the evidence, Kelon said it had introduced a household air conditioner incorporating magnetic-levitation technology. The company described the motor as a shaftless levitating design and presented the development as an application of advanced technology to the residential market. This announcement continues the brand’s longstanding public emphasis on efficiency and air-conditioning technology. The supplied official profile says Kelon products reach 130 countries; its current public identity nevertheless remains principally that of a Chinese air-conditioning brand.
- 2026
Magnetic-levitation household air conditioner announced
[5] - 2025
Jing Sheng Dian models introduced
[2] - 2024
Jing Sheng Dian Pro wall-mounted model announced
[2] - 2018
Broader Hisense Home Appliances name proposed
[1]The company proposes changing its corporate name to Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd.
- 2009
H-share trading resumes
[1]After the court proceedings connected to the 2005 crisis, H-share trading resumes on January 21.
- 2007
Corporate name changes to Hisense Kelon
[1]Following the acquisition, the company adopts the name Hisense Kelon Electrical Holdings Limited.
- 2006
Hisense acquires Kelon
[1]Hisense Group acquires Kelon and becomes its largest shareholder.
- 2005
H-share trading suspension
[1]Trading is suspended amid an investigation involving former chairman and major shareholder Gu Chujun.
- 2004
Fourth-generation Shuang Gaoxiao model
[4] - 2003
Shuang Gaoxiao generations and Torch Program recognition
[4]
Products and positioning
A Chinese mass-to-mid-market white-goods manufacturer emphasizing appliance technology, production scale, and brand coverage through the Kelon and Ronshen names. A fashionable, trend-oriented air-conditioning brand emphasizing professional and practical performance, energy efficiency, and attractive design, with younger consumers as a stated priority.
Refrigerators · 1984
Kelon refrigerators
Refrigerators were the company’s original and historically central product category. Kelon began as a refrigerator manufacturer in 1984 and built much of its domestic recognition around refrigeration products. The available reference material does not identify individual models or technical specifications, but places Kelon among China’s major white-goods producers.
Air conditioners
Kelon air conditioners
Air conditioners became a major part of the business as Kelon expanded beyond refrigerators. The category formed part of the company’s core white-goods portfolio and remained associated with the Kelon name after Hisense acquired the company. Specific product generations and current model availability are not established by the supplied sources.
Refrigerators
Ronshen refrigerators
Ronshen is a principal Chinese appliance brand associated with the Hisense Kelon business. It is particularly identified with refrigerators and forms part of the multi-brand structure inherited and developed within the wider Hisense appliance group. The supplied material does not provide detailed launch dates or model information.
Small household appliances
Small electric appliances
The company has been described as producing small electric appliances in addition to its major refrigerator and air-conditioner businesses. The reference material does not specify the individual categories, brands, models, or markets included in this segment.
Laundry appliances
Washing machines
Washing machines are included in the broader product description associated with the Hisense Kelon appliance portfolio. No detailed information about the company’s washing-machine range, launch chronology, or current brand allocation is available in the supplied references.
Jing Sheng Dian series
A quiet, energy-saving air-conditioner range. The official site describes models using 3D spiral cross-flow technology and smart control.
Shuangxiaowang air conditioner
An efficiency-oriented air conditioner introduced in 2002, according to Kelon’s official history.
Shuang Gaoxiao air conditioners
A series of efficiency-focused air conditioners that Kelon says it has developed through successive generations since 2002.
Longyan air-source heat pump
A heat-pump heating product promoted for low-temperature heating and waterless underfloor heating.
Magnetic-levitation household air conditioner
A household air conditioner announced in 2026, which the company says uses a shaftless magnetic-levitation motor design.
Controversies
2005
Investigation involving Gu Chujun and trading suspension
Kelon’s former chairman and largest shareholder, Gu Chujun, became the subject of a Foshan police investigation concerning alleged misappropriation of company assets. The board dismissed him, and the company suspended trading in its H shares while the matter was addressed.
Brand decisions
2018
Proposal to rename the company Hisense Home Appliances GroupStrategyBackground
By 2018, the business was operating within a broader Hisense home-appliance structure rather than as an independently positioned Kelon group.
Action taken
The company proposed changing its Chinese and English names to Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd.
Aftermath
The proposal represented a shift toward an umbrella corporate identity covering the broader Hisense home-appliance business.
2007
Adoption of the Hisense Kelon corporate nameStrategyBackground
The name change followed Hisense Group’s acquisition of Kelon and reflected the company’s new ownership structure.
Action taken
The company changed its name to Hisense Kelon Electrical Holdings Limited.
Aftermath
The Kelon corporate identity became explicitly linked to Hisense while the Kelon and Ronshen product brands continued to identify appliance offerings.
2006
Hisense Group acquires KelonM&ABackground
Kelon was a major Chinese white-goods manufacturer with refrigerator and air-conditioner operations, while Hisense was another large appliance group based in Qingdao.
Action taken
Hisense Group acquired Kelon and became its largest shareholder, bringing the company into the Hisense group.
Aftermath
The acquisition was followed by a corporate-name change in 2007 and the closer integration of Kelon’s brands and operations with Hisense’s home-appliance business.
- Focus on younger consumers and practical, efficient, stylish air conditionersOther
Sources7 sources
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