BEIJING, Dec. 21 -- The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has selected a new batch of 388 brands and plans to recognize them as time-honored brands, or "laozihao" in Chinese, a coveted title given to brands with a long history.

The list was revealed on Thursday with a public notice period of 15 working days. The public can provide written feedback to the MOC during the period.

The age of this batch of brands ranges from 50 to 138, according to a press conference held by the MOC on Thursday.

The new batch of brands will join with the existing 1,073 time-honored brands as some were delisted in recent reviews, and all together, the average age of the time-honored brands will reach 140.

Over the past few years, China has stepped up efforts to breathe new life into long-established brands, preserving and improving traditional techniques, improving online and offline integration, and strengthening brand protection.