Nongfu Spring, the largest beverage company in China, led by Zhong Shanshan, one of China’s wealthiest individuals, is suddenly accused of being a “pro-Japanese” company. This is due to the spread of conspiracy theories based on nationalism, claiming “traces of pro-Japanese sentiment were hidden throughout over the product packaging.”
According to the Hong Kong Ming Pao and Taiwan Central News Agency, on the 12th, a “Nongfu Spring Boycott” movement has been rapidly spreading among Chinese consumers.
On social media, performances of pouring various beverages produced by the company into toilets are trending, and some convenience stores in regions like Jiangsu Province have issued statements declaring that they will not sell Nongfu Spring products.
Chinese consumers point out that the building image printed on the outer surface of Nongfu Spring’s green tea products resembles “Japanese Temples.”
Although Zhong, the chairman, personally stepped forward to explain that it is a “creative work modeled after traditional Chinese temples,” Chinese people started to problematize other product packaging.
They claimed that the red cap of Nongfu Spring’s flagship product, the water bottle, actually borrows the color of the Japanese Rising Sun flag, and the mountain drawn on the packaging is an image of Mount Fuji in Japan.
In fact, due to such controversy, the company’s stock price fell from 44.4 yuan at the end of last month to 42 yuan this month.
Chairman Zhong is a legendary figure who became rich by selling 2-yuan bottled water. In China, he is called the “Bottled Water King”. According to Bloomberg, his assets were $62.4 billion (approx. 82 trillion won) at the end of last year, ranking first in China and 20th in the world.
Interestingly, the attack on Chairman Zhong began after the death of Zong Qinghou, the chairman of Wahaha Group, a competitor, last month.
Zhong Shanshan worked under Chairman Zong in the 1990s. When Chairman Zong passed away, there was a widespread opinion that “the success of Zhong Sanshan is the result of betraying his benefactor, Chairman Zong.”
Zhong Shanshan, once called the “Bottled Water King,” is now being branded as a “traitor,” and at some point, he is being sold as a pro-Japanese traitor.
As speculation continues, voices are being raised in China to refrain from it. Zhou Dewen, the chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Association in the city of Wenzhou, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP), “The scariest thing is attacking people and companies ahead under the name of patriotism,” adding, “Let’s find composure. We should not be swept away by public opinion.”
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