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Donation adds fizz to tea brand

By Diao Ying (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-05-23 09:12

The earthquake has thrown up an unlikely hero, with its tremors now being felt in the corporate world.

"I will quit cola from today and drink only Wong Lo Kat for the rest of my life," read a posting on a popular Internet forum, tianya.cn.

A promotional event of Wong Lo Kat canned herbal tea is staged in Shanghai. File photo [China Daily]

Li Fang, a 28-year-old media executive in Beijing, not only promised to do the same but went a step further, urging her friends to make it a point to drink Wong Lo Kat at lunch.

The sudden popularity of the herbal tea brand has apparently been triggered by its staggering donation for earthquake victims.

At a charity event for the quake-stricken Sichuan province on Sunday, Jiaduobao Group, which owns Wong Lo Kat, announced it would donate 100 million yuan, becoming the biggest donor in the event beamed live on CCTV.

Popular Web forums have since been buzzing with praises for Jiaduobao, with netizens urging everybody to chuck cola for the brown liquid.

As of Wednesday, quake donations reached 16 billion yuan, with who is giving what becoming a hot-button issue. People are actively tracking how much enterprises and celebrities are coughing up. Those seen as being stingy have come in for a lot of flak while those like Jiaduobao have gained a fan following.