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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

China’s First Fast Food Restaurant

Not KFC or McDonald’s, but Yili was China’s very first fast food restaurant.

Manya Koetse

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Not KFC or McDonald’s, but Yili was China’s very first fast food restaurant. Its opening in 1984 became the talk of the day.

It was April 20 1984, when China’s first western-style fast food restaurant opened its doors in Beijing’s Xidan central area. Beijing vice mayor Zhang Baifa personally came to cut the ribbon of ‘Yili’s Fast Food Shop’ (义利快餐厅).

It was the news of the day. Beijing Evening News reported that “China’s first western fast food restaurant” was now officially opened, and foreign journalists wrote that this was “the next step in China’s reform and open-door policy”. The 150 square metre restaurant was soon full with people coming from all places who wanted to try hamburgers, ham sandwiches and coffee – and experience something ‘foreign’ in Beijing.

The Yili brand was already established in 1906 by Scottish businessman James Neil. The management was taken over by China in the 1940s. Amongst other products they made the famous Yili Bread, which has now become a time-honored Beijing brand.

Although the 1984 restaurant was the first in China, there had already been a fast food truck in Beijing in 1982, as pictured above.

About the day that he first visited Yili, Xinhua-affiliated media researcher Zheng Dejin is quoted in ‘China Remembers’ (2014): “It was the day after the opening, and soft music played while the air-conditioning blew in cool air (..) On the right side, there was a big mirror that made the place seem even bigger.” He also remembers the toilet: “There was a hot-air-blower that would dry your hands within a minute.” The staff used electronic calculators to quickly process customer’s orders (Chen 2014, 159).

Although Yili was successful, it was soon overshadowed by the arrival of Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1987 and McDonald’s in 1990. The Yili restaurant was demolished in 2002.

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China’s first McDonald’s, that opened in Shenzhen on October 8, 1990.
 

Fast Food in China, an overview:
1984 – Yili Fast Food: the first western-style fast food restaurant opens in Beijing.
1987 – The first Kentucky Fried Chicken opens its doors in Qianmen, Beijing.
1990 – The first McDonald’s of China begins business in Shenzhen.
1992 – Beijing’s Wangfujing shopping area sees the opening of the biggest McDonald’s in the world.
1996 – Kentucky Fried Chicken celebrates the opening of its 100th store.
2000 – McDonald’s sees its 340th store in mainland China, KFC its 400th.
2014 – McDonalds has over 2000 stores in China, whereas KFC has more than 4000.

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The inside of the Wangfujing McDonald’s in 1992.
 

Sources:
– Chen Boyuan. “Century-old bread mill confident in differentiation strategy.” China.org, September 29. http://china.org.cn/business/2014-09/29/content_33648336.htm [16.9.15].
– Chen Yu (ed). 2014. 中国生活记忆 [‘China Remembers’, ‘Memories From Chinese Lives’]. Beijing: Zhongguo Qinggongye Chubanshe.
– Jinan Times.”麦当劳肯德基深陷过期肉事件 中式快餐欲逆袭.” 2014. Jinan Times, August 3. http://www.hibor.com.cn/ecodetail_2377883.html [16.9.15].
Images:
http://www.jingcity.com/food/news/201303/70432.html

By Manya Koetse

©2015 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Manya Koetse is the founder and editor-in-chief of whatsonweibo.com. She is a writer, public speaker, and researcher (Sinologist, MPhil) on social trends, digital developments, and new media in an ever-changing China, with a focus on Chinese society, pop culture, and gender issues. She shares her love for hotpot on hotpotambassador.com. Contact at manya@whatsonweibo.com, or follow on Twitter.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Tick, Tock, Time to Pay Up? Douyin Is Testing Out Paywalled Short Videos

Is content payment a new beginning for the popular short video app Douyin (China’s TikTok) or would it be the end?

Manya Koetse

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The introduction of a Douyin novel feature, that would enable content creators to impose a fee for accessing their short video content, has sparked discussions across Chinese social media. Although the feature would benefit creators, many Douyin users are skeptical.

News that Chinese social media app Douyin is rolling out a new feature which allows creators to introduce a paywall for their short video content has triggered online discussions in China this week.

The feature, which made headlines on November 16, is presently in the testing phase. A number of influential content creators are now allowed to ‘paywall’ part of their video content.

Douyin is the hugely popular app by Chinese tech giant Bytedance. TikTok is the international version of the Chinese successful short video app, and although they’re often presented as being the same product, Douyin and Tiktok are actually two separate entities.

In addition to variations in content management and general usage, Douyin differs from TikTok in terms of features. Douyin previously experimented with functionalities such as charging users for accessing mini-dramas on the platform or the ability to tip content creators.

The pay-to-view feature on Douyin would require users to pay a certain fee in Douyin coins (抖币) in order to view paywalled content. One Douyin coin is equivalent to 0.1 yuan ($0,014). The platform itself takes 30% of the income as a service charge.

According to China Securities Times or STCN (证券时报网), Douyin insiders said that any short video content meeting Douyin’s requirements could be set as “pay-per-view.”

Creators, who can set their own paywall prices, should reportedly meet three criteria to qualify for the pay-to-view feature: their account cannot have any violation records for a period of 90 days, they should have at least 100,000 followers, and they have to have completed the real-name authentication process.

On Douyin and Weibo, Chinese netizens express various views on the feature. Many people do not think it would be a good idea to charge money for short videos. One video blogger (@小片片说大片) pointed out the existing challenge of persuading netizens to pay for longer videos, let alone expecting them to pay for shorter ones.

“The moment I’d need to pay money for it, I’ll delete the app,” some commenters write.

This statement appears to capture the prevailing sentiment among most internet users regarding a subscription-based Douyin environment. According to a survey conducted by the media platform Pear Video, more than 93% of respondents expressed they would not be willing to pay for short videos.

An online poll by Pear Video showed that the majority of respondents would not be willing to pay for short videos on Douyin.

“This could be a breaking point for Douyin,” one person predicts: “Other platforms could replace it.” There are more people who think it would be the end of Douyin and that other (free) short video platforms might take its place.

Some commenters, however, had their own reasons for supporting a pay-per-view function on the platform, suggesting it would help them solve their Douyin addiction. One commenter remarked, “Fantastic, this might finally help me break free from watching short videos!” Another individual responded, “Perhaps this could serve as a remedy for my procrastination.”

As discussions about the new feature trended, Douyin’s customer service responded, stating that it would eventually be up to content creators whether or not they want to activate the paid feature for their videos, and that it would be up to users whether or not they would be interested in such content – otherwise they can just swipe away.

Another social media user wrote: “There’s only one kind of video I’m willing to pay for, and it’s not on Douyin.”

By Manya Koetse

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©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Tsingtao Brewery ‘Pee-Gate’: Factory Worker Caught Urinating in Raw Material Warehouse

The pee incident, that occurred at a subsidiary Tsingtao Beer factory, has caused concerns among consumers.

Manya Koetse

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A video that has circulated on Chinese social media since October 19 shows how an alleged worker at a Tsingtao Beer factory climbs over a wall at the raw material production site and starts to urinate.

The incident reportedly occurred at the Tsingtao Beer Factory No. 3, a subsidiary of the Tsingtao Brewing Company, located in Qingdao, Shandong.

After the video went viral, the Tsingtao Brewery Company issued a statement that they took the incident very seriously and immediately report it to the authorities, who have started an investigation into the case. Meanwhile, the specific batch in production has been halted and shut off.

The incident has caused concern among consumers, and some commenters on social media wonder if this was the first time something like this has happened. “How do we know this hasn’t happened many times before?”

Others speculate about what might have motivated the man to urinate at the production site. There are those who believe that the man is part of an undercover operation orchestrated by a rivaling company, aimed at discrediting Tsingtao. It’s even suggested that there were two ‘moles’ leaking in this incident: one doing the urinating, and the other doing the video ‘leak.’

Meanwhile, there are voices who are critical of Tsingtao, suggesting that the renowned beer brand has not effectively addressed the ‘pee gate’ scandal. It remains uncertain how this incident will impact the brand, but some netizens are already expressing reservations about ordering a Tsingtao beer as a result.

But there are also those who joke about the “pissing incident,” wondering if Tsingtao Beer might soon launch a special “urine flavored beer.”

By Manya Koetse

Get the story behind the hashtag. Subscribe to What’s on Weibo here to receive our newsletter and get access to our latest articles:

Featured photo by Jay Ang (link).

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

©2023 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

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