China Food & Drinks

China’s Popular Energy Drinks and Their Potentially Harmful Effects

After a new research found that energy drinks can potentially be harmful to health, Chinese state media warn Chinese netizens to “think twice” before drinking them. China currently has the largest energy drink market in the world.

Published

8 years ago

April 30, 2017

Manya Koetse

Now that a new research found energy drinks to be potentially harmful to health, Chinese state media warn netizens to “think twice” before drinking them. China currently has the largest energy drink market in the world.

A new American study on the health impact of energy drinks points out that the negative effects of drinking one 32-ounce can are worse than drinking other caffeine-heavy drinks.

According to the research, that was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, energy drinks can trigger potentially dangerous changes in blood pressure and heart activity.

Researchers have said that for people who have high blood pressure, heart problems other health issues, it might be better not to drink energy drinks until more is known about their health impact.

News about the study was shared on Chinese social media by state media outlets People’s Daily and CCTV, writing that after drinking energy drinks, people have a 10-milliseconds higher QT interval, which is the time of the heart muscle to ‘recharge’ between beats. When your heart muscle takes longer than normal to ‘recharge’, it can lead to abnormal heart beats.

They also reported on the study’s findings that people who drink energy drinks have an elevated blood pressure for more than six hours after finishing the beverage.

CCTV encouraged people to share the news and warned them to “think twice” before drinking energy drinks.

As in other parts of the world, energy drinks are most popular among young people in China who drink it as a normal beverage. According to Statista, the retail sales value of canned energy drinks in China increased from 9 billion RMB (±1,3 billion US$) in the year 2009 to an estimated 87.5 billion RMB (±12,6 billion US$) in 2019.

In Chinese, energy drinks are called ‘functional beverages’ (功能性饮料), which could also refer to sports or nutrient-enhanced drinks. As explained by Daxue Consulting, sports drinks primarily contain sodium, potassium, and magnesium, whereas nutrient-enhanced drinks usually include an extra supplement of vitamins.

Within ‘functional beverages’, energy drinks are classified differently from sports or nutrient-enhanced drinks as “drinks with other special functions” containing caffeine, taurine, and sugar together with other ingredients such as guarana and B vitamins.

Although the Maidong (脉动) sports drink (or ‘vitamin water’) is China’s most popular ‘functional beverage’, Red Bull (红牛) is the market leader when it comes to the energy drinks category.

Other big players within this category are Hi Tiger (乐虎), Qili (启力), Lipovitan (力保健), and Eastroc Super Drink (东鹏特饮).

On Weibo, many netizens expressed their worries after reading the reports. “I just bought Red Bull yesterday!”, one netizen responded, posting shocked emoticons. “I will stop drinking this from now on,” a typical comment said.

“No wonder I always feel like my heart skips a beat when I drink Red Bull in the morning,” a netizen named yoyowon wrote: “It makes me feel vague and absent-minded.”

“I am happy I never bought this stuff – I always thought it was too expensive anyway,” others wrote.

But some people were also confused, asking if the Maidong drink belongs to the same category as Red Bull. “Maidong is a sports drink,” one person responded: “Functional beverages are not the same as sports beverages.”

Many people wondered about the purpose of energy drinks after reading about the recent study. “Why don’t people just drink coffee instead?”, many asked. “In the end, drinking plain water is simply the best,” one netizen said.

It remains to be seen how and if the recent study will affect the Chinese energy drink market, which has been explosively growing over the past few years. In 2015 alone, the energy drink consumption in China saw a 25% volume growth compared to the year before – four times more than the US.

One male Weibo user does not seem to care about the recent study, posting photos of himself drinking Red Bull: “I flew back to Chengdu last night, and am now off to Chongqing. Drinking some Red Bull – I am unstoppable!”

– By Manya Koetse
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China Food & Drinks

Guming’s 1 Yuan Ice Water: China’s Coolest Summer Trend

Published

4 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 Quick Take: Trending in China
This is a brief update from our curated roundup of what’s trending in China this week. A version of this story also appears in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

Over the past decade, China’s milk tea industry has become something of a cultural phenomenon. The market has gone well beyond milk tea or bubble tea alone, and is now about any tea-based drink — hot or cold — and the marketing ideas that come with it, from trendy snacks to collectible wannahaves.

This time, it’s the Chinese teashop brand Guming (古茗) that has managed to become an online hit again. Not because of creative collabs or artsy tea cups — the reason is surprisingly plain: selling a cup of ice and water for 1 yuan ($0.15).

How come Guming’s “one cup of iced water” (一杯冰水) has become a hit among Chinese teashop goers? One reason is that it’s something people often want yet hesitate to ask for. Now that it’s actually on the menu (medium cup, regular ice, no sugar), people can just order it for 1 RMB — cheaper than a bottle of water from the supermarket — and it’s become a major hit, like a little ‘luxury’ everyone can afford.

People love getting a cup of ice water (more ice than water) to cool down in hot weather, add it to their lemon tea or iced coffee, or store it in the freezer at home or work for their DIY drinks. Add instant coffee and you’ve got your own iced Americano. Others throw in a tea bag for a refreshing iced tea.

Some say it’s the perfect product for lazy people who don’t make their own ice cubes or who like convenience on the go.

Besides the iced water, Guming has also added a simple lemon water (鲜活柠檬水) to its menu for 2.5 yuan ($0.35). Perfect to quench thirst on a hot summer’s day, one Xiaohongshu user called it Guming’s “secret weapon” (大杀器) in China’s (milk) tea shop market.

Compared to relatively low-priced tea beverage competitors like Mixue Ice Cream & Tea (蜜雪冰城), which sells lemon water for 4 yuan ($0.56), Guming offers great value for money (although it should be noted that Guming, unlike Mixue, doesn’t use real lemon slices but diluted lemon juice).

People are loving these simple and affordable pleasures.

Just last month, Guming shot to the top of Weibo’s trending lists when it launched its new collaboration with the Chinese anime-style game Honkai: Star Rail (崩坏：星穹铁道), featuring a range of collectible tea cups, bags, and other accessories.

Guming was founded in 2010 in Zhejiang and has become one of China’s largest custom beverage chains alongside Mixue and Luckin. Competition is fierce — but at least Guming has its iced water as a secret weapon for this summer.

By Manya Koetse

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

‘Lai Dou Lai Le’: IShowSpeed Debuts in Chinese Online Commercial

Published

1 month ago

May 8, 2025

Manya Koetse

🔥 A version of this story also appeared in the Weibo Watch newsletter. Subscribe to stay in the loop.

The China tour of American Youtube star IShowSpeed (Darren Watkins Jr.) is still echoing on Chinese social media—the hype hasn’t quieted down just yet, especially now that the popular livestreamer launched his very first Chinese commercial recently, just before the May Day holiday.

It’s an online commercial for China’s dairy giant Yili, and—in line with IShowSpeed’s high-energy livestream—it is entertainingly chaotic. Watkins himself posted the video on his Weibo account on April 30.

In China, Watkins is known as 甲亢哥 (Jiǎ Kàng Gē), which literally means “Hyperthyroidism Brother.” Hyperthyroidism is a condition where the thyroid is overactive, leading to symptoms like restlessness, a rapid heartbeat, and high energy levels. Due to Watkins’ fast-paced livestreams and his reputation for running, screaming, and jumping around, the nickname is a tongue-in-cheek reference that fits him well.

The commercial also suits him, as it is a bit of a rollercoaster. It begins like a typical celebrity endorsement, with Watkins promoting a dairy drink, but quickly shifts into a quirky narrative. In it, Watkins appears god-like, watching over people from a mountaintop and encouraging them to try new things. The ad then morphs into a music video before ending with some inspirational words from the YouTuber himself. Watch the commercial here.

The slogan used in the commercial is “lái dōu lái le” (来都来了), along with the English tagline “Enjoy milk, enjoy holiday.”

“Lái dōu lái le” (来都来了) is a simple phrase that basically means “You’re already here,” and implies a light-hearted “Why not?” to encourage people to go on and do something (since you’ve come this far), or try something new.

Dao Insights’ Yimin Wang explained it as having a positive and daring tone to try new things that you’d otherwise “wouldn’t, couldn’t, or even shouldn’t,” much like “YOLO” from the early 2010s (link).

On Xiaohongshu, typical responses to the commercial describe it as “creative” and “cute.” More notably, many users see it as proof of how successful Watkins’ tour in China has been. “He’s like a native celebrity in China now,” one commenter remarked.

By Manya Koetse

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