China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Chinese Netizens Discuss Uber New Rider Rules: “Would You Still Take Uber?”

International car service company Uber is currently testing new rules that could make ordering a Uber cab more expensive for riders. On Chinese social media, netizens dispute the new rules. As Uber China (优步) is already suffering huge competition from homegrown giant Didi Kuaidi (滴滴快的), implementing their tryout rules in the PRC might further harm their China expansion

Published

9 years ago

April 29, 2016

Manya Koetse

International car service company Uber is currently testing new rules that could make ordering a Uber cab more expensive for riders. On Chinese social media, netizens dispute the new rules. As Uber China is already suffering huge competition from homegrown giant Didi Kuaidi, implementing their tryout rules in the PRC might further harm Uber’s China expansion.

As Uber (优步) is trying out new rules that will charge riders additional fees for every minute they are making their driver wait, the ‘private driver’ app became a trending topic on Sina Weibo on April 29 under the hashtag: “Would you still take Uber?” (#你还会用Uber打车吗#).

The American ride-hailing app Uber has not been doing too well in China, where it is now losing more than $1 billion a year. Uber China has fierce competition from homegrown Uber-equivalent Didi Kuaidi (滴滴快的), which is now doing a staggering 10 million rides a day in China. In comparison: according to its numbers from fall 2015, Uber is doing 2 million rides a day worldwide.

Both Didi and Uber are mobile platform taxi-calling applications that have made ordering a private cab in China’s cities easy and affordable. Uber entered the Chinese market in 2013. Chinese rivals Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache (嘀嘀打车-快的打车) were both founded in 2012 and then merged in 2015, creating one of the world’s largest smartphone-based transport services.

Uber has tested its new rider rules in New York City, New Jersey, Dallas and Phoenix. According to Wall Street Journal, the recent test could result in a permanent change to the rules.

These are the potential new rules as discussed on Weibo:

• The customer will be charged extra costs if the driver has to wait more than two minutes after arriving at pick-up point;
• The customer will be charged for every minute the driver has to wait after 2 minutes;
• After five minutes of waiting, it will be regarded a ‘no-show’ and the customer will be charged $10;
• If a customer orders am Uber cab and then decides to cancel, they have to do so within 2 minutes after ordering- otherwise they will be charged a cancellation fee (±5-10$).

According to many Weibo netizens, Uber first needs to up its service in China before changing its rules. As one netizen says: “1. Uber has too many drivers who don’t know directions. 2. They make me wait for over ten minutes – even if there’s no traffic jam and they’re in the neighborhood – and when I finally have to cancel my ride, they will still charge me cancellation fees. 3. I’ve also had a driver who told me he couldn’t come but still sent me a bill. I called him and he said he had other people in his car. So I canceled and was still charged for it. 4. I once spent over 100 RMB [±15$] on an Uber, although the ride would’ve only cost me around 70-80 RMB (±11.5$) with a regular cab.”

Netizens also worry that drivers will take advantage of the new rules by purposely waiting for a rider: “So what if a driver arrives and does not give you a call to let you know?”

Some also think it is unfair to charge riders for making their driver wait, as the drivers also often make riders wait: “If they let me wait for 20 minutes, do I get any money?”

The main issue for most Weibo users who are Uber riders seems to be the company’s long waiting times. As one netizen says: “It’s not like I don’t want to ride Uber anymore, but every day it is the same: my ride is just 15 minutes, and they make me wait 12 minutes. You just need more drivers.”

It is not known when and if Uber will implement their new rules in China. If they do, they will certainly not be welcomed by China’s netizens. As one netizen concludes: “These automatic fee deductions are very unreasonable. Just yesterday, the driver said he had arrived at the appointed address but he wasn’t there. I waited for half an hour and still I was the one who was charged with a cancellation fee. How is this reasonable?! Uber has to think more about its passengers. Do you still want to grow in China, or not?”

– By Manya Koetse
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Manya Koetse

Manya is the founder and editor-in-chief of What's on Weibo, offering independent analysis of social trends, online media, and digital culture in China for over a decade. Subscribe to gain access to content, including the Weibo Watch newsletter, which provides deeper insights into the China trends that matter. More about Manya at manyakoetse.com or follow on X.

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China Brands, Marketing & Consumers

Wahaha and Jinmailang: the Bottled Water OEM Controversy

Published

4 weeks ago

May 16, 2025

Manya Koetse

What’s in your water? Would a water by any other name taste as good? That’s the main gist of the topic that’s been trending these days after Chinese consumers found out the Wahaha water they purchased was actually produced by Jinmailang, calling it an ‘OEM controversy’ (OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer).

Wahaha Group (娃哈哈集团) is one of the largest food and beverage producers in China. The brand is a beloved one—last year in March, when its founder and chairman Zong Qinghou (宗庆后) passed away, people collectively began buying Wahaha water to show sympathy for the brand and for Zong, who was seen as a patriotic and humble businessman.

Big bottle of Wahaha (meaning “laughing child”) water.

In fact, that movement to pay tribute to Wahaha got a bit out of hand and turned into a grassroots campaign to boycott another water brand: Nongfu Spring, a competitor whose founder, Chinese entrepreneur Zhong Shanshan (钟睒睒), was not considered as patriotic (read more here).

Now, a different kind of ‘controversy’ is unfolding around China’s famous bottled water brand, directly related to last year’s sales boom. Chinese netizens have posted videos and images claiming that the Wahaha purified water they bought was actually produced by Jinmailang (今麦郎)—as stated on the label.

Wahaha water, produced by Jinmailang (今麦郎).

Jinmailang is an entirely separate food enterprise group—mostly known for its noodles—based in Xingtai, Hebei, since 1994. Both Wahaha and Jinmailang produce purified water (纯净水).

The fact that Jinmailang was mentioned on Wahaha’s labels as the producer raised questions: why bother buying Wahaha at all? Consumers might as well buy Jinmailang directly instead of these relabeled bottles? Wahaha is generally more expensive than Jinmailang’s own Blue Label water.

Wahaha’s customer service soon responded, confirming that they had indeed outsourced some of their production to Jinmailang. However, that partnership was terminated in April of this year after certain batches of purified water products failed to pass factory sampling tests (#娃哈哈称已终止和今麦郎代工合作#).

Customer service staff also stated that as long as Wahaha products are purchased through official channels, they comply with Wahaha’s quality standards and are safe to drink.

On May 16, Xinhua News published an interview with Fan Xianguo (范现国), the chairman of Jinmailang, about serving as an OEM for Wahaha. Without mentioning the termination of the partnership, Fan stated that last year, Wahaha’s bottled water sales suddenly soared, and that they began searching for companies that could support them during these peak times while adhering to their strict quality requirements – otherwise they would not be able to meet market demand.

Producing 1.2 billion bottles of water for Wahaha. Jinmailang’s xinua interview.

Jinmailang stepped in around June 2024, promising to support Wahaha’s production. During the peak season, they even prioritized Wahaha’s orders over their own. Over the course of a year, they produced 1.2 billion bottles of water for the company. Speaking about their own brand, Fan stated that they keep their prices as low as possible by minimizing their profits. One bottle of water only gives them 0.02 RMB ($0,0028) profit.

The interview seemed to cause a shift in online sentiments. Many netizens now praised Jinmailang for its response and for stepping in, viewing the cooperation as an example of domestic brands supporting one another.

Some suggested that Wahaha had betrayed Jinmailang by emphasizing the termination of their contract rather than acknowledging how the company had stepped in to help during a time of need.

At the same time, others applauded how Jinmailang turned the situation to its advantage by using it as an opportunity to promote its own brand.

“I’m switching to Jinmailang from now on, it’s way more cost-effective!” one comment read.

Especially since last year’s “water wars”, it’s clear that consumers’ choice of water is about more than quenching thirst alone — it’s also about which brand’s story resonates with them. As the peak season for bottled water is approaching, the OEM controversy comes at an especially unfortunate time for Wahaha. It’s Jinmailang that now seems to be having the last laugh in this OEM controversy.

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

(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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