China Food & Drinks

“Zang Zang Bao” – The Hype Surrounding Beijing’s “Dirty Dirty” Chocolate Bread

Being dirty has never been this sweet.

Published

7 years ago

January 29, 2018

The so-called ‘Zang Zang Bao’ (Dirty Dirty Bread) has become a hype in Beijing and beyond. Showing off one’s chocolate-covered face after eating the pastry is the latest online fad. Even with minus ten degrees, crowds of people are queuing up for their piece of dirty bread.

Those who have wandered around downtown Shanghai or Beijing’s Sanlitun recently might have noticed the long queues of people in front of various bakeries and tea shops, wondering what’s so special about their tea or sandwiches. But it is not the tea and sandwiches people are waiting for in the freezing cold – it is their dirty dirty chocolate bread.

“Zang zang bao” (脏脏包), literally meaning “dirty dirty bread”, has become an online craze in China over the past few months. The Chinese chocolate croissant was already named “one of the most popular baked goods in China in 2017” by CGTN (CCTV International) in December, but the social media hype over the bread has carried on well into 2018 and is now making it to the top trending topics on Weibo.

The bread’s name comes from the fact that it actually looks dirty and that is virtually impossible to eat the snack without getting messy. Containing large amounts of chocolate, cream, and cocoa powder, people eating this bread are bound to end up with chocolate stains all over; which is one of the main reasons that sparked the online craze for it in the first place.

Hundreds of people – specifically young women – are recently posting photos of themselves on Wechat and Weibo eating the bread and then having their hands and mouths covered in chocolate, triggered by celebrities and online influencers (KOL) who have previously done the same. Showing off their chocolate-covered faces is another way of being ‘cute’ and playful.

The bread’s recipe originally comes from the Japanese version of the chocolate croissant, and first started gaining attention in China when a Beijing bakery named Bad Farmers & Our Bakery started selling the pastry at limited hours during the afternoons in 2017.

According to the online media platform AI Finance (AI财经社), the trend then blew over to Shanghai, where LeLe Tea (乐乐茶) started selling the buns in June of 2017 with much success – within six months, the tearoom franchise was able to open four additional shops in Shanghai.

The Zang Zang Bao success has now triggered teashops across China to sell their own version of the popular bread. A shop of a franchise called HeyTea (喜茶) in Sanlitun, Beijing, is gathering large crowds of people who are curious to try out its “dirty bread”.

The spokesperson of HeyTea, however, denied to AI Finance that its company has become an ‘internet hype.’ In the end, many companies dislike becoming a ‘hype’, which suggests that there is a peek of interest which will soon blow over. Companies such as HeyTea hope that the Zang Zang Bao will not be a “short-lived glory” but a classic item on their menus.

On January 29, Zhejiang University warned on Weibo (@浙江大学) that fans of the bread should not eat their favorite new snack too often: one roll of Zang Zang Bao holds no less than 450 kilocalories.

But many netizens do not seem to care too much about the calories: “It’s only two bowls of rice,” some said: “I’ve already bought another dirty bread today!”

There are also others, however, who do not understand what all the fuss is about: “What’s so delicious about this stuff?”, one netizen wonders: “It indeed tastes as if it is stuffed with dirt.”

By Manya Koetse
Follow @whatsonweibo

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us.

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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 Food & Drinks

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

Published

3 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

(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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