In recent years, old hen soup noodles, a 3-minute instant noodle, have become a popular nourishing soup for many after work. It seems that a bowl of chicken soup can revive workers, satisfying their need for lazy health maintenance. Old hen soup noodles sell in the millions of packs on many platforms; it was originally a hit product of Baixiang, but Kangshifu launched a similar version at the end of last year. Some consumers accidentally ordered the wrong one, only realizing after eating that it was not the same. Old Hen Soup Noodles: Also Copied Yao Zhongliang, founder of Baixiang (born in the 1960s, from Pingyu, Henan, and a graduate of Renmin University of China), may not have expected that after rejecting Japanese investment, he would face competition from domestic peers. "I originally wanted to buy Baixiang's old hen soup noodles, but I found out after returning home that I bought Kangshifu's instead," a netizen shared on social media, attracting many empathetic replies. From packaging to taste, Kangshifu's old hen soup noodles are indeed somewhat similar to Baixiang's, even the slogans are alike. Baixiang says "slow-simmered for 6 hours," while Kangshifu says "6-hour simmering." Image | From Xiaohongshu blogger momo However, some who have tried both say Kangshifu's flavor is slightly lighter, while Baixiang's broth is richer. In fact, other Kangshifu old hen soup noodle packaging differs somewhat from Baixiang's, but Baixiang's version has already taken root in consumers' minds. Old hen soup noodles are Baixiang's most well-known hit product in recent years, launched in September 2018. Baixiang disclosed that the "Tang Haohao" series, which includes this noodle, sold 1 billion yuan within less than a year of its launch. It became even more popular during the three years of the pandemic. First, there was the demand for staying at home, then in July 2021, the Zhengzhou flood, where Baixiang provided disaster relief. Later, news that one-third of Baixiang's employees are disabled people went viral, making Baixiang a representative of conscientious domestic brands, gaining many fans and boosting sales of old hen soup noodles. Lao Wang, a worker, was once addicted to old hen soup noodles. He remembers that a few years ago, Baixiang's old hen soup noodles on fresh food platforms were often sold out, so he would grab them at 6 a.m. every day. On Baixiang's Tmall flagship store, a five-pack of Baixiang old hen soup noodles now costs 14.9 yuan, with sales exceeding one million and over 300,000 reviews; actual sales are likely higher. Compared to Baixiang, Kangshifu's old hen soup noodles were launched later, on November 9, 2023, along with oxtail soup noodles, making it a latecomer to the market. As the industry leader, one would expect it to lead market trends, but instead it became a follower, inevitably drawing criticism. But is it surprising? Not really. Most people can guess Kangshifu's intention: imitating successful products is a shortcut to success. Moreover, this is not the first time Kangshifu has imitated or had similar products, and it's not the only company in the industry doing so. In 1992, Taiwanese compatriot Wei Yingzhou, inspired by a passenger eating a fragrant bowl of instant noodles on a train on the mainland, decided to abandon his original venture—cooking oil, which had already lost half of its startup capital—and switch to instant noodles. Later, Kangshifu launched its first braised beef noodles, which were fragrant and affordable with meat pieces, and became a hit, dominating the mainland instant noodle market for years. Uni-President, the real leader in Taiwan, later competed with braised beef noodles, but Kangshifu had already captured consumers' minds. It wasn't until 2008, when Uni-President launched its Lao Tan Sauerkraut Beef Noodles, that it found a different path and finally turned the tables. But with a market of 1.4 billion, no one can monopolize it. In 2010, Kangshifu launched a similar product to Uni-President's "Lao Tan Sauerkraut Beef Noodles," using the same familiar tactic—copying the packaging and flavor. Uni-President is not weak either. In the classic advertisement for Lao Tan, spokesperson Wang Han's line, "Someone imitates my face, and someone imitates my noodles!" and "Traditional old tan double fermentation, this is authentic," seemed to confront Kangshifu. In business battles that value results, copying is not a big deal; what matters most is making money. This time, Kangshifu launched a knockoff version of old hen soup noodles, and Baixiang responded indirectly. Earlier this year, Baixiang mentioned in an official post for a new product, "Always imitated, never surpassed," seemingly in response to the imitation controversy. In fact, Baixiang also has braised beef noodles. At first glance, they are easily confused with Kangshifu's. Image | Instant noodle market: copying is common Old Hen Soup Noodles: A Quick-Fix Tonic for Young People In recent years, many new instant noodle flavors have been launched, such as Sichuan pepper flavor and iced black tea flavor braised beef noodles, but the best-selling one is still old hen soup noodles. It has become a target for imitation for good reason. In short, it meets young people's need for "quick health food." In the past, young people would add a braised egg or a starch sausage to their instant noodles to feel full and get protein, focusing on toppings, and manufacturers often promoted with free sausages. Now, the broth has become the main battleground; a bowl of "chicken soup" can complement the starch sausage. Image | Instant noodles as a late-night snack: a dormitory culture among Chinese college students In this process, an important shift has been heavily promoted by manufacturers: from powder and sauce packets to broth packets. "Soup" has become a key competitive area in the instant noodle market. Market data shows that in 2022, nutritious soup noodles led the category with outstanding "nutritional value," with sales growth of 59.7%. The harder workers feel, the better nutritious soup noodles sell. Moreover, there is no need for market education to get Chinese people to drink soup for health; although some doctors have long explained that broth is mostly fat and less nutritious than meat, it is hard to overcome the millennia-old habit of drinking soup for health. In China, Baixiang was the first to focus on "soup." In 2003, Baixiang launched "1 Yuan Big Bone Noodles," emphasizing "big bone broth" and "nutritional health," and sold over 100 million units in its first year. In 2018, Baixiang launched the "Tang Haohao" series, which includes old hen soup noodles and spicy beef soup. At that time, Baixiang's slogan was, "Say goodbye to traditional powder and sauce packets, only use simmered broth packets," claiming to use "old hens over one year old, slow-simmered for 6 hours with multiple rounds of broth extraction to enhance freshness, restoring the authentic taste of chicken soup—authentic, home-style, delicious, pure, fresh, and healthy." Just reading these words, many workers can imagine themselves being healed after a tiring day. Image | Young people's imagination of old hen soup noodles After the success of old hen soup noodles, Baixiang continued to capitalize on "soup." In January this year, Baixiang launched upgraded products under the "Zhenwei Tangguan" line—Mountain Mushroom Old Hen Soup Noodles and White Radish Beef Soup Noodles—claiming that all broth ingredients, noodle cakes, side dishes, and production processes are 100% free of preservatives and trans fats. With the product upgrade, prices also increased. Baixiang's old hen soup noodles in bags cost around 3 yuan, and in cups around 5 yuan. The "Tang Haohao Zhenwei Tangguan" Mountain Mushroom Old Hen Soup Noodles, which emphasize "advanced nutrition," cost around 14 yuan per bag, a different league. In fact, beyond old hen soup noodles, Baixiang has tried other products, from hot and sour noodles, snail noodles, malatang, and pork sausages to satay seafood noodles, chili fried meat noodles, crab roe noodles, and fermented rice vinegar seafood noodles, but the most popular remains old hen soup noodles. Baixiang's focus on soup, in a market with almost no barriers, means others are not idle. Uni-President launched the Tang Daren series in 2008, which includes Japanese tonkotsu ramen, borscht soup noodles, miso ramen, and coconut chicken soup noodles. Kangshifu was later, launching the "Hao Tang" brand only in November 2023, as mentioned. It can be said that in recent years, Chinese instant noodles have shifted from the "powder packet era" to the "soup era." Image | From powder packet era to soup packet era Can Old Hen Soup Noodles Win Back a Lost Generation? Over the past 40 years, instant noodles have been an important memory for the post-80s and post-90s generations. But now, they have left their glory days and are struggling. The emergence of one or two new hits is undoubtedly expected to reignite the stagnant market. In fact, for many born in the 60s and 70s, instant noodles were once an unattainable luxury. As early as 1964, the Beijing General Food Factory first attempted handmade instant noodle production. However, to save costs, they used leftover duck fat to make the noodle cakes. Historical records say it didn't taste good. Image source: Internet In the 1970s, Shanghai Yimin Food Factory No. 4 bought technology from Japan and created a brand called "Happy Instant Noodles," with a pepper-salt flavor, priced at 15 cents per pack, requiring ration coupons to purchase. It was a luxury item, and since the mass consumer market hadn't developed, happiness soon disappeared. Around the 1990s, Kangshifu dominated the mainland market with braised beef noodles, riding the wave of migrant workers traveling across the country. The convenient and filling instant noodles were fragrant in train stations and green train cars. Image | Instant noodles: a train memory for a generation From 2000 to 2010 was the golden age of instant noodles in China. The four major brands—Kangshifu, Uni-President, Baixiang, and Huafeng—could be found on the late-night tables of urban white-collar workers and in the dormitories of migrant workers. Their flexibility won over the vast consumer base with the most purchasing power. However, by 2013, with the rise of food delivery subsidies, people found too many alternatives to instant noodles. The market began to shrink in 2018. According to the World Instant Noodles Association, from 2013 to 2019, the total demand for instant noodles in China declined year after year, from 46.2 billion servings to 41.45 billion servings in 2019. In other words, nearly 5 billion servings disappeared in six years. At 3 yuan per bowl, that's a "loss" of 15 billion yuan in sales revenue, and considering the impact on upstream and downstream industries, the entire industry likely lost tens of billions. No matter how fragrant instant noodles once were, they are no longer attractive. During the three years of the pandemic, people were forced to stay home, and instant noodles saw a brief revival. But once everything reopened in 2023, the market turned downward again. In 2023, Kangshifu's annual instant noodle revenue was 28.793 billion yuan, a year-on-year decline of 2.84%, accounting for 35.80% of the group's total revenue. Image | Kangshifu's instant noodle share is declining, from 2023 financial report Uni-President China's instant noodle business revenue in 2023 was 9.594 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 9.65%. Nissin Foods, which owns brands like Cup Noodles, Demae Itcho, and U.F.O., faced the same situation. In 2023, Nissin Foods achieved revenue of HK$3.833 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.77%. In a competitive market, survival comes first; what does it matter if you copy? Of course, these manufacturers are also thinking of other ways to save themselves, such as premiumization and high-end positioning, to increase unit prices and gross margins. Kangshifu has launched high-end noodles like Tang Dashi, Gan Mian Hui, Yu Pin Sheng Yan, and Su Da Mian Guan, priced from 8 yuan, 14 yuan, to 20 yuan per bowl. Jinmailang also launched a 12.9-yuan box of Lamen Fan, while Baixiang launched a 15-yuan box of Xian Mian Zhuan. In the past, it may have been young people abandoning instant noodles; next, it's likely that higher-priced instant noodles will be re-selecting young people. Recommended Reading