Click to read the original article for details. Every city has its own signature soda; the "fizz" of opening one brings back countless childhood memories and the joy of youthful burps. When you go to a convenience store to buy a soda, the prominent spots in the freezer are almost all occupied by Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Image source: giphy At some point, the sodas we drank as kids started to disappear... Of all the once-popular hits, only a few names can still be recalled, perhaps lucky enough to squeeze into a corner of a convenience store, while the rest can only be found through a Baidu search. Many young people probably don't know that every city has its own soda: Beijing's Beibingyang, Tianjin's Shanhaiguan, Guangzhou's Asian Soda... These sodas, which witnessed China's development, once collectively painted a city map of Chinese sodas. In the tide of the times, some continue to thrive in the public eye, some have been mercilessly submerged, and others are undergoing rebirth...
PART.1 Old Beijing's Taste of Memory: Beibingyang Soda With a "fizz" as you twist off the cap, and a "gulp gulp," a bottle of Beibingyang is finished, you return the bottle for the deposit and let out a few satisfying burps. The "snowy white bear" on the slim bottle has accompanied generations, becoming the most memorable soda taste for Beijingers. You might not know it, but Beibingyang Soda, with over 80 years of history, once graced state banquets, served as a drink for international guests, and alongside the teapot and large tea mug, was a standard on the Spring Festival dinner table. At its peak, the line of trucks waiting for goods stretched from the factory in Anlelin outside Yongdingmen all the way to Shakou. Those who couldn't wait crowded around the production line, taking away cases as soon as they came out. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. In the 1990s, as the state promoted foreign investment, Pepsi, which had entered China, acquired Beibingyang Soda, hoping to leverage foreign capital to expand, but instead it was shelved. In 2011, after nearly 15 years of absence, the "old Beijing food brand" Beibingyang finally made its comeback.
PART.2 Tianjin Time-Honored Brand: Shanhaiguan Soda Shanhaiguan Soda is not in Shanhaiguan but in Tianjin. As a time-honored brand in Tianjin, at 117 years old, it is no less famous than Beibingyang. In 1922, at Puyi's wedding banquet, Shanhaiguan Soda was designated for entertaining guests, and later it became a special drink for state banquets. In the 1930s, it was all the rage in Tianjin's streets and alleys. But with the proliferation of foreign drinks, Shanhaiguan gradually disappeared in the 1990s. Tianjin locals who had drunk it could only describe its taste to their children in words. Fortunately, in 2014, Shanhaiguan Soda, with a retro appeal, began appearing at retail points across Tianjin. However, the new Shanhaiguan, with different taste and price, was criticized for not being the same as before.
PART.3 Old Shanghai's Summer Taste: Zhengguanghe Soda In "iPartment," Meijia often says, "I'll spray you to death with a mouthful of salt soda," referring to Zhengguanghe. In 1864, British merchant Guanghe Yanghang founded Shanghai Zhengguanghe Soda Factory, which soon became famous in Shanghai and southern Jiangsu. Counting on fingers, it has weathered 155 years of ups and downs. For old Shanghai residents, in summer, eating a piece of "Guangming" brand ice brick and drinking a bottle of Zhengguanghe Soda is the true taste of summer.
PART.4 Memories of Several Generations in Wuhan: No. 2 Factory Soda In the 1950s, the salt soda from Wugang, specially made to replenish workers' salt, was undoubtedly Wuhan's most popular drink. Wuhan people affectionately called it "No. 2 Factory Soda." If someone's family member worked at No. 2 Factory, it was a much prouder boast than "my dad is so-and-so." By the 1980s, No. 2 Factory Soda entered its most prosperous "golden age": every night at 8 p.m., small vendors lined up with tricycles at the factory gate to stock up, with the line stretching from Jiefang Avenue all the way to Xima Road. The story of rising and falling was repeated for local soda brands. In the 1990s, the once-glorious No. 2 Factory Soda gradually faded from view due to management restructuring, joint ventures with foreign companies, and competition from foreign brands. By 2000, the factory produced its last bottle of soda, and the former site at 1503 Jiefang Avenue in Hankou had changed beyond recognition.
PART.5 Shenyang's Old Soda Brand: Bawangsi Soda In 1920, during the early Republic of China, Zhang Huilin, secretary of warlord Zhang Zuolin, founded "Fengtian Bawangsi Beer, Soda, and Soy Sauce Co., Ltd.," which was the predecessor of Shenyang's most famous Bawangsi Soda Factory. As Shenyang's old soda brand, Bawangsi Soda once drove all foreign sodas out of the market, holding the top spot as the favorite drink of Northeasterners. Many Shenyang locals grew up drinking Bawangsi Soda. Unfortunately, its fate was quite lamentable: it was occupied by the Japanese army, severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution, and shelved by foreign beverage companies... The once-glorious Bawangsi Soda, its peak moments have slipped into people's memories as a symbol of youth. But in the eyes of Shenyang people, no matter how much time passes, the season of drinking Bawangsi Soda is what summer truly means.
PART.6 Chongqing Tianfu Cola: China's Own Cola Tianfu Cola was born in 1981, once holding 70% of the Chinese cola market. Its ingredients were all natural Chinese herbal components. In 1985, this "Chinese people's own cola" was designated as a state banquet drink, and was hailed as a "famous drink of a generation." In 1990, Tianfu Cola even represented Chinese cola, making a foray into the U.S. market, the birthplace of cola drinks. But the good times didn't last. After a joint venture with Pepsi in 1994, Tianfu was gradually marginalized, and its products almost disappeared from the market. In early 2016, the brand made a comeback, accelerating the launch of new products like sparkling water and salt soda. But having missed the golden opportunity to build brand awareness in the cola market, it is not easy for Tianfu to make a comeback.
PART.7 Qingdao's Classic Healthy Cola: Laoshan Cola In Qingdao, the biggest rival to Coca-Cola and Pepsi is Laoshan Cola. Dating back to 1953, the state organized scientists and technicians in Qingdao to develop China's first carbonated drink — Laoshan Cola. Based on authentic Laoshan mineral water, it added more than ten Chinese herbal ingredients such as black dates, Angelica dahurica, and amomum villosum, and was hailed as a healthy cola made in China. It once suppressed the edge of foreign brands, becoming the most familiar cola taste for generations of Qingdao people.
PART.8 Xi'an's Soda Business Card: Bingfeng Soda How to describe Xi'an people's affection for Bingfeng Soda? A comment on Zhihu says: "I think any Xi'an person walking into a small restaurant to order a drink would say: 'A bottle of Bingfeng;' in summer, it might become: 'A bottle of cold fruit beer,' unless neither is available, then they'd ask for cola." A Weibo post put it more directly: Xi'an, with a population of over 10 million, consumes 100 million bottles of Bingfeng a year, averaging 11.8 bottles per person. Image source: Bingfeng Roujiamo (Chinese burger) and cold noodles with a bottle of Bingfeng make the classic ancient city combo! Born in 1953, 66-year-old Bingfeng, from its earliest price of 0.2 yuan per bottle with an 8-cent bottle deposit, to 2 yuan per bottle in 2014, has kept its packaging and taste almost unchanged. For Xi'an people, it is a national brand steeped in the emotions of several generations.
PART.9 Guangzhou's Soda Pioneer: Asian Soda In February 1946, Li Zhiyang, who had experience at Watson's Soda Factory, and others started their own business, founding Guangzhou Asian Soda Factory at 80 Dade Street. Unlike most soda factories, Li Zhiyang's Guangzhou Asian Soda Factory chose a more flexible make-to-order approach, with dedicated staff monitoring market conditions and delivering goods anytime. In addition, they cleverly worked on marketing, creating the classic slogan: "Asian Soda, Soda Asia; No one has our fizz, no one lasts as long; No one lasts as long, no one tastes as good," and repeatedly broadcast it on radio and in newspapers. After several rounds of preparation, Asian Soda was in short supply as soon as it hit the shelves, becoming a beverage giant in Guangdong within just a few years. Under the label "Asian Soda, enough fizz and flavor," sales expanded to Macau and Hong Kong. The main "Asian" products were Orange Treasure, Lime, and Sarsaparilla. Old Guangzhou residents know that besides quenching thirst and relieving heat, Asian Sarsaparilla also had the unique effect of dispelling wind-heat and curing colds, something foreign sodas couldn't match. Most notably, of the eight major Chinese soda factories that were once powerful, only Asian Sarsaparilla was successfully preserved intact. Image source: Bingfeng
PART.10 Henan Time-Honored Brand: Luoyang Haibi Mentioning Haibi, it's believed to be a household name in Luoyang. Like Beijing's Beibingyang and Xi'an's Bingfeng, it is a food product extremely representative of the local city. Many people have grown up drinking it, and it has become a food memory in their hearts. Haibi Soda, "Happy·Haibi," is a local mass beverage that Luoyang people love and are proud of. It was called Kangle 30 years ago and renamed Haibi 17 years ago. For the first 17 years after its birth, it remained at one yuan, but in June 2011, it rose to 1.5 yuan. Don't underestimate it; a small bottle of soda is actually a history of a city, and even more so, a history of the rise and fall of national enterprises. Beijing Beibingyang Food Factory, Tianjin Shanhaiguan Soda Factory, Shanghai Zhengguanghe Soda Factory, Wuhan Beverage No. 2 Factory, Guangzhou Asian Soda Factory, Shenyang Bawangsi Soda Factory, Chongqing Tianfu Cola Group, and Shandong Laoshan Soda Company, known in the industry as the "Eight Major Factories," were already the leaders in the soda world in the 1980s. But under the changes of the times, due to production lines entirely dependent on imports and outdated equipment, plus the invasion of foreign sodas like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, with both internal and external pressures, many once-glorious old soda brands either went bankrupt or restructured, or were acquired and shelved by foreign capital, eventually fading from the market, taking away with them the era when mentioning soda brought to mind domestic drinks, and the youthful memories of several generations were interrupted. Fortunately, many discontinued old soda brands are gradually returning to our lives through various accessible means, carving out a place in the market. Image source: giphy When a bottle of heritage soda is finished, Uncle remembers the time he lost a street football game and had his eyebrows shaved off, Auntie also recalls her eight-inch bell-bottom pants, and that small, cramped shop that was like a treasure trove, stuffed full, and that youth of satisfying burps... Source: Zantan Brand House (ID: zantanlife)