Wanglaoji will launch a commemorative version named after its brand birth year—1828 red slim can version to welcome the 190th brand anniversary and share Chinese herbal tea culture with consumers globally.

Wanglaoji took a pioneering step in adopting slim can design on its sugar-free and low-sugar herbal teas. This time, for the 1828 commemorative version, it will again use this slim can design, use red as the packaging color and add the year 1828 to the can body, illustrating the brand’s culture, consistent spirit of craftsmanship and perfect blend of tradition and fashion.

In 2016, Wanglaoji launched sugar-free and low-sugar herbal tea in line with a changing market, reaching a new peak in the herbal tea industry. This move epitomizes the concept of ‘trendy TCM’. Thanks to this, annual sales turnover has increased to over 20 billion RMB from 200 million RMB in the era of instant granules. So far, the sales volume and market share of Wanglaoji are still rising, with a 70% market share in herbal tea industry. The company has also exported products and registered trademarks in 60 countries and regions.

Wanglaoji initiated a worldwide advanced DNA barcoding technique for raw material identification, ensuring the quality of herbal tea right from the source, a move which won it the 2nd place in the National S&T Progress Awards in 2016—the first brand to have been granted such an award in the Chinese herbal tea industry.

Wanglaoji also established two herbal tea museums located in Guangzhou and Beijing, promoting Chinese herbal tea culture across the country. Furthermore, it is also striving to bring this culture to the world stage. In 2014, Wanglaoji held the herbal tea exhibition, “Authentic Herbal Tea: Wong Lo Kat’s Culture around the World,” in Sao Paulo during the World Cup in Brazil. In 2017, Wanglaoji herbal tea will be the exclusive herbal tea for the 2017 Fortune Global Forum, bringing the brand to a world-class platform.

About the name Wanglaoji

Wang Zebang, born in Heshan County of Guangdong, was given the secret recipe of herbal tea by a mysterious Taoist priest who saved his life in the early 19th century. Wang Zebang, whose nickname is Aji, arrived at Jingyuan Street nearby the then Thirteen-hongs (factories) of Guangzhou, and in 1828, the 8th year of the Qing Daoguang emporer’s reign, he set up a shop to sell his "Uncle Ji" herbal tea.

Lin Zexu, a scholar-official of the Qing dynasty, suffering mild heatstroke, visited Wang's home, and found that three cups of herbal tea solved Lin's heatstroke. Having been revitalized,  Lin Zexu  came to acknowledge Wang Zebang’s talent and said: "You practice medicine honestly, and you sell effective drugs at a low price. Since your family name is Wang and nickname is Aji, your herbal tea could be named 'Wanglaoji' from now on." Shortly after, Lin sent a big gourd-shaped copper teapot with three gold letters "Wanglaoji" on it as a gift. From then on, Wang Zebang made "Wanglaoji" his shop's formal title.

(Translator: Cheryl Ma; Editors: Simon Haywood, Olivia Yang, Monica Liu)