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Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water, a name that resounds in the north and south of China, occupies a place in the domestic beverage industry with its unique "undrinkable" attribute, and is known as "epic biochemical weapons".
Its bottle exudes a festive and peaceful smell of flower dew, but when you open the lid, you are greeted by the "sweat-impregnated rotten mat smell" that is enough to shock the taste buds, which is overpowering and hitting the brain.
"A smell of straw mats, not used to drinking" "It is even more disgusting to drink" All those who have tasted it, without exception, cannot accept its taste. Its "unpalatable legend" even made the whole country agree: "As long as you say it is unpalatable, we are friends".
So, how exactly does it achieve "unpalatable and unified taste in the world"?
"Regret for life if you don't drink, regret for life if you drink it"
In 2020, the well-known self-media person Luo Yonghao also tried to promote this drink in the live broadcast room, and his expression was instantly distorted after taking a sip, commenting that it was "really difficult to drink, not generally difficult to drink", this scene was recorded and saved by fans, becoming a classic meme complaining about this drink.
Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water, when you hear the name, it is like a fresh and elegant health drink, but when you really try it, you will immediately understand why it has the evaluation of "regret for life if you don't drink it, regret for life after drinking".
This specialty drink from Shandong first feels refreshing carbonic acid, but soon a strange smell like sweaty socks rushes into every corner of your mouth, this disgusting taste comes from the white flower snake tongue extract in its formula.
White flower snake tongue grass is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine, detailed in Chinese medicine texts, belongs to the bitter cold of the sexual herbs, it has the effect of clearing heat and detoxification, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, is one of the main ingredients of many fire-fighting herbal teas.
So this also explains why this seemingly difficult drink can still be circulated among consumers for more than 60 years and sell better.
This is incredible for outsiders, but for Shandong locals, white flower snake grass water is a good "elixir". It can not only relieve alcohol and sober up, but also clear heat annealing, quench heat and quench thirst.
After drinking a bottle, many people expressed their appetite, and the heat and discomfort disappeared, which made white flower snake grass water a designated drink for many office workers, especially middle-aged men took it as a miracle medicine, and there were several boxes hoarded in the trunk of the car all year round.
Even Singapore has rated it as the highest grade A drink, which shows that its health benefits are still affirmed.
Of course, for the average person, it still takes a certain amount of courage to drink this difficult taste for the first time, but after surviving the initial discomfort, you will find that it is like a dose of unpalatable Chinese medicine, and the more you drink, the more addictive it is.
Therefore, we should not judge the quality of this drink just because of its taste. This is a unique characteristic of Shandong people "elixir of life", although it is difficult to drink, but the health effect cannot be ignored. As long as you can accept its taste, you can enjoy its benefits.
However, this water, which is not popular at home, has become a diplomatic weapon.
Not an ordinary drink, but a diplomatic weapon
In 1962, China was in a period of difficult struggle, and the creativity of the staff was fully mobilized.
That year, Qingdao's Laoshan Soda Factory cooperated with several units to successfully develop a drink that combines health care benefits with nourishing and delicious flavors - Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water.
Originally designed to meet the needs of consumers in Southeast Asia, this product not only received widespread acclaim overseas, but also eventually became one of China's important diplomatic gifts.
At that time, Qingdao's foreign trade department learned that Chinese laborers in Southeast Asia very much wanted China to export a traditional Chinese medicine health drink.
In order to meet this demand, the foreign trade department arranged for Laoshan Soda Factory to cooperate with the medical school and other units to develop this product.
The R&D team chose a plant called white flower snake grass for medicine, which grows in the south of the mainland and can clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and diuresis.
They mixed its extract with Laoshan natural mineral water, and after arduous trials and iterations, they finally succeeded in developing Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water, a special effect drink that nourishes and quenches thirst.
At the beginning of research and development, Baihua Snake Grass Water was mainly designed for Southeast Asia, but I did not expect that it would be warmly sought after by consumers in Malaysia, Singapore and other places as soon as it was launched, and became a popular choice for herbal tea drinks, which was exported in large quantities and earned foreign exchange for the country.
Over time, it became one of the few beverage products in China that could open up its popularity in the international market. In 2000, then-Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong personally asked for the drink during his visit to China.
Despite its huge international popularity, the white flower snake grass water has encountered a cold reception when it comes to domestic consumers. In fact, it is not difficult to understand.
The formula of this drink was carefully designed according to the climate characteristics of Southeast Asia, of course, it may not be suitable for the taste of Chinese people.
In addition, many Chinese people at that time believed that since it was a product for export, it must be something tall, so they also expected this drink to have a more refreshing and pleasant taste, and the result was naturally disappointed.
Fortunately, time has passed, and the white flower snake grass water has not been forgotten because of the feedback of domestic consumers. In recent years, it has returned to the public eye with the label of "favorite of foreign dignitaries" and has become an Internet celebrity drink.
This summer relief drink is thanks to the pioneering and innovative Chinese craftsmen, as well as the overseas consumers who are loyal to it.
Perhaps it is precisely because of a stormy friendship that it has finally been turned into a diplomatic golden business card, becoming China's gift of choice for dignitaries from all over the world.
However, it is this unpleasant drink that never takes the high-end route and goes further and further on the road of self-blackening.
Do not go high-end, rely on "self-blackening" to be favored
Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water, an old domestic beverage with no packaging design, no elaborate marketing, but purely relying on word of mouth, is widely known from a Weibo photo in 2016.
In 2016, the Laoshan Mineral Water Officer posted a batch of photos of white flowers, snakes and grass water stationed in Liberia, Africa, and wrote "in response to the call of the Belt and Road".
This was originally a popular overseas promotion action of a Chinese brand, but the little-known white flower snake grass water caused heated discussions among netizens.
For a time, the topic of "the boat of friendship will turn over" appeared on Weibo's hot search, and the "divine water" of white flowers, snakes and grass water was widely known.
It turns out that in the hearts of netizens, white flower snake grass water has long been the worst domestic drink, it is extremely bitter in the mouth, the aftertaste is like a "soaked straw mat", and was once inventoried as "China's most difficult drink".
Now breaking into the African market, some netizens are worried that this "undrinkable divine water" will overturn the boat of China-Africa friendship, whether true or not, this terrier has brought unprecedented attention to the white flower snake grass water.
Subsequently, the taste challenge of various white flower snake grass water spread in the WeChat circle of friends, "drink this bottle of divine water, there is no hurdle in life" became a popular phrase, and white flower snake grass water ushered in the peak of sales.
All this comes from the self-black turmoil caused by a photo, so Laoshan has also let go of boundaries, no longer entangled in brand image, actively hitched a ride on the heated car of netizens, and cooperated with various entertainment marketing.
For example, the company will respond: "Because it is difficult to drink, it is difficult to give up." In the face of the evaluation of "China's most difficult to drink", they also frankly admitted that "it is precisely this kind of spit that we can do better."
Today, it has sold hundreds of millions of bottles and has transformed from a niche drink into an internet celebrity magic water, and its impact is amazing.
Perhaps, just as its taste is extremely bitter at the beginning to sweet later, this has also become a romantic metaphor for our appreciation of white flowers, snakes and grass.
On the road of life, there is no need to deliberately pursue "high", sometimes as long as you are sincere and open, you can make the product closer to people's hearts.
With its frank personality, Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water has gradually won the recognition and love of consumers, and it has been favored against the trend, and it has written a legendary story of the revival of domestic products with alternative self-deprecation and self-blackening roads.
epilogue
We shouldn't judge a drink just because of its taste. This is a unique characteristic of Shandong people "elixir of life", although it is difficult to drink, but the health effect can not be ignored, as long as you can accept its taste, you can enjoy its benefits.
The success of Snake Water has taught us that traditional brands must keep up with changing consumer demand in order to succeed in today's market, however, the rise of the energy drink boom has also raised new questions.
Whether these beverages containing pharmaceutical ingredients are safe to drink in large quantities for a long time and whether supervision is in place needs to be further explored, the transformation and development of traditional brands cannot abandon social responsibility, and consumers should also choose carefully, which is the way to sustainable development.
The development process of Laoshan White Flower Snake Grass Water has not only won the dedication of Chinese scientific and technological workers, but also witnessed the process of Chinese enterprises "going out", and also demonstrated the wisdom of independent innovation and brand marketing of Chinese brands.
These precious spiritual treasures are worth learning and inheriting.
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