Xiang Piaopiao's anti-Japan cup sleeves went viral — then the 'patriotic stunt' fell apart

During the May Day holiday in early May 2024, a netizen visiting Japan posted photos of MECO fruit tea cups — a Xiang Piaopiao subsidiary product — on sale at a Chinese-run supermarket, printed with bilingual cup sleeves attacking Japan's nuclear wastewater discharge. The slogans read 'Shameless,' '0.1% of land polluted 70% of the ocean,' and 'We can do without Japan, but not without the ocean.'

The post went viral on Chinese social media. Xiang Piaopiao praised the unnamed employee reportedly responsible — 'Our employee is a hero' — and chairman Jiang Jianqi went to the airport at midnight to greet the returning staff with a banner reading 'Welcome our warrior home.' The company pledged livestream sales to an environmental foundation and rewarded the employee 100,000 yuan. Over 10 million viewers flooded its Douyin store on May 4–5; daily sales jumped from about 2,500 yuan to 1 million yuan — a 400-fold surge. The stock hit the daily limit up on May 6.

Then the story shifted. Netizens in Japan revealed the supermarket served almost entirely Chinese customers, the cup sleeves appeared in very small quantities, and the whole thing looked like a staged photo op rather than a genuine in-store protest. The stock reversed sharply on May 7 as staging allegations spread, trapping retail investors. Commentators accused Xiang Piaopiao of weaponising patriotic sentiment for a sales boost — 'patriotic traffic' as a marketing strategy.