Prior to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the top influencer on Chinese TikTok, “Crazy Little Yang Brother”, sold “Hong Kong Meicheng Mooncakes” in his livestream rooms, with monthly sales of 50 million RMB, but it was exposed that they were products from mainland China.
Recently, multiple search terms such as “Hong Kong mooncakes with monthly sales of 50 million RMB cannot be bought in Hong Kong” and “selling Hong Kong mooncakes for 99 yuan for 3 boxes” have trended on mainland China’s Weibo platform, sparking public attention.
According to a post by mainland blogger “Technology News” on September 14, the blogger asked an assistant to purchase several boxes of mooncakes online to give to employees. Surprisingly, the assistant bought “Hong Kong Meicheng Mooncakes” in the livestream room of ‘Little Yang Brother’ for 169 RMB per set, with 3 boxes in each set. In total, they bought 5 sets, totaling 15 boxes.
The blogger revealed that they later found out that these mooncakes were fake, and when they tried to return them to Little Yang Brother’s platform, they were refused. They vowed not to shop on Little Yang Brother’s livestream again.
Customer service indicated that mooncakes are classified as seasonal special food products, therefore they do not support a 7-day unconditional return and exchange policy.
Various mainland media outlets reported on September 14 that the top influencer on Chinese TikTok, “Crazy Little Yang Brother”, rose to fame through creating humorous short videos. With over a hundred million fans on TikTok, after being exposed for selling pickled pork made Mei Cai Kou Rou, fake Moutai liquor, and fake beef rolls, they are now found selling fake Hong Kong mooncakes.
Reports stated that “Crazy Little Yang Brother” and their Three Sheep Group’s livestream rooms all featured “Hong Kong Meicheng” brand mooncakes. These mooncakes were priced at 99 yuan for 3 boxes and 169 yuan for 3 boxes, among other styles.
Currently, these mooncakes are still being sold on authorized Three Sheep accounts for 169 yuan for 3 boxes. Shipping information reveals that the products are dispatched from Qingyuan, Guangdong.
According to Jiu Pai News, Hong Kong star Eric Tsang once appeared in the Three Sheep livestream room, endorsing this brand of mooncake alongside “Little Yang Brother”. He even appeared with his daughter-in-law, Wang Minyi.
When Three Sheep Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited officially opened in August, “Little Yang Brother” announced that Eric Tsang was the owner of the Hong Kong branch of Three Sheep.
Data from a mainland partner platform shows that the sales of “Hong Kong Meicheng Mooncakes” on TikTok exceeded 50 million RMB in the past 30 days, rivaling renowned brands like “Hong Kong Maxim’s Mooncakes”, with significantly higher sales volume.
After the popularity of this mooncake skyrocketed, many netizens questioned the origins of the Hong Kong “Meicheng Mooncakes”, as the packaging and name appeared to imitate the “Hong Kong Maxim’s Mooncakes”.
In the livestream room, Little Yang Brother claimed that these mooncakes are from a high-end brand in Hong Kong and contain black truffle, crafted by Michelin-star chefs.
According to the Tianshencha app, the operator of the “Hong Kong Meicheng Mooncakes” brand is Guangzhou Meicheng Food Co., Ltd. Their official website indicates that the brand was established in 2019 and is a subsidiary of Hong Kong Meicheng Food Group Limited.
However, a search on Hong Kong’s largest online shopping platform, HKTVmall, under “Hong Kong Meicheng”, “Meicheng Mooncakes”, or “Meicheng Bakery” did not yield any results, while “Hong Kong Maxim’s” had relevant search results.
A reporter from mainland Blue Whale News contacted several agents of “Hong Kong Meicheng Mooncakes” inquiring about the brand’s details, and they all stated: “This company doesn’t have stores in Hong Kong”, mentioning that the products mainly come from Guangzhou and Foshan. One agent even asked the reporter if they were interested in becoming a distributor in Hong Kong.
The customer service representatives of Meicheng also mentioned that the brand has marketing centers and production facilities in Guangzhou and Foshan, and currently, they do not have retail stores in Hong Kong.
Upon investigation, it was found that the trademark application for “Hong Kong Meicheng” by the company in 2022 was rejected during reconsideration.
Lawyer Chen Zhen from the Henan Zejin Law Firm informed Jiu Pai News that if the product’s origin does not match the advertising claims or physical labels, it might constitute fraudulent behavior, and consumers have the right to seek compensation.
The Market Supervision and Administration Bureau of Huadu District, Guangzhou stated that they are aware of the situation, and the local market oversight department has initiated an investigation.