Recently, a private coffee shop in mainland China named “People’s Coffee House” that adopts a decor theme featuring the red color and a five-pointed star symbol in line with the Communist Party’s political ideology was criticized by state media for supposedly crossing ethical boundaries in marketing. The company has announced on the 8th that it will change the name of its stores in mainland China. This move has sparked discussions among internet users, with some sarcastically pointing out how officials often use the name “people” for their own purposes.
State media People’s Daily Online published a critique on the 6th, stating that the term “people” in the name of the private coffee shop “People’s Coffee House” holds strong public attributes and political connotations, deemed inappropriate for use in commercial branding.
According to reports, “People’s Coffee House” has gradually opened nearly 30 directly operated stores in 18 provinces and 20 cities in China, with its parent company, YAOCHAO (Shanghai) Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.
Following the critique, YAOCHAO People’s Coffee House issued a statement on the 8th, declaring that they will strictly adhere to the trademark regulations in different scenarios. The mainland China stores were promptly renamed as “YAOCHAO People’s Coffee House,” while branches in Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas will maintain the original name “People’s Coffee House.”
Many netizens on Chinese social media platform Weibo have been discussing this issue, with some expressing concerns over the name choice, suggesting it gives the impression of being a state-owned entity. Some remarked, “I thought this was a government-run establishment,” and “With this name, I thought it was run by People’s Daily.”
However, some netizens argued, “If they meet the standards of serving the people, then why not let them use it? If they fail to genuinely serve the people, what difference does it make even if they have this sign?” and “Why can hospitals use ‘people’ in their name, but not this cafe? You pay for their service, they provide coffee. Where’s the deception in that? Whereas hospitals, sometimes you pay a lot but still may not receive proper treatment.”
Others jokingly commented, “The two words ‘people’ belong to the people, yet the people have no right to use it?” and “Everywhere you look, there are fake ‘people this’ and ‘people that’. The real people are not allowed to be called people. Do you really have the right to use these two words?”
On overseas social media platforms, some netizens noted, “People’s Coffee House gets criticized because it allegedly violated the ‘people’s’ usage rights.”
Commentator Li Linyi remarked that the Chinese Communist Party has long monopolized the use and interpretation of the term “people,” claiming to represent the entire nation. However, it has become increasingly evident that the party’s government institutions, which claim to serve the people, are actually only serving the party’s interests. For instance, the “People’s Liberation Army” is often referred to as the “Party Defense Army.”
Nevertheless, Li Linyi added that this “People’s Coffee House” itself, with its red-themed décor, essentially aligns with the bankrupt ideology of the Communist Party and should not be glorified.
As far back as ten years ago, the term “Zhao Family” – used to indirectly refer to influential figures within the Chinese Communist Party – became a popular phrase used to bypass censorship. Netizens discovered that by applying the phrase “Zhao Family” within the official discourse of the Communist Party, it surprisingly matched seamlessly, with only the substitution of “people” with “Zhao Family”:
For instance, “People’s Republic,” corresponds to “Zhao Family Republic (shortened to ‘Zhao Country’),” “People’s Congress,” translates to “Zhao Family Congress (shortened to ‘Zhao Congress’),” “People’s Government,” becomes “Zhao Family government,” “People’s Liberation Army,” transforms into “Zhao Family Liberation Army (shortened to ‘Zhao Army’),” and so forth.
Other examples include “People’s Civil Servants” becoming “Zhao Family civil servants,” “People’s Teachers” becoming “Zhao Family teachers,” and the slogan “Serve the People” becomes “Serve the Zhao Family.” Additionally, “People’s Currency” becomes “Zhao Family currency (shortened to ‘Zhao Coin’),” “People’s Daily” becomes “Zhao Family Daily (shortened to ‘Zhao Daily’),” and the phrase “All power belongs to the people” corresponds to “All power belongs to the Zhao Family,” expressing how it severely affects the emotions of the Chinese people, becomes “severely affects the emotions of the Chinese Zhao Family.”
The term “Zhao Family” originated from Lu Xun’s novel “The True Story of Ah Q” decades ago. In the novel, when the most powerful local landlord Zhao’s son achieved academic success, the illiterate laborer Ah Q cheered along with others. However, Zhao Senior rebuked him saying, “How dare you share the Zhao surname?”