During the Mid-Autumn Festival, mainland Chinese twin internet celebrities known as “Crazy Big Yang Brother” and “Crazy Little Yang Brother” who run the electronic brand “Three Sheep”, invited famous Hong Kong star Eric Tsang to promote and sell “Hong Kong Mei Cheng Mooncakes”. However, it was later revealed that the mooncakes were not actually from Hong Kong, leading to an official investigation into the brand. As a result, they have now been fined and penalized a total of nearly 70 million yuan (RMB), with Eric Tsang also being embroiled in the controversy.
According to reports from mainland media outlet “Dawan News”, on September 26, the Anhui Hefei Market Supervision Bureau issued a situation report stating that a joint investigation team was formed in Hefei on September 19 to investigate the issues surrounding the live streaming sales by the “Three Sheep” company. It was confirmed that the promotion of the “Hong Kong Mei Cheng Mooncakes” did not match the actual product quality, constituting false and misleading advertising. The investigation led to the confiscation of illegal gains from “Three Sheep” and a fine totaling 68.94 million yuan. Additionally, on September 26, Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) announced that they had suspended the accounts of “Three Sheep” for rectification.
During the live stream, “Little Yang Brother” and others claimed that “Hong Kong Mei Cheng is a major brand specializing in high-end mooncakes, with nearly 20 years of experience.” They touted the mooncakes as high-end and exclusive products from Hong Kong that were hard to come by.
Of note, Eric Tsang’s reaction at the time stood out, as he remarked that “this gift is very good.” When “Little Yang Brother” mentioned that “in Hong Kong, everyone knows, Mei Cheng mooncakes sell for 700 yuan per box offline,” Eric Tsang did not deny it.
According to a report by “Hong Kong 01”, during the Miss Hong Kong Pageant organized by TVB on September 15, when someone brought up the issue to TVB General Manager Eric Tsang, as soon as the word “mooncake” was mentioned, Tsang’s expression changed slightly, and he quickly pretended not to hear, abruptly ended the interview and left the scene.
The report mentioned that Eric Tsang had led over a hundred artists to attend the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong branch of “Three Sheep”, owned by the “Crazy Little Yang Brother” last month. During the ceremony, “Little Yang Brother” declared that “Eric Tsang is the owner of our Hong Kong branch.” Following the opening ceremony, Eric Tsang and “Little Yang Brother” conducted a live stream sales event on an online platform, where they also promoted the mooncakes, which led to this controversy. Some netizens questioned how Eric Tsang, knowing that the mooncakes were not from Hong Kong, could enthusiastically promote and sell them at the event.
On September 26, “Three Sheep” issued an apology statement, expressing regret for the false advertising and misleading consumers during the live stream. However, many netizens feel that “Three Sheep” did not offer any compensation to customers who purchased the mooncakes and believe that the company took advantage of consumers, with Eric Tsang also bearing responsibility for his actions.