Chinese importer says entire stock of Taipan mooncakes will be destroyed after backlash against Hong Kong baker
Manager of trading company says ‘huge amount’ of Taipan Bread and Cakes brand pastries were returned after mainland media storm over bakery director’s pro-protest Facebook posts
Zhuang Pinghui
Published: 5:39pm, 5 Sep, 2019
An importer for Taipan Bread and Cakes, the Hong Kong baker known for its “snowy” mooncakes, may have to destroy returned stock after a social media controversy. Photo: FACEBOOK
A mainland Chinese importer of a popular Hong Kong mooncake brand caught up in a protest controversy said it would have to destroy stock because it could not cope with the volume of goods being returned.
Wu Haotian, general manager of Yonghuasheng Trading, told the Southern Metropolis News that “a huge amount of mooncakes” made by Hong Kong-based Taipan Bread and Cakes had been sent back by retailers after a director of the pastry company was denounced in mainland media for supporting anti-government protests in the city.
“The amount is so great that we haven’t calculated exactly how much have come back yet,” Wu said on Wednesday.
He said his company had talked to mainland partners about cutting their losses.
Taipan Bread and Cakes director Garic Kwok faced a mainland media backlash after Facebook comments about demonstrations in Hong Kong. Photo: Weibo
“Those returned orders cannot be sent back to Hong Kong,” he was quoted as saying. “The only solution might be to destroy them eventually.”
Phone calls to Wu at Guangzhou-based Yonghuasheng Trading on Thursday went unanswered.
On Monday, Taipan mooncakes were pulled from shelves in mainland stores, supermarkets and online shopping sites after bakery director Garic Kwok was criticised for comments he made on his personal Facebook account last month.
One post included an aerial photo of a protest that Kwok described as “Hongkongers forming a pro-democracy human chain across the city”. Another post said supporters of Hong Kong police must “have a lack of empathy … and are inferior, selfish and arrogant”.
Mainland media, including Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily, attacked Kwok as “supporting activities of those dressed in black” and “forwarding pictures to ridicule the government and police”.
The businessman deleted the offending posts on Friday and apologised, distancing his business from his personal views.
Taipan, known for its “snowy” mooncakes, said on Weibo on Friday that Kwok’s views were not those of the company.
But the damage to its reputation and business on the mainland was done.
On Saturday, mainland retailers began demanding distributors withdraw Taipan products. First, two major online retailer sites – JD.com, and Tmall.com, which is operated by Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post – pulled the goods from their websites.
Later that day, Taipan products were cleared from supermarkets and shopping malls across China.
Yonghuasheng Trading said on Sunday that the company had not been aware of Kwok’s posts and, as a Chinese company, Kwok’s remarks did not represent it.
“All the goods were bought with good money. Every box of mooncakes was declared to customs and tax was paid … I hope consumers understand us,” the company said.
On Monday, Wu posted a message saying “I am Chinese” and a Chinese national flag emoji on his WeChat account.
Months of protests in Hong Kong have triggered a nationalistic backlash in mainland media and online. Many brands, from bubble tea stores to luxury brands, and celebrities have fallen under their spotlight for their position on Hong Kong’s protests.
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