Wong Lo Kat facts for kids
A can of JDB's Wong Lo Kat
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| Type | Herbal tea |
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| Manufacturer | Various (including JDB Group and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical) |
| Country of origin | China |
| Introduced | 1828 |
| Wong Lo Kat | |||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 王老吉 | ||||||||||||
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Wong Lo Kat (Chinese: 王老吉) or Wanglaoji is a well-known Chinese herbal tea. It is one of the most popular tea drinks in China today. You can find it in many different kinds of cans or cardboard boxes.
Contents
What is Wong Lo Kat?
Wong Lo Kat is a special drink made from various plants and herbs. It has been enjoyed for a very long time in China. People often drink it to help them feel refreshed.
Wong Lo Kat Ingredients
Wong Lo Kat is made from a mix of special plants and herbs, along with sugar and water. Here are some of the main ingredients:
- Water
- Sugar
- Mesonas Chinesis (a type of plant)
- Plumeria rubra (a flower)
- Microcos Paniculate (another plant)
- Chrysanthemum (a flower)
- Loncera Japonica (also known as honeysuckle)
- Prunella Vulgris (a plant called self-heal)
- Licorice (a sweet root)
The History of Wong Lo Kat Tea
The name "Wong Lo Kat" comes from the Cantonese language. This famous tea started way back in 1828 during the Qing Dynasty in China. It was created by a doctor named Wong Chat Bong (simplified Chinese: 王泽邦; traditional Chinese: 王澤邦; pinyin: Wáng Zébāng).
His family was known for making herbal teas in southern China. Because of this, the Wong Lo Kat brand became very famous for this type of drink. The special recipe has been passed down through many generations. It is still a big part of Chinese tea culture today.
Around 1949, the Chinese government started taking over private companies. The Wong Lo Kat family then moved their business to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the part of the business in mainland China became owned by the government.
Who Owns the Wong Lo Kat Name?
After 1949, the "Wanglaoji" (Wong Lo Kat in Mandarin) brand in mainland China was owned by the government. A company called Guangzhou Wanglaoji Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. owned the trademark. They let another company, Hong Kong Hung To Group Co., Ltd., use the "Wanglaoji" name.
This led to two main types of Wong Lo Kat tea. The Hong Kong Hung To Group (through its company JDB Beverage Co., Ltd.) made the red can version. Guangzhou Pharmaceutical made a green carton version.
Agreements and Sales Growth
In 1997, Hung To Group and Guangzhou Pharmaceutical signed an agreement. This allowed JDB to use the "Wanglaoji" name for their red can tea. JDB also used the traditional English name "Wong Lo Kat."
The agreement was renewed several times. JDB's red can sales grew much faster than Guangzhou Pharmaceutical's green carton sales. By 2008, the red can's sales were huge, becoming one of the top-selling canned drinks in China.
Trademark Discussions
Later, there were disagreements about who had the right to use the "Wanglaoji" name. In 2012, a decision was made that JDB no longer had the right to use the "Wanglaoji" trademark after May 2010.
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Because of this, JDB changed the name on their red cans to simply "JDB" starting in May 2012. After this, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical started making their own red can "Wanglaoji" drink.
Interestingly, a descendant of the original founder, Wang Jianyi, who runs the Wong Lo Kat business outside mainland China, supported the JDB company.
Images for kids
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310ml red can version produced by JDB, named "Wong Lo Kat" (around 1995 - 2011)
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310ml red can version produced by JDB, named "Wong Lo Kat produced by JDB" (2011 - May 2012)
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310ml red can version produced by JDB, named "JDB" (May 2012 - April 2015)
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250ml green carton version produced by Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, named "Wanglaoji" (around 1995 - )
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310ml red can version produced in Malaysia, named "Wong Lo Kat"
See also
In Spanish: Té de hierbas Wong Lo Gat para niños
