When Zhong Shanshan fires shots everywhere

This is undoubtedly a massive counterattack by Zhong Shanshan.

Whether it's for the industry he's in or the related sectors, this holds true without exception.

From advising consumers against long-term consumption of green-bottled purified water, criticizing Pinduoduo's low-price strategy on e-commerce platforms, mocking entrepreneurs who personally engage in live-streaming sales, to requesting Toutiao and Douyin to remove harmful and defamatory remarks against him—all of these actions demonstrate this point.

Just like the controversies faced by Nongfu Spring, the company he founded, every statement Zhong Shanshan makes seems to stir significant waves.

If we connect Zhong Shanshan's recent remarks with the "cyberbullying" he has previously endured, we can fully interpret this as a counterattack by Zhong Shanshan.

However, Zhong Shanshan's counterattack inevitably gives the impression of making enemies everywhere.

Thus, we can't help but worry that after this series of statements, Nongfu Spring's PR team will indeed have their hands full again.

Yet, through Zhong Shanshan's counterattack, we can clearly see the various issues plaguing his industry and the broader sector.

If we link these issues with Zhong Shanshan's remarks, we realize that his so-called counterattack might simply be an unfiltered expression of his views on Nongfu Spring's industry and related sectors—more like the solitary struggle of an idealist.

I

Regarding Nongfu Spring's green-bottled purified water, Zhong Shanshan stated that his purpose in producing it was to help consumers understand that the red-bottled Nongfu Spring is indeed worth its price.

Additionally, Zhong Shanshan bluntly advised consumers against long-term consumption of green-bottled purified water.

Although Zhong Shanshan was referring to his own purified water, people inevitably associate his remarks with brands like Wahaha and other purified water manufacturers.

The reason is that Wahaha and other companies primarily focus on purified water products.

Ultimately, Zhong Shanshan is trying to educate the public about the true value of purified water by launching his own product in this category.

More precisely, he aims to help consumers better understand the current state of the purified water market and unveil its "black box."

Admittedly, Zhong Shanshan's intentions are good.

However, we must also recognize that in China's current bottled water market, companies like Nongfu Spring are in the minority, while most players are still purified water brands like Wahaha.

On the surface, Zhong Shanshan is discussing his own product, but in reality, he is using his actions to show consumers what purified water truly is—thereby criticizing the chaos in his own industry.

For the bottled water sector where Nongfu Spring operates, Zhong Shanshan's remarks are undoubtedly a direct attack on competitors.

This will inevitably provoke counterattacks from peers, dragging Zhong Shanshan back into the whirlpool of public opinion—hardly a positive sign for Nongfu Spring.

It's foreseeable that claims like "Zhong Shanshan is trying to manipulate consumer judgment through his statements" will emerge, potentially triggering even stronger backlash.

However, beyond this, we must recognize Zhong Shanshan's efforts to protect his company's and even the industry's image through his actions.

II

If Zhong Shanshan's entry into the purified water market to highlight the superiority of Nongfu Spring's red-bottled water will provoke industry backlash, then his criticism of Pinduoduo reflects his disdain for the price and product system chaos caused by e-commerce platforms.

According to Zhong Shanshan, "Internet platforms, especially price-driven ones like Pinduoduo, are causing significant harm to Chinese brands and industries by driving down price systems."

This statement directly accuses Pinduoduo of disrupting Nongfu Spring's pricing structure and damaging its brand.

In fact, just as Zhong Shanshan criticizes the purified water market for its issues, his attack on Pinduoduo expresses his dissatisfaction with the negative impact of e-commerce platforms like Pinduoduo on upstream brands.

This, too, reflects Zhong Shanshan's idealistic stance.

A deeper analysis of Zhong Shanshan's remarks reveals that platforms like Pinduoduo do indeed harm brands like Nongfu Spring.

The reason is that Pinduoduo focuses solely on transactions, ignoring post-purchase consumer perceptions of products.

To boost sales, Pinduoduo employs various marketing tactics and subsidies, but when consumers receive the products, they question Nongfu Spring's pricing and quality.

Here, the irreconcilable conflict between Pinduoduo's efficiency-driven approach and Nongfu Spring's product-centric philosophy becomes apparent, leading to Zhong Shanshan's criticism.

Through Zhong Shanshan's statement, we see how e-commerce platforms disrupt Nongfu Spring's pricing and brand image.

Predictably, Zhong Shanshan's exposure of Pinduoduo's "low-price" facade will provoke retaliation from the platform.

III

Zhong Shanshan also criticized the growing trend of entrepreneurs engaging in live-streaming to build personal brands and drive sales.

He bluntly stated that he would never do live-streaming sales and looks down on entrepreneurs who do. "I require e-commerce platforms not to exceed 5% of total sales."

Ultimately, Zhong Shanshan's criticism of live-streaming sales stems from the price wars it triggers, which collapse product and pricing systems.

Although Zhong Shanshan's view isn't wrong, his remarks will still draw backlash from peers.

The reason is that Zhong Shanshan evaluates live-streaming solely from his industry's perspective, without considering other entrepreneurs' circumstances.

It's foreseeable that his statement will provoke criticism from entrepreneurs who engage in live-streaming and personal branding.

However, we must also recognize that Zhong Shanshan criticizes live-streaming because, like Pinduoduo, it drags Nongfu Spring into endless price wars, disregarding product and pricing systems.

From this perspective, Zhong Shanshan's criticism of live-streaming shares the same underlying logic as his attacks on the purified water market and Pinduoduo.

Understanding this helps us grasp the essence of Zhong Shanshan's idealistic stance.

Conclusion

This is undoubtedly a massive counterattack by Zhong Shanshan.

Whether it's his admission about entering the purified water market, his criticism of Pinduoduo's harm to Chinese industries, or his views on entrepreneurs doing live-streaming sales—all reflect this phenomenon.

Yet, beyond Zhong Shanshan's tendency to make enemies, we must recognize his efforts to protect Nongfu Spring's brand and product value, his skepticism toward modern entrepreneurial behavior, and his concerns about the industry's state.

Inevitably, Zhong Shanshan's combative approach will plunge him into new controversies.

However, through this, we see a more authentic Zhong Shanshan—one with a stronger idealistic streak.

Zhong Shanshan, making enemies everywhere, resembles Don Quixote from Spanish writer Cervantes' masterpiece.

In an age where chivalry is long gone, he tilts at windmills.

When Zhong Shanshan, surrounded by enemies, launches his counterattacks, perhaps the ones who need reflection aren't him but all of us embedded in this system.

"What created today's Zhong Shanshan?"—this may be a question each of us must answer.$NONGFU SPRING(09633.HK)