The revival of China time-honoured brands: Following the paw prints of the “White Rabbit” (Dabaitu大白兔)

Abstract

This article fills an existing gap by examining the ongoing revival of China time-honoured brands (laozihao). It first offers a critical overview of the recent changes that happened in the perception of Chinese brands outside China and their current development inside China, by relating them to the country’s wider strategies of soft power and national branding. After providing an updated account of the governmental regulation concerning the revival of laozihao, the article focuses on the brand White Rabbit (Dabaitu) as a case study. Based on the theoretical framing that brands are cultural texts, it identifies the different historical phases of WR development and provides a critical analysis of the branding and promotional strategies that allowed it to thrive over the past few decades, in line with the official priority of shifting to “Created in China” and the increasing demand for Guochao.