Andrew Methven

3 days ago | realtimemandarin.com | Andrew Methven

This week we are covering UK and European timezones in Saturday evening, and US timezones on Saturday morning. Now onto this week’s details...

6 days ago | sinicapodcast.com | Andrew Methven

Our phrase of the week is: "a period of bad luck" (水逆期 shuǐ nì qī)ContextIn early May, images of Wahaha (哇哈哈) bottled water began circulating on Chinese social media. Photos revealed fine print on the labels indicating they were produced by another beverage brand, Jinmailang (今麦郎)—a major player in China's bottled water market. Outsourcing is common in China's beverage industry, with companies often engaging “OEMs” (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to produce their products.

6 days ago | realtimemandarin.com | Andrew Methven |Frank Zhao

多年来，娃哈哈在中国纯净水消费市场拥有一席之地。2024年，娃哈哈纯净水更是凭借“实验室御用水”的卖点被消费者认可。然而，进入2025年后公司似乎陷入了“水逆期”。5月15日，娃哈哈纯净水由竞品今麦郎代工生产的消息突然浮出水面。一切都怪那些“眼尖”的消费者，让娃哈哈一向强调的“高纯度”形象瞬间变味。长期支持娃哈哈的消费者了解到这个情况后不禁破防。对此，换作谁都难以接受自己信赖的高品质产品竟然和价格通常更低的今麦郎是在同一条生产线上生产出来的。在这种情况下，许多人宁愿选择性价比更高的今麦郎，也不愿意为娃哈哈的溢价多花一分钱。有些消费者认为被割了韭菜，甚至直接指出但凡重视品质的品牌都应该爱惜羽毛。处于危机的娃哈哈对今麦郎代工的问题很快就做出了回应。2025年4月发现今麦郎代工的一些纯净水没有达到检测标准，…

1 week ago | realtimemandarin.com | Andrew Methven

In early May, images of Wahaha (哇哈哈) bottled water began circulating on Chinese social media. Photos revealed the fine print on bottle labels, which showed how they were produced by another drinks brand, Jinmailang (今麦郎). "I’ve always bought Wahaha purified water, but this time the bottle felt a bit different.

1 week ago | realtimemandarin.com | Andrew Methven

RTM Fluent is a weekly podcast featuring a carefully selected native Chinese language news article with full audio and a link to the original media report—perfect for post-study practice. RTM Fluent is a weekly podcast featuring a carefully selected native Chinese language news article with full audio and a link to the original media report—perfect for post-study practice.