After Zong Qinghou's death, Nongfu Spring and its founder, Zhong Suisui, became hot topics on short video platforms and self-media articles. Some articles and videos claim that Zhong Suisui earned his first pot of gold as a Wahaha agent in Hainan, but was fired by Zong Qinghou for disrupting the market.
Furthermore, reports indicate that as Nongfu Spring grew, legal disputes and business wars erupted between Zhong Suisui and Wahaha. This might relate to incidents between 1999 and 2000, during which Nongfu Spring and Wahaha engaged in a verbal battle over whether purified water was beneficial to human health. Subsequently, companies like Wahaha sued Nongfu Spring for unfair competition, to which the latter countersued.
Many social media comments sections are filled with remarks like "Do not buy Nongfu Spring, support Wahaha." Nongfu Spring's live broadcasts have also recently faced a barrage of abuse, with a constant stream of derogatory comments leading the female host to tears and depression.
This wave of online attacks and abuses undoubtedly brings significant distress to the company and its founder, Zhong Suisui. In response to these accusations and slander, on March 3, 2024, Nongfu Spring's official Weibo account published an article titled "Zhong Suisui: My Side of the Story with Elder Zong", where Chairman Zhong Suisui clarifies the recent online slanders against him and Nongfu Spring, notably after Zong Qinghou's death, highlighting that Nongfu Spring has been encountering online attacks.
Zhong Suisui refutes the rumors that his first entrepreneurial capital came from Wahaha, stating that his initial capital came from the cloth business, which differs from the rumors that "the first entrepreneurial income came from Wahaha."
Both Nongfu Spring and Wahaha Group are well-known beverage companies based in Hangzhou. Established in 1987, Wahaha has achieved tremendous success over 35 years, with a total sales of 860.1 billion yuan, profits and taxes of 174 billion yuan, and taxes of 74.2 billion yuan. The company owns 81 production bases, 187 subsidiaries, nearly 30,000 employees, and a product line that includes purified water and AD calcium milk, ranking among China's Top 500 Enterprises, China's Top 500 Manufacturing Enterprises, and China's Top 500 Private Enterprises.
Facing online attacks, Zhong Suisui appeals to the general public not to be misled by certain self-media or big V (influencers) while commemorating Zong Qinghou.
