CHAGEE's Dilemma of Fawning over the West: Strategic Loss behind the Translation Controversy
In January 2025, CHAGEE, a new tea - drink brand, translated “Spring Festival” as “Lunar New Year” on overseas social media platforms. It didn't use “Chinese New Year” or the United Nations - recognized “Spring Festival”. This sparked a strong outcry among Chinese netizens. The controversy not only showed the brand's unclear stance on cultural sovereignty but also revealed its core strategic problem: it was willing to betray Chinese consumers, the foundation of its business, just to cater to the “international and diverse market”.
Source: CHAGEE's overseas account
Data shows that CHAGEE's GMV exceeded 20 billion yuan in 2024. However, during the translation dispute, the brand tried to play down its Chinese identity, aiming to integrate into the international market with a “culturally neutral” attitude. As a result, the churn rate of “culturally - identifying consumers” in the domestic market increased sharply. This strategy of “currying favor with foreigners while neglecting the Chinese” is essentially a commercial betrayal of its core customer group.
Southeast Asia is the first area for CHAGEE's overseas expansion. After entering Malaysia in 2019, it expanded quickly through opening a large number of stores and local marketing. By the end of 2024, it had 130 stores. The average daily sales of each store exceeded 2,000 cups, and the peak - period sales reached 38,000 yuan. But this “success” is mainly in the ethnic Chinese middle - class market. The main consumer group locally is still ethnic Chinese. Strategies like signing badminton star Lee Chong Wei and collaborating with Royal Selangor pewter are actually about using ethnic Chinese cultural identity to gain market share, rather than truly integrating into the diverse cultural environment.
Translation Controversy: Cultural Concession Caused by Strategic Myopia
CHAGEE made a double - mistake in scientific accuracy and sovereignty this time. The key of the controversy is the brand's wrong judgment of “who its main customers are”. Scientifically, the Chinese lunar calendar is a lunisolar calendar. But “Lunar New Year” only represents the lunar part, causing international misunderstandings. In terms of cultural sovereignty, South Korea and Vietnam are promoting terms like “Seollal” and “Tết” to claim the Spring Festival. CHAGEE's compromise is seen as giving in to “cultural appropriation”.
CHAGEE's double - standards in crisis management were exposed. The brand apologized in the comment section of its WeChat official account 48 hours after the controversy started, but was criticized for being “tough on the domestic front and weak on the overseas front”. What's more, the overseas account was changed to “Chinese New Year”, but the promotional materials in physical stores were not updated at the same time. This shows the conflict of interests between the headquarters and regional teams—the former wants to maintain its domestic image, while the latter still tries to keep the “international” label.
Source: CHAGEE's official WeChat account
Source: CHAGEE's official Weibo account
“Customer Misplacement” as Strategic Suicide
Data shows that CHAGEE's globalization plan relies heavily on the Chinese market. In 2024, overseas revenue only accounted for a small part. A large part of the sales in the Southeast Asian market came from ethnic Chinese consumers, and the European and American markets mainly relied on Chinese international students. Its plan to go public in the US needs an “international story”, but investors are actually more interested in the growth potential of the Chinese market. Sacrificing its cultural stance to please Wall Street is really a wrong - headed move.
The strategy of trying to fit into the international market by “de - Sinicizing” has shown signs of failure. Its domestic success comes from consumers' emotional connection to “cultural revival”, and the translation controversy directly damaged this trust. Netizens said, “It uses Chinese - style packaging to make money, but then kneels to foreigners.” In contrast, Mixue Bingcheng clearly used “Chinese New Year”, and its daily sales increased a lot, which shows the commercial value of the right cultural strategy.
Source: Mixue Bingcheng's official website
Globalization ≠ Self - Castration
Data breaks the “internationalization” illusion: among the overseas consumers of Chinese new tea - drink brands, ethnic Chinese account for over 70%. Instead of trying to please the illusory “international and diverse market”, it's better to focus on the ethnic Chinese cultural circle. HEYTEA includes elements of Eastern tea culture in its store designs in the UK. For example, its Emporium store in Melbourne is designed like a traditional Chinese tea house, creating a unique spatial experience that combines ancient Chinese street - side tea houses and Melbourne's street scenes. This attracts local consumers to pay more.
EqualOcean suggests that tea - drink brands can take a tough cultural - export strategy. For example, they can follow the translation standards of the Palace Museum and use official translations like “Spring Festival” and “Qixi Festival” to avoid confusion. Also, when launching “Tết - special items” in Vietnam, they can mark “originating from the Chinese Spring Festival”. This respects local customs and also emphasizes the cultural roots.
When “Guochao” Turns into “National Mockery”
The lesson from CHAGEE shows a harsh truth: in an era of strong national sentiment, Chinese overseas - expanding enterprises that try to please the international market by sacrificing their cultural identity will end up being unpopular both at home and abroad.
The core problem is the brand's wrong understanding of “main customers” at the strategic level—it puts Wall Street investors and “international consumers” above Chinese customers, while the latter are the real foundation of its business. When a brand sees “internationalization” as “de - Sinicization”, it loses not only the market but also its own foundation.
If CHAGEE can't reposition itself between the goal of being an “Oriental Starbucks” and the role of a “Chinese cultural ambassador”, the capital pressure after its US listing may speed up the emergence of this paradox.
The Trend of Chinese Tea Brands Going Overseas
CHAGEE is just an example of Chinese tea brands expanding overseas. In recent years, new tea - drink brands have been speeding up their overseas development and actively exploring the international market.
For example, Jasmine Milkbai has won a group of loyal consumers in places like Singapore with its special jasmine tea base and smooth milk taste. Also, its first UK store opened in London on February 7, 2025. On the opening day, sales exceeded 11,000 pounds, and it sold up to 2,000 cups.
Naixue's Tea relies on the “tea + soft European bread” combination model and aims to attract overseas young people with a higher - end brand image. On August 23, 2024, Naixue's Tea's first global flagship store opened in Central World, Bangkok, Thailand. The store covers an area of over 200 square meters and combines baking, tea - drinking, and retail. Besides, Naixue's Tea plans to open new stores in Singapore, the UK, the US, etc., to expand its international market.
Other brands like Chabaidao and HEYTEA are also trying to bring Chinese - characteristic tea culture to the world, especially in the Southeast Asian market. Mixue Bingcheng, with its high cost - performance and strategy for the lower - tier market, has quickly opened stores in Indonesia, Vietnam, etc., and gained market share with low prices.