In 1972, then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai presented White Rabbit milk candies as a state gift to visiting US President Richard Nixon. More than half a century later, this Shanghai sweet is undergoing a new journey abroad, and this journey is happening through its packaging.
Earlier this month, a user on X posted two photos. One showed the White Rabbit candy in its familiar red-blue-white wrapper, and the other showed the paper unfolded and laid flat. The user noted: 'It is an absolute masterpiece of graphic design...'
Within days, this post garnered about 6 million views and 265 thousand likes. Comments quickly filled with images of tattoos, T-shirts, phone cases, and White Rabbit wrappers saved in notebooks.
These two moments demonstrate different aspects of how Chinese culture spreads. If White Rabbit was initially presented as a diplomatic gift, now ordinary people are opening, sharing, and reinterpreting it.
The Discovered Design
For many Chinese people, the excitement abroad was unexpected. What was praised as a design discovery was merely the wrapper of a children's candy—one that was previously folded into school textbooks to preserve the faint milky aroma, or thrown away after eating the candy.
Now, this item, deeply rooted in the cultural consciousness of the Chinese people, has entered a different sphere where people value it, collect it, and make it their own. This is a very encouraging development.
White Rabbit adopted its current name and rabbit design in 1959, replacing an earlier Mickey Mouse design used by the Shanghai confectionery factory. Its wrapper received a national packaging award in 1983 and has been used ever since.
When unfolded, it resembles a miniature poster. A white rabbit sits in the center against a red background. Rows of small blue-and-white rabbits run along the sides, and Chinese and English characters occupy the remaining space.
Zhang Di, a professor at Peking University who studies transcultural content dissemination, told The Straits Times that the visual language of this design does not require special cultural knowledge to understand and is aesthetically accessible to different cultures. Viewers may be attracted to the image even before they learn its history.
The history adds another layer of meaning to the image. In China, White Rabbit evokes memories of an era of candy shortages, when it was a special treat during family gatherings and holidays, and its milky taste and chewy texture delighted young children. In contrast, today's young consumers abroad often encounter it in a different context. It seems fresh to them precisely because its classic design has stood the test of time: it is a specimen of commercial art untouched by the polished uniformity of many modern packages.
Its handmade quality can also attract attention. In an era where artificial intelligence can create a polished image in seconds, the hand-drawn rabbit and old-fashioned letters carry the imprint of a specific designer and era. Wu Weihua, a professor at the China University of Communications, believes that vintage designs with cultural depth can resonate in an era increasingly filled with AI-generated content.
Nevertheless, a durable design alone is not enough to explain why a wrapper ignored for decades suddenly attracted so much attention.
Why Now?
This rediscovery occurs against the backdrop of growing interest in China abroad. Western social media users have recently embraced the concept of 'Chinamaxxing,' adopting habits such as drinking hot water and wearing slippers. Chinese apps, games, food brands, and toys have also become more visible overseas.
As Chinese goods become more familiar abroad, consumers begin to look beyond their practical use. Curiosity about an object can lead to questions about its design, history, and origin.
Algorithms accelerate this process. Zhang noted that recommendation systems delivered content from Chinese diaspora communities to a wider audience, turning a wrapper associated with one community's memories into an image seen by millions of screens.
The result is a broader representation of Chinese culture abroad. Alongside ancient monuments, martial arts, and cuisine, everyday objects are entering the conversation. The White Rabbit wrapper, reproduced on clothing, phone cases, and even leather, has lost its original function and become an independent visual symbol.
Quiet Influence
Formal cultural promotion usually begins by explaining why something is important. Online discovery often works in reverse. Someone first notices the rabbit, saves the photo, or buys the candy. Questions about its origin arise later. This interaction feels like a discovery, not a lesson.
White Rabbit has conducted collaborations and launched new products over many years, but the element attracting attention today is the part the company decided not to replace. Shi Anbin, a professor at Tsinghua University studying China's cultural influence, believes the longevity of the design proves that original Chinese designs are capable of crossing generations and cultural boundaries.
Its appeal suggests that globalization does not always require a brand to hide its origins. The wrapper that captured the world's attention was not reworked for an international audience. It was the same wrapper that generations of Chinese children peeled off their candy.
This brings us back to the two photos. In the first, the wrapper still held the candy. In the second, it was unfolded for a closer look. The candy will soon disappear. But the image has already begun its new journey.
